Kurt Vonnegut

My response to the ending of the story was not a positive one. I did not like the way the events of Harrison Bergeron were resolved at all. After I finished reading the story, I realized that the United States government controls people in this universe in a way that makes it virtually impossible for people to rebel. They make it so that no one is coherent enough to even plan a rebellion, and even if someone was able to overcome their handicaps, the live executions of these rebels makes everyone…

Blind to Reality Alan Strang. As soon as I heard his last name, I instantly thought of two words: strange and strangle. These two words hinted a lot about the main character and his journey. First off, the obvious. Yes, Alan was a pretty strange character; his disheveled outward appearance coupled with odd mannerisms like chanting gibberish made this vividly clear early on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he also worships horses. His struggle also figuratively and literally strangled him, driving…

Gattaca, drown in the middle of science, where the genetically engineered human, from any race, become superior, where the fate is predetermined by gene (genoism), defined in G-A-T-C, genetic codes. The peak of story in the movie is when the human power comes in, by so-called in-valid young boy, Vincent, who dreams of space. In fact, the space is symbol, symbol of freedom from all the unrest in the society, where the religion does not play any role any more, and where even the parents, do not…

In her article “Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious,” Antonia Peacocke discusses how those who watch the show Family Guy should realize the creators’ jokes should be viewed as what they are intended to be: a harsh reality rather than crude. Peacocke argues that when taken at face value, Family Guy’s humor could potentially be considered offensive. Instead, the creator Seth Macfarlane intelligently uses satire to mock American culture. The article is overall…

“Only a minority of science fiction dystopias attempt to plumb the real existential roots of oppression, the flaws in humanity's nature that undermine our best attempts at organizing ourselves into social units” -Paul Di Filippo. Utopian societies are like airing up a popped tire; nothing is getting any better or worse. While - the complete opposite of a Utopia - dystopian societies are in a state where people have no control over anything and are “slaves” of the government. There are places…

Films often portray the collective conscience of society. This perspective lends Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) a resonating voice in the film genre. By utilizing comedy, one of the most powerful tools in fiction, he created an exceptionally savage film. Kubrick’s political satire is a landmark film and one of the most significant pieces concerning the cold war. The film’s satirical spirit is every bit as caustic now as it was over…

“The Veldt” is a short story written by Ray Bradbury on September 23, 1950. Bradbury, known for his science fiction genre, wrote many novels including: Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine and more. The common theme of his novels is that humans can be manipulated by technology. “The Veldt” is about a family that has a very technologically advanced home that performs every task for them. The children eventually get revenge on their parents with their own technology – the nursery…

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” This quote by John F. Kennedy exemplifies the insight Ray Bradbury portrays in “Fahrenheit 451” about a future world in which society has finally carved the perfect people with the perfect lives. Everything seems to be okay for Guy Montag, as he has completely conformed to what is expected of him, until Clarisse, a woman who has been raised knowing the truth of the world, unknowingly displays human connection that Guy himself has…

For my Essay #3, The Juror’s Reflection, I have chosen to discuss the case of Moon Microsystems, Inc. v. John Zucchini. I have chosen this case as I found John Zucchini sounded very innocent during my first read through of the trial description, but on each successive read through I found he sounded more and more guilty. I believe that Zucchini would have had a hard time justifying any benefits of his chosen domain name outside of the gained popularity through Moon’s customer’s confusion. In…

In the story “Harrison Bergeron” the year is 2081. Everyone is finally equal and at peace, but one person by the name of Harrison Bergeron becomes a threat to that peace. Being a threat to that peace he is considered a danger to society. Harrison is considered a danger to society not a hero because he is ruining the peace and equality everyone has finally achieved. The first piece of evidence that shows Harrison Bergeron is a danger not a hero to society is that when he came upon the stage he…