Satire In Harrison Bergeron And Disney Pixar's Wall-E
From Petronius to Shakespeare to Mark Twain, time honored writers have incorporated satirical elements in their pieces to subtly critique society. Through exaggeration, sarcasm, and irony, satire forms its own complex collection of literature. Branching from this genre, dystopian literature attacks human vices through a different route: the metaphor of a futuristic corrupt society. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron and Disney Pixar’s Wall-E, dystopian societies work to alert the audience of current issues that, if not resolved, could negatively alter the world. While both societies appear farfetched, Wall-E’s prediction of Earth in 2805 is more plausible. To comprehend a dystopia, one must initially ask, what is a utopia? Purely gedankenexperiments, utopias are imagined idealistic societies in which every aspect of existence, from government, to relationships, to wealth, to material possessions, to education, to health, to the environment, is
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faultlessly modeled. Lacking both flaws and follies, utopias are solely fictional. However, thanks to human imperfection and underlying ulterior motives, utopias often morph into dystopias, where an oppressive government supervises every citizen. Centered in dehumanizing methods and totalitarian leadership, dystopian literature revolves around despair rather than hope. Nevertheless, from the pit of fascist management, traditionally one character recognizes the corruption. Yearning to escape the antagonistic society that enforces rules, morals, and agendas, often limiting cherished freedoms, these “hero” characters lead rebellions. While dystopian literature branches from the satire genre, it often lacks a humorous tone, exposing humanity’s vices through a narrative of heros, conflicts, and climaxes. Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, a satire of legalistic egalitarian values, models typical dystopian literature. Occurring in the future, Vonnegut introduces the piece with a backstory, explaining the competitive air of life prior to 2081. In order to curt such competition and citizen ranking, the United States ratified the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments, attempting to dispose of “inequalities” and enforce “fairness”. However climbing from the pit of government monitored conformity, Vonnegut establishes the dystopian hero: Harrison, the son of George and Hazel Bergeron. The conflict embarks as Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, throws Harrison in prison for attempting to remove his law required physical handicaps. At the climax, Harrison escapes prison, and tears of his handicaps on national television, soon shot and killed by the Handicapper General for his unequal display of athletic talent and rebellious attitude. The author however not only implements the classic backstory, hero, conflict, and climax aspects of dystopian literature, he weaves in classic satirical elements. Vonnegut implants exaggeration when he references the 2081 shift in government policy. “All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General,” (Vonnegut, 1). Not only do such large numbers illustrate the federal government’s extent in attaining equality, they reveal the value of such measures to the American public. Referencing American government also connects Vonnegut to his United States audience, while subtly suggesting that such citizens fail to understand what they are asking for when advocating for unabridged equal rights. Vonnegut continues exaggerating as he recounts Harrison’s handicaps. “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds,” (Vonnegut, 4). Harrison Bergeron, while the narrative credits him as a seven foot tall athlete, clearly would be unable to lift over two tons of material. Through these overly excessive required handicaps, Vonnegut illustrates the extent humans wish to “level the playing field” between them and their competition. While Harrison Bergeron portrays the internal human vices of comparison and competition, other dystopias account global issues. Disney Pixar’s Wall-E, a satire on human pollution, models dystopian elements in animation form. Beginning in the year 2805, the audience views a futuristic world where global pollution prompts people to evacuate the planet and inhabit an orbiting spaceship - the Axion. However, out of the ashes, hero Wall-E, a waste clean up robot, and love interest Eve endeavor to alert the Axion’s captain of remaining earthly life. The conflict heightens as Axion’s autopilot convinces the captain of the plant’s insignificance, persuading him to alter his plans of reinhabiting Earth. The film reaches its climax when the autopilot grabs control of the Axion, forcing Wall-E, Eve, and the captain to battle for its descent. While Wall-E director Andrew Stanton follows the typical downplay of a dystopian society, he incorporates satirical elements. Wall-E centers around irony implements. In an introductory scene, Wall-E sits ogling at a Vaudeville musical displayed from the television in his trailer home. As the outside world remains barren, and as far as Wall-E is concerned, life ridden, the robot still yearns for love and connection. Through an inanimate object’s desire for intimacy, Stanton subtly mocks how humans refuse to love and tend to the Earth. In addition, as the last Earthly president concludes his video addresses, he stands in front of a “Large Mart” - satirizing present day Costcos and monopolistic companies. Thus, Stanton condemns such corporations for the creation of the massive consumeristic and capitalist culture which robbed people of their desire and priority to care for natural resources, remaining fully immersed in modern technology. While seemingly unrelatable and implausible - dystopian literature serves as a forewarning to the human race, epitomizing peoples’ subconscious choices. Even though they symbolize startling aspects of humanity, some dystopian predictions are sorrowfully more accurate and pragmatic than others.
