Evaluation (838)
Both stories, “The Censors” and “Harrison Bergeron” have many aspects that make them similar and different. “The Censors” focuses more on a problem that initially starts from impulsive decision-making and not thinking the situation through. “Harrison Bergeron” is inclined towards the government’s control over everybody that has been going on. Despite all of this, both stories share a sense of human rights violations and government censorship.
When it comes to the point of view, “The Censors” is one of a third-person limited where only Juan’s thoughts are known, meaning that all that is revealed about the story, comes from Juan’s observations made by the narrator. His feelings are only visible through his actions. In “Harrison Bergeron”, a third-person omniscient is present because all thoughts and feelings of the characters are noted. The narrator is able to render the thoughts of George, the father: “A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic…”. The significance about their point of view is that both of them show the isolation of people under control of an oppressive government, and how people react in those kinds of situations.
“The Censors” takes place in Argentina during the 1970’s when its economy was becoming progressively worse and the political situation in the country became very volatile. During this time, communication was immensely restricted, with every letter being carefully screened before it was even sent out to its intended receiver. The specific place central to story, which is The Post Office’s Censorship Division building, greatly impacts the story. This setting causes Juan to end up brainwashed into supporting the system of censoring and ultimately causing his own death. Bergeron’s setting is more futuristic, taking place in the year 2081 with George and Hazel watching television in their living room. The setting conveys a world where the United States government has forced its citizens to be equal by means of cruel handicaps. This affects the story by describing what Harrison’s parents were doing before witnessing their son being killed.
One of the biggest similarities that can be seen in both stories is their tone, and in “The Censors”, it can be described as unconcerned, detached, not caring, or with no emotion because of the way the tone is portrayed. Throughout the story, a satirical tone is depicted because of the narrator subtly making fun of Juan and his short journey. Bergeron’s tone is very similar, being sarcastic, casual, and even irreverent. The narrator demonstrates the concept for the idea that equality can be legislated with any sort of efficacy or credibility. Through the use of black humor and a straight forward tone, the narrator conveys serious mocking and storytelling wit: “Gee- said Hazel, “I could tell that one was a doozy””. This shows a sense humor as the extent of the Bergeron’s lack of self-awareness becomes fully clear.
The thematic significance may be different, but both stories share a sense of captivity. In “The Censors”, the theme revolves around the concept that sometimes you may be your own enemy, conveying how easy it is to lose sight of what is important when fear is your motivation and that your priorities can change when you have different expectation of yourself. Another theme is that power can change people’s morals and personalities. Since Juan is accustomed to the rules of his society, when he realizes that his letter might get censored, he takes an action to avoid trouble. Juan’s hasty decision of joining the censorship bureau was caused by his fear of being caught by the censors, but ultimately, Juan’s extreme devotion to the job causes him to censor his own letter, resulting in him being executed. He does this because he acts on instinct trying to protect Mariana. This shows that no matter how good Juan’s intentions where, they still caused major problems.
In contrast, Bergeron’s theme focuses more on equality in a unique way. The story shows a world where the government makes sure that everyone has equal wealth, intelligence, and attractiveness. These abilities are targeted by the government, who strips people of their extraordinary physical and mental attributes so that others won’t feel inferior. This projects that all those handicaps are just superficial, and that they can’t change one’s inherent characteristics. Both of the stories can be related in way because none of them are truly free under the oppressive rule of the government.
Although “Harrison Bergeron” is a truly applicable story because of the way it may make the reader connect to it, I can’t really tie in with it. “Harrison Bergeron’s” futuristic perception made me ward off since the beginning. It wasn’t able to offer a sense of commune the way “The Censors” did. I prefer “The Censors” because I can actually relate to it. I have been in a similar situation where I’ve let a current mood affect my decisions impulsively. Through “The Censors”, I was able to relive memories and learn that sometimes good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence and can often lead to unintended consequences.
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