Rachel Quinton 1

Rachel Quinton

Mrs. Field

4th period

2/15/11

Paper on dystopias

Is our fate predestined? Should it be given to us at birth? The thing at which

we are to do the rest of our lives? Should we stay at the standards set? Or should

we exceed or stay at the set standard? Our modern society today have not come to

the point to tell us what we can and can’t do but in “Harrison Bergeron”, Anthem,

and Gattaca it has come to that the authors/ writers Vonnegut, Rand, and Niccol

show us the possibility of a society like this they also show characters that were

born different, stand up to laws that are not fit, and they pass their bar of

potentiality that was set for them even thought they are in a world that is under

complete control of one’s standards no one exceeds their potential; however

Harrison, Equality, and Vincent do exceed because they are superior and will not

allow themselves to be suppressed.

These characters, they were born unlike the others who allow their standard

to be set so low. Harrison knew that life was not supposed to be like this when he

was forced to wear mental and physical handicaps so he would be so called ‘equal’
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as everyone else. Harrison was ‘a clown.’ Not because he wanted to be and he was

made to look somewhat like a clown because he did not appear to look like anyone

else, he did not think at a low level, and because he was not weak. Equality

“wished to know” (23) more than the little amount of knowledge he had been

given. Equality thought without thinking “are my brothers thinking the same?” he

did not fear what he was doing whilst most of the people in the society of Anthem.

Vincent was born a ‘god child’ which eventually became in-valid. Which means he

was born without genetic engineering which made him not be so called the ‘best of

his parents’. Since these characters were born different and they wanted to make

choices, that the majority of society would say have already been made for them,

this also means that they will not allow to be told no. they will do anything they

want even if it means what is standing in front of them is society.