Although Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron makes readers conscious of the extent they demand equality, such a dystopia he envisioned would be implausible.
The federal government currently lacks the power to monitor every action of every citizen, thus creating an issue for supervision over required equality handicaps. In addition, quenching human competitive spirit is like attempting to stop the rain - altogether impossible. Athletics and the arts revolve around competitions; from meets to matches to plays to tournaments to showcases to festivals, competition lives through extracurricular activities, the workplace, relationships, and the government itself. Limiting peoples’ experience of this vital emotion would be not only impractical but detrimental to society. American citizens would refuse to ratify legalistic egalitarian measures, because their lives center around individualism. While Harrison Bergeron serves to alert those advocating for complete equality, his future foretelling is less feasible than
Wall-E.
Sadly, Disney Pixar’s prediction of an abandoned world due to pollution is more accurate. From palm oil overuse, highway construction, and deforestation, human beings are rapidly devouring natural resources like piranhas. Duke University’s Center for Sustainability and Commerce found that the average American in 2008 produced 4.3 pounds of trash per day, compared to 1.6 pounds in the 1990s. Of the 220 million tons of waste generated each year, an estimated 55 percent come to rest in landfills. Human pollution also continues into the water supply. Partially thanks to the cold war, underground atomic bomb testing has made 50 percent of groundwater unsuitable to drink. As people continue consuming natural resources, they become fully immersed in technology. The New Democratic Party found approximately 5.7 technological devices in each American household. With a decrease in the remaining resources and an increase in human detachment, Andrew Stanton’s prediction of 2805 Earth is rational. The Axion dystopian society in Wall-E portrays a gloomy yet accurate version of ourselves, quickly eager to sacrifice the future of the environment for our own personal laziness, often rooted in technology addiction.
While traditional satires portray societal vices through humor and wit, the dystopian branch of this genre often omits the comical aspects, posing more questions than it answers, and leaving readers and viewers conscious of their once subconscious decisions. With reminded awareness of human follies, dystopias induce societal change through a warning, advocating for a better world than predicted.
faultlessly modeled. Lacking both flaws and follies, utopias are solely fictional. However, thanks to human imperfection and underlying ulterior motives, utopias often morph into dystopias, where an oppressive government supervises every citizen. Centered in dehumanizing methods and totalitarian leadership, dystopian literature revolves around despair rather than hope. Nevertheless, from the pit of fascist management, traditionally one character recognizes the corruption. Yearning to escape the antagonistic society that enforces rules, morals, and agendas, often limiting cherished freedoms, these “hero” characters lead rebellions. While dystopian literature branches from the satire genre, it often lacks a humorous tone, exposing humanity’s vices through a narrative of heros, conflicts, and climaxes. Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, a satire of legalistic egalitarian values, models typical dystopian literature. Occurring in the future, Vonnegut introduces the piece with a backstory, explaining the competitive air of life prior to 2081. In order to curt such competition and citizen ranking, the United States ratified the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments, attempting to dispose of “inequalities” and enforce “fairness”. However climbing from the pit of government monitored conformity, Vonnegut establishes the dystopian hero: Harrison, the son of George and Hazel Bergeron. The conflict embarks as Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, throws Harrison in prison for attempting to remove his law required physical handicaps. At the climax, Harrison escapes prison, and tears of his handicaps on national television, soon shot and killed by the Handicapper General for his unequal display of athletic talent and rebellious attitude. The author however not only implements the classic backstory, hero, conflict, and climax aspects of dystopian literature, he weaves in classic satirical elements. Vonnegut implants exaggeration when he references the 2081 shift in government policy. “All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General,” (Vonnegut, 1). Not only do such large numbers illustrate the federal government’s extent in attaining equality, they reveal the value of such measures to the American public. Referencing American government also connects Vonnegut to his United States audience, while subtly suggesting that such citizens fail to understand what they are asking for when advocating for unabridged equal rights. Vonnegut