Animal Farm and Harrison Bergeron Essay - 1373 Words

The Completely Equal Societies; Proving They do not Work Many societies strive to make every person as equal as possible to the next, believing that this makes everything fair for everyone. In all truth though, society cannot function in this way; no matter what, there will always be someone or some group that has more power than everyone else. Equality should only concern the important issues, such as equal rights for all races and each gender. Both the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell and the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. are the quintessence of inequality and prove this point; all equal societies do not work. There are many similarities the book Animal Farm shares with the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, one†¦show more content†¦For example, Hazel suggests to George that he takes out a couple lead balls that are in a weight hanging around his neck but he is afraid of the two year jail sentence per lead ball taken out and t wo thousand dollar fine per lead ball taken out. Also, to manipulate them in way that is almost like sedation, the government uses the T.V. by showing television shows that don’t require you to think at all. Lastly, in both societies, the characters of Animal Farm and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† stand by and let terrible things happen without any disagreement from them. In Animal Farm when the â€Å"veterinarian† comes to get Boxer â€Å"Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked â€Å"Horse Slaughterer,† and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker’s. It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid. Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that?... The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out. That was how the mistake had arisen† (Orwell 125). Convincing the animals is an easy task, Squealer says Boxer was not slaughtered, but he had actually been given the best care with expensive medicines. Every animal accepts this explanation without any further questions. EvenShow MoreRelatedTotalitarianism in Orwells Mind Essay1053 Words   |  5 Pagesof public and private life. Another one of George Orwell’s books, Animal Farm, is an allegory about the Soviet Union, and in it farm animals subscribe to a belief system, akin to Marxism, called Animalism. Eventually the Pigs take over the farm, with one of them, Napoleon, as their leader. They rule the farm with an iron fist, utilizing the fact that the other farm animals are far less intelligent than them. â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, a short story created by author Kurt Vonnegut, is about the United