Abuse of Power Within Governments in Literature Essay Example

George Orwell’s 1984, as well as Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian”, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” are used to portray the abuse of power within Governments. 1984 a book published in 1949 starts with the thoughts of rebellion and upbringing against an authoritarian government that observes people's every thoughts, actions, and relations. The threat of thought police and vaporization is enough to subdue the common population though a small rebellion has surfaced that the main character Winston tries to associate with. Throughout the book, he encounters many characters that he believes have the same thoughts and purposes as him but his quickness to trust leads to his downfall. In the short story “The Pedestrian” Ray Bradbury presents a gloomy and cold environment that almost is sensed to be a ghost town except for one lonely walker. Mr. Leonard Mead, an old man who walked alone at night, remarked on how all of his neighbors and everyone around him is entranced by television and technology. Close to the end of his walk, he is confronted by the police who are quick to judge him due to the suspension that society has caused by just going for a walk. The unprofessionalism of the authority causes Leonard to revolt and contend with the officer. Leading to the officer diagnosing him with dangerous tendencies forcing the officer to take Leonard to a psychiatric ward. Kurt Vonnegut used similar techniques to portray a gloomy tone to present the reader with an abrupt mood that the reader can create. Though Vonnegut and Bradbury both used hyperbole satirical devices, the two stories' government control sways from one another. Hazel and George watched their son Harrison Bergeron, a boy who dreamed that he would create a new world of uniqueness and freedom but his dream was short lived when Diana Moon Glampers, the handicapper general, fired a ten-gauge shotgun twice and they were dead before they hit the ground. After he died George came back to the room and asked “You been Crying” Hazel then realized she’d forgotten her son's death and stopped weeping and went on. The authors of 1984, “The Pedestrian”, and “Harrison Bergeron” all use satirical elements to surround readers with ideas of using technology to control, altering information to manipulate, and exploiting memories to sway ideas.

1984 and “The Pedestrian'' both exploit the theme that the abuse of technology aids in the control of humanity. In 1984 Winston is forced to keep his retaliation in private due to the always watching telescreen and the fear of vaporization. Towards the beginning of the book, he hides away to write in his journal. “The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed”. The fear that he feels just to write shows the telescreen is the misuse of technology in the world to appear that the party has total submission. 1984 also showcases the misuse of technology when Julia and Winston are kidnapped “It was behind the picture”(Orwell 221). The unknowingness Winston felt shows that controlling people roots from suppressing technology to the point of total blind surveillance. The use of technology to spy on unknowing targets is a right that the government broke to uphold sovereignty. “The Pedestrian '' uses less direct submission tactics to control the citizen seeing as the satirical devices are less exaggerated on the account that the modern day world closely resembles Ray Bradbury’s backdrop. While Leonard Mead is walking he reflects that “people tv blaw blaw”. The people addicted to televisions are utilized to illustrate that the government only had to give an entertainment source and with that went humanity's freedom. The authority's control is given not through total obedience but through the knowledge of location and the total entrancement.

The theme that altered information manipulates societal outlooks is intertwined between the book 1984 and the story “ Harrison Bergeron” through satirical hyperbole. At the beginning of the book when Wintson starts doubting the party and current and past conflicts, he recalls the speech “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”(Orwell 44). Such a Shrewd dialogue creates the thought that the past, future, and present have been manipulated or deleted for the party to convey a more acceptable regime. In line with the control of the past during a speech that the party had put on after having sex with Julia a note from big brother was handed to the speaker which read “There was, of course, no admission that any change had taken place. Merely it became known, with extreme suddenness and everywhere at once, that Eastasia and not Eurasia was the enemy”(Orwell 180).The changing of enemies and removing evidence of past adversaries shows that if governments control the information they can alter and sway any unwanted text. If governments had this power they could make themselves seem perfect and if any contradict that they would have no hard proof. In “Harrison Bergeron '' Kurt Vonnegut Jr. depicts Harrisonas a young boy who was sent to jail for thoughts of overthrowing the government. Before Harrison was killed he was depicted as “   k”. While these descriptions may be true the government uses the news as an outlet to brainwash society to believe anything that is spoken is true. Harrison is used as the antagonist to the society to subdue the idea of rebelling and that any upbringing will be met with a ten Gauge shotgun. The two works of writing satirize control and submission to bring attention to authoritarian governments.

George Orwell’s and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s book and short story mesh together creating the theme that manipulation or absence of memories allow governments maintain control. George Orwell’s book 1984 links the idea that falsified information can destroy relations and produce complete obedience. Nearing the end of part two, one night while with Julia Winston had a nightmare regarding his mother ”I didn’t murder her. Not physically”(Orwell 160). This reconstruction of memories proves the idea that if a memory can be altered to break the bond of mother and son the manipulation of a memory can make anyone unconsciously do anything. Winston's attempts to rebel were stopped short after the party captured him and brainwashed him into working for him and forgetting his past life. At the end of the book, Winson forgot everything “But it was all right everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved big brother.” (Orwell 298). Within the short story “Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut Jr. depicts the parents of Harrison as average intelligence either through handicaps or naturally, though always giving the view that every twenty or so minutes the parents forget. At the end of the short story George walks in and asks “"You been crying" he said to Hazel."Yup," she said."What about?" he said. "I forget," she said. "Something real sad on television.""What was it?" he said."It's all kind of mixed up in my mind," said Hazel.”(Vonnegut 6) The complete forgetting of her son being killed then shaking it off shows that the average intelligence of humanity is so low that even the death of a son was forgotten immediately. The power of memories will in turn lead to absolute control due family ties and death not mattering enough to citizens, therefore, the government can carry out any act and it will be forgotten. The strongest mind power is memories and without it governments are free to roam.