continues exaggerating as he recounts Harrison’s handicaps. “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds,” (Vonnegut, 4). Harrison Bergeron, while the narrative credits him as a seven foot tall athlete, clearly would be unable to lift over two tons of material. Through these overly excessive required handicaps, Vonnegut illustrates the extent humans wish to “level the playing field” between them and their competition. While Harrison Bergeron portrays the internal human vices of comparison and competition, other dystopias account global issues. Disney Pixar’s Wall-E, a satire on human pollution, models dystopian elements in animation form. Beginning in the year 2805, the audience views a futuristic world where global pollution prompts people to evacuate the planet and inhabit an orbiting spaceship - the Axion. However, out of the ashes, hero Wall-E, a waste clean up robot, and love interest Eve endeavor to alert the Axion’s captain of remaining earthly life. The conflict heightens as Axion’s autopilot convinces the captain of the plant’s insignificance, persuading him to alter his plans of reinhabiting Earth. The film reaches its climax when the autopilot grabs control of the Axion, forcing Wall-E, Eve, and the captain to battle for its descent. While Wall-E director Andrew Stanton follows the typical downplay of a dystopian society, he incorporates satirical elements. Wall-E centers around irony implements. In an introductory scene, Wall-E sits ogling at a Vaudeville musical displayed from the television in his trailer home. As the outside world remains barren, and as far as Wall-E is concerned, life ridden, the robot still yearns for love and connection. Through an inanimate object’s desire for intimacy, Stanton subtly mocks how humans refuse to love and tend to the Earth. In addition, as the last Earthly president concludes his video addresses, he stands in front of a “Large Mart” - satirizing present day Costcos and monopolistic companies. Thus, Stanton condemns such corporations for the creation of the massive consumeristic and capitalist culture which robbed people of their desire and priority to care for natural resources, remaining fully immersed in modern technology. While seemingly unrelatable and implausible - dystopian literature serves as a forewarning to the human race, epitomizing peoples’ subconscious choices. Even though they symbolize startling aspects of humanity, some dystopian predictions are sorrowfully more accurate and pragmatic than others.
Although Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron makes readers conscious of the extent they demand equality, such a dystopia he envisioned would be implausible.
The federal government currently lacks the power to monitor every action of every citizen, thus creating an issue for supervision over required equality handicaps. In addition, quenching human competitive spirit is like attempting to stop the rain - altogether impossible. Athletics and the arts revolve around competitions; from meets to matches to plays to tournaments to showcases to festivals, competition lives through extracurricular activities, the workplace, relationships, and the government itself. Limiting peoples’ experience of this vital emotion would be not only impractical but detrimental to society. American citizens would refuse to ratify legalistic egalitarian measures, because their lives center around individualism. While Harrison Bergeron serves to alert those advocating for complete equality, his future foretelling is less feasible than
Wall-E.
Sadly, Disney Pixar’s prediction of an abandoned world due to pollution is more accurate. From palm oil overuse, highway construction, and deforestation, human beings are rapidly devouring natural resources like piranhas. Duke University’s Center for Sustainability and Commerce found that the average American in 2008 produced 4.3 pounds of trash per day, compared to 1.6 pounds in the 1990s. Of the 220 million tons of waste generated each year, an estimated 55 percent come to rest in landfills. Human pollution also continues into the water supply. Partially thanks to the cold war, underground atomic bomb testing has made 50 percent of groundwater unsuitable to drink. As people continue consuming natural resources, they become fully immersed in technology. The New Democratic Party found approximately 5.7 technological devices in each American household. With a decrease in the remaining resources and an increase in human detachment, Andrew Stanton’s prediction of 2805 Earth is rational. The Axion dystopian society in Wall-E portrays a gloomy yet accurate version of ourselves, quickly eager to sacrifice the future of the environment for our own personal laziness, often rooted in technology addiction.
While traditional satires portray societal vices through humor and wit, the dystopian branch of this genre often omits the comical aspects, posing more questions than it answers, and leaving readers and viewers conscious of their once subconscious decisions. With reminded awareness of human follies, dystopias induce societal change through a warning, advocating for a better world than predicted.