In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron”, the theme of equality is very relevant. Vonnegut shows how different and more complicated a world would be if everyone were “equal”. Throughout the short story if anyone is shown to be above normal or above average in any way, shape, or form, they are to wear handicaps causing their intelligence or talents to fade away. While having the handicaps no one has their own individuality or uniqueness. Vonnegut proves that literal equality could not exist in society without creating serious problems and chaos.
Such conflicts also portrayed in Charles Waterstreet's article' It's a long fickle road to justice' which similar to Robertson's use of persuasive techniques utilizes satire to challenge and question the myopic procedures of the legal system. As society develops, along with it come the changes in values and beliefs this is evident in The Trials of Oz which displays the differing attitudes and conflicting perspectives between generation gaps. The" Trials of Oz's" 'Rupert Bear' was one of great offence in Robertson's time, whereas today material similar to this is everywhere and is mostly socially acceptable which parallely reflect the beliefs of freedom of speech and individuality growing within society. Robertson himself believed these values which is evident in his view put across in a metaphor for describing the legal system as “ the justice game” revealing the lack of freedom of speech and individuality acknowledgement within it, which is reinforced through the chapter through repetition, arising questions for the responder. In the Trials Of Oz, Robertson uses persuasive language to describe the defendants as “honest young men” and to characterise Oz as a “harmless coffee-table magazine for the revolution that would never
Ryan Horan Totalitarianism DBQ The first things that come to mind when the names Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler are mentioned are the cruel, tyrannical, inhumane acts they committed against their own people, and people of other nationalities. But, what one fails to see is the public works they sponsored, the ways they modernized their countries, and other beneficial causes they supported. Without these dictators the countries of Russia, Italy and Germany would have all been affected in very distinct ways; and although their rules were mainly counterproductive, the actions they took to improve the lives of their people would in some cases bring them out of a depression, and in other cases modernize them, in times when their countries called for it most. After Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin outmaneuvered his rivals to gain control of the government. Stalin was determined to transform the Soviet Union into a powerful industrial state.
In the article “Get Spinning” by author Warren Kinsella, he defends that the use of propaganda and fallacies by media and politicians is a bad representation of spinning, which he claim is a good method which is now tagged as a negative brain-washing technique. On the other side, author of “The Age of Spin”, Mark Sommer affirms that using spinning is like underestimating peoples’ capacities to think and have their own opinions. The author affirms that each person who resists spinning is contributing for a society with independent judgment and more democracy. Even though Kinsella and Sommer have distinct opinions about the spinning usage, my personal opinion is
One can only assess Marlowe’s personality through the biased opinion of the narrator himself. Therefore, it is the readers’ responsibility to question how much truth is behind Marlowe’s storytelling. Without honesty, the story can be slanted to make the other heroic qualities appear where they are in fact not. Because Chandler does a great job of making Marlowe so charming, readers get easily distracted from the fact that the entire plot is subjective. Marlowe’s credibility comes into question through his self-portrayal, through his manipulation of his readers into accepting his own limited and unsupported suspicions of other characters, and through his near superhuman ability to be in the “right” place at the right time.
Twain portrays Huck as an independent figure who refuses to be “sivilized” by the outside world. Although various critics condemn Twain for his morals and claim he is a racist, it is actually true that his characterization of Huck Finn was extremely effective because of Huck’s growth over his character flaws, especially due to the time period in which the story was written. Some see the story of Huckleberry Finn as “meaningless” and a text that has racist connotations. The excessive use of the word “nigger” is seen as disturbing and hurtful to many who read Twain’s novel. Racism is constantly flowing throughout the texts during many scenes in which Jim, an African American, is constantly degraded.
His ideology is favorably prospected when the narrator speaks of equality in his speech and the room fills with "sounds of displeasure", followed by "hostile phrases" (Ellison 270). The reaction to his use of the word equality reveals that he will not win his way using logic and normal means of communication because he is not considered a normal person; he is considered as a lesser being. Furthermore, "Battle Royal" portrays amusement and a sense of authority within the white society while they keep the black society confused. The narrator believes he is given a respectable chance to give his speech but to his surprise
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power”(Abraham Lincoln). The corrupted, abuse power in ways unthinkable to many. Those in power justify dehumanizing others to maintain the illusion of unquestionable dominance; however, once the powerless are exposed to the truth they gain the authority to transcend the fallacious pre-existing hierarchy, which frees them to create themselves in a ‘truly human world’ The abuse of power is nevermore evident in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Nolan’s film, Memento and Findley’s novel Not Wanted On the Voyage. Powerful characters dehumanize others to maintain the illusion of dominance. Isolation, enables the powerless to awaken to true power through the realization of the truth.
Paulos Liu AP Language and Composition Link 12/16/12 The Corruption of Man In the United States, individualism is supported and valued, while still encouraging the importance of tolerating other cultures. Yet within this society, there are pressures to conform, and to not only tolerate, but to become another. In the novel, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley creates a world that, instead of encouraging toleration, brainwashes their individuals to create a homogenous society. Through Bernard and Lenina, Huxley comments on the corruption of the individual, and ultimately the society as a whole, because of the natural urge for acceptance. Huxley, through the rise of Bernard to a popular status, expresses the fall of an individual through the
As stated by critic James Berardinelli, Citizen Kane was “a powerful dramatic tale about the uses and abuses of wealth and power.” Although Kane seems to have so much power, he never seems to be truly happy or satisfied. This leads the audience to think about if power and money only give people superficial happiness, will these things ever truly fulfil them. Another way that Citizen Kane moves and challenges us is through its characters. The characters in the text are all flawed, and it is their faults and failings that lend them credibility and make them fascinating to viewers. The audience automatically feels empathy for the characters in their tough moments, as we can relate their trials and tribulations to those in our own lives.