Kelsey Long English 11B Compare and Contrast Final Draft 060315 Essay

Kelsey Long English 11B Compare and Contrast Final Draft 060315 Essay Kelsey Long Mrs. Harvey English 11B 3 June , 2015 Significant Differences "in " Harrison Bergeron" and "A P" What a difference a day makes whether it's in 2081 or in the 1960's. The even ts of the stories "Harrison Bergeron " by Kurt Vonnegut and "A P" by John Updike contain interesting details that occur within less than twenty-four hours. Both stories are from the post war and postmodern era and are satirical in nature with underlying meanings and implications for modern society. Although "Harrison Bergeron" and "A P" are both satires, they differ greatly when it comes to the essential elements of the stories including setting, plot development, logic, tragedy, and humor. First, there are several similarities of note between the two stories. Both stories possess themes that include rebellion and individualism . In Vonnegut's stor y, Harrison is the only character willing to rebel and does so without fear . The ballerina does join Harrison in defiance after he prompts her to do so. Hazel shows a glimmer of rebellion in this work when she encourages Georg e to remove weight fr om his handicap bag. In Updike's story , the girls in bathing suits, especial ly Queenie, illustrate rebellious behaviors toward social issues o f the 196 0's time period. These girls a re well aware that going into a small town wearing two -piece bathing suits might cause a stir, but they proceed with disregard for acceptable attire. Their actions are rather bold, even for teenagers. In addition, characters from both stories have internal conflict s regarding social issues . In "Harrison Bergeron", George show s internal conflict with tears at the thinks of his son, Harrison, in jail due to societal constraints . H azel apparently has , at least brief , internal conflict when she cries after witnessing her son's death on television due to her son breaking the laws of equality . In "A P", Sammy faces internal conflict over societal weaknesses when he begins "to feel sorry for" the girls when he sees Mr. McMahon "sizing up their joints". External conflicts with figures of authority occur in both stories. In "A P", Sammy quits his job and tells Lengel the store manager , "You didn't have to embarrass them . " Likewise, H arrison has obvious issues w ith authority when he escapes from jail with his imprisonment being due to "suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government." Second, the re are major dif ferences in the most vital elements of the works. "Harrison Bergeron" is set in 2081 which lends it to futuristic plot details. Harrison Bergeron" is an example of absurdist literature with extreme illogic, tragedy, and dark humor. Amendments to the Constitution raise the standards of those with inadequacies and penal ize those that are gifted. Those that are pena lized wear masks to hide beauty and weights to slow them down. Technological advances allow for " mental handicap radios " that are "tuned to a government transmitter " to be placed in the ears of the very gifted. The peo ple are "handicapped" to become normal. Those that are less intelligent are not handicapped and are , therefore, considered more normal. If a person removes their handicaps and becomes "under ha ndicapped", they become dangerous and the "Handicapper General" shoots them . The General kills Harrison and his ballerina partner in crime for removing their handicaps and dancing beautifully. The illogic al pattern is obvious here. Conversely, "A P" is a satire set in the 1960"s with humor and irony but without illogic or tragedy following a more realistic story line. The plot explores personal choices and how they can affect individual lives. The narrator and main character, Sammy, is a cashier at a grocery store in a small town in Boston in the 1960's. Basically, Sammy sees girls in two-piece bathing suits come into the grocery store . The scantily clad girls set of f racing thoughts that are natural for Sammy's young male mind . "She didn't look around, not this queen. She just walked straight on slowly, on these long white prima donna legs." Then, the girls are chastised