Essay on 1984 vs. Harrison Bergeron - 855 Words

Vonnegut Jr.s Harrison Bergeron and Orwells 1984 are based on the concept of negative utopia. The governments in both these novels control their masses using harsh methods. The government in 1984 uses brainwashing, doublethink, mutability of the past and vaporization to control its masses. The government in Harrison Bergeron uses physical and mental handicaps to control its masses and in the effort to make everyone equal. Both the governments have a tight control on its people but the government in 1984 has a stronger and more affective control over its masses than the government in Harrison Bergeron. The government in 1984 completely restricts the mere freedom of thought. Anyone who thinks anything that the government finds†¦show more content†¦They turn into puppets that can be easily controlled and manipulated by the Party, to the extent that they can be made to believe in two contradicting ideas at once. This is what the Party refers to as doublethink. In fact, the people themselves believe that thoughtcrime is a dreadful thing, (Page 233) and that they should be punished for it as suited. The fear that has subconsciously settled in the minds of the people minimizes the chances of rebellion, makes it easier for the Party to stay in power, and furthermore results in a very tight control over the population. On the other hand, in Diana Moon Glamperss government, all people with higher than average intelligence are required to wear a little mental handicap radio in one of their ears at all times. This handicap sends out a sharp noise every 20 seconds so that people dont take unfair advantage of their brains. (Vonegut). It interrupts the thinking process of the individual by momentarily stunning them, after which the individual forgets about what he/ she was thinking. This does not mean that free thought is restricted. It is not! People can think about anything at any moment of time and wont be convicted as guilty for it. They are less of puppets and more of individuals. However, taking off the mental handicap time at any given point is punishable. The punishment is not as bad as that issued by the Party for thoughtcrime. Also, the government would never know if someone took off their