What is the Theme of Harrison Bergeron and 1984

As I was sitting in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, a divine thought straight from the mind of god struck me and I realised: ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. This thought was entirely true I thought, but I had to have evidence to back it up. So today I brought along 1984 by george Orwell and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. to demonstrate what I mean within what is the theme of Harrison Bergeron and 1984. The theme we’ll be studying today is the power of the government in relation to the mentality of its people - by mentality I mean either choosing or not choosing to be ignorant or ignore, in respect to the general populace.

Now that we’re in the mood, let's get into it, Starting with the context of both of these books and authors. It is important to understand the context both of these books were written in, as it influences how it was intended to be perceived. George Orwell was born in 1903, and after an upper-middle class education in England, joined the British Imperial Police Force in Burma, and then served in the Spanish civil war. These had brought him face to face with the horrors of a totalitarian regime. 1984 itself was written post WWII, so a lot of the totalitarian aspects of the time - the zeitgeist if you will - is brought into the book. For Vonnegut, he received a similar education, and after graduating fought in WWII as well, and witnessed the bombing of Dresden. This wartime experience is a shared context for the authors, and explains the strong anti-totalitarian sentiment in their respective didactic texts. If at any time you need to pause or rewind something year 12, feel free.

Now for analysis of both stories: both portray a negative utopian society, or dystopia, with a totalitarian government controlling + monitoring their every move. A point of both contrast AND comparison is the ways they achieve their power and dominance over their citizens, and to the same end result. In the world of Airstrip One, the citizens of Oceania are at all times being fed propaganda and lies by telescreens and the rituals of their life, such as the two minutes hate, to indoctrinate them from the youngest age possible, at every possible time. The Party, completely controls their life, work and relationships to the smallest detail, but everyone accepts and welcomes this Another huge topic relating back to the question is the concept of doublethink - both acknowledging and forgetting something at the same time. Vonnegut's take on a dystopia is different in that all citizens are completely equal in every way, making in some ways a perfect utopia and dystopia at the same time. These ‘handicaps’ as they are called inhibit mental, physical and in some ways, human functioning. The government determines what is normal, and adjusts accordingly. In this society the only physical form of government we see is the United states handicapper general, DIana Moon Glampers. This form of oppression is widely accepted and encouraged as it means that no one is above each other, so there is no need to compete or struggle. The text specifically states how it was changes to the Constitution that allowed this, meaning people wanted this. These will be the basis for our comparisons and contrasts, and in the end will show the relation of power of government to the difference of ignorance and ignoring.

For some evidence to back this up: once again starting with Orwell’s 1984. Starting with this quote, which you can pause if you need to read. This quote explains the nuances and ultimate paradox of doublethink - simultaneously holding two separate truths true, and doing it both consciously and unconsciously. Early in the book, doublethink refers to the ability to control your memories, to choose to forget something, as well as to forget about the forgetting process. Later on, when the Party implements its mind-control techniques, people ultimately lose the ability to form independent thoughts. In the end, it becomes possible for the Party to convince the public of anything, even if it's the exact opposite of what they've always known to be true.

Another example of this is shown in Goldstein's book, when he is talking about the power and population structures in Oceania. Winston specifically grabs onto this idea of the power lies in the proles. The quote on the screen shows this. The proles have so much potential to change and revolt, but as shown in the book they have no means of comparison, so they can't imagine life any differently.

This has all come together to show how ignoring ISN'T the same as ignorance - the proles are ignorant, and have to remain ignorant to maintain the status quo. But for the inner party and outer party who consciously and unconsciously doublethink, they choose to ignore - and have to work at it to doublethink.

Now for Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut. In the world of the United States in 2081, everyone is equal in every way. The total equality of the society means that, as shown on the screen, there is no such thing abnormal. This is the opening paragraph of the story, and effectively builds the world in a short timespan. The suppression of human nature is done through the use of handicaps, such as mental handicaps that emit a loud burst of sound to interrupt thoughts every 20 seconds. ‘Normal’ in the society of Harrison Bergeron means no one can physically think too long or hard about anything, so they are forced to be ignorant. The character Hazel has normal intelligence, meaning she can't think about anything except in short bursts, but suggests that George try to reduce his handicap by taking weight out. This is an anomaly in society as it means that average intelligence can understand and endorse rebellion, but lose the train of thought within seconds.

The second point to be made about this quote is the use of the words ‘amendments to the constitution.’ The amendments to the constitution are voted upon by the government, meaning the government has the power to decide who should be forced to be ignorant or not. The government in the world of Vonnegut controls its people by the repression of human nature through man made devices, keeping them ignorant from any sign of anomaly or rebellion in the society.

In conclusion, through the analysis of these texts, we have seen both individual and human experiences, such as rebellion, repression and control. The government in these books controls its citizens in different ways, but in the end has an obedient and unquestioning populace. The individual experiences of Winston and George & Hazel bergeron show us through their respective didactic texts something about ourselves that we need to know in order to better understand the world around us and how it functions.