Trimor 1

Paul Trimor

Field

LNG 322

15/02/11

Ego, a term meaning self of an individual. Privacy, meaning a position or

being private or withdrawn. Rebel to go against, refuse force. Noccoli, Rand, and

Vonnegant , three authors, three very similar messages about what happens when

a society changes and the challenges people face to stay the same. In “Anthem”,

Equality strives to find the true meaning of happiness and independence. Such as

Vincent from “Gattace” who struggles to reach his dream and Harrison from

“Harrison Bergeron” who desperately needs to send a message to his people. All

three characters believe that they are greater than what they are labeled as. And

while living in a society where their ambitions are thought as crimes, they take

great pride in their beliefs and overcome their society.

A janitor, a street sweeper, a prisoner, Vincent, Equality, and Harrison know

in their hearts that they are smarter, stronger, and better then what they are told.

Niccoli shows Vincent as someone who is determined and hard working, “I don’t

know if it was my love for the other planets or my hate from this one, but ever since

I was little I had always wanted to travel into space.” This quote tells Vincent loaths

his own world due to their prejudice actions to him. Vincent’s dream is to travel into

space; however, being born with a 99% chance of failure, Vincent is given no

chance of success. And in “Anthem”, Equality is a street sweeper who loves “the

science of things” when he was living under the home of students he already had a
 Trimor 2

goal to become a “scholar.” Equality projects someone who is born with a gifted and

has a mindset that they could, one day, be great. This is why his society gave him

such a meaningless job. Fortunately Equality is stubborn and doesn’t give into his

society’s words easily- just like Harrison. Harrison with metals and masks covering

his body, the government has marked his as a disgrace. However, when Harrison

broke free he become a “god of thunder,” beautiful”. Even when the government

covers him with many handicaps, Harrison’s true beauty and strength will overcome

his restrictions. “I am the emperor!”, Harrison cried, knowing he was going to be

executed. Have a moment of freedom and glory, Harrison felt as thou he was a god

and he needed to show everyone what the government has taken away from them.

There characters are born with the desire to become something greater then what

they are now, and these qualities are what make them unruly to their society.

All three characters live in a society where your future is planned out by

birth, a society that denies your opinions and ridicules human folly. “The year was

2081 and everyone was equal … due to the 212th. 213th and 214th amendment.” In

the world of “Harrison Bergeron”, Vonnegut shows how the society changes from a

world of completion to a world where everyone was equal. No one was smarter,

strong, or better looking than each other. And in “Anthem”, “We are all in one,” “We

stood in the yard”, “We watched her”. Rand’s replation of the word “I” to “We” tells

us that the society is so attached to the idea of collectivism that they lose even the

basic self-independence. The world of “Gattace” also has an obsession, but not in

collectivism, but in ones genes. “I belonged to a new underclass no longer

determined by social status… No we have discrimination down the science.”

Niccole reinforces the idea of genetics being the new racial remarks given to

humans, no longer skin-color, religion, or ethnicity, but the DNA in your cells. When
 Trimor 3

Vincent and Iren –Vincent’s friend- watch a pianist preform, Irene informs Vincent

that the pianist has only 12 fingers. “12 fingers or one is how you play it”, Vincent

said. The pianist represents how even mutations can determine your place in the

world and Vincent believing that it is the skill that counts , Irene tells his that it the

piece the pianist was playing could only be played with that advantage. When a

society undergoes dramatics changes so do the people who inhabit it. And ones

who fight for their rights will