The Role of Books in Building an Informed Society - Essay Example

Restrictions on free expression of ideas allow for books-banning thereby culminating in a literary monotony until people lose their interest in reading. The artificial and fictitious world constructed by Bradbury very much reflects the society today where video games and television appeal to the masses more than literary works thus making life generally void and meaningless. The role of books has been downplayed to an extent where books are slowly fading off the scene. Literary works such as Harrison Bergeron, The Cold Equations, The Pedestrian, The Pit and the Pendulum and 1984 are some which deserve to be read on by generations to come due to their remarkable content and style.

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is set in the future where government control is quite strong. Harrison is the fourteen-year-old son of Hazel and George but has to be taken away from his family by the government (1). Equality is strictly implemented, which means everything or everyone has to be average. This implies that no one can be stronger, more beautiful or more intelligent. Equality, in essence, is maintained through the use of “handicaps” (Vonnegut, 1). This is one reason why George has a radio implanted in his ear that inhibits his thought process by using periodical noise tuned by the transmitter controlled by the government.

The story provides a graphical journey to the future where individual qualities are suppressed and technology dominates social lives while the government presents the worst form of a controlling authority. Due to its far-thinking storyline, the book should be read by people and thus should be kept from the hands of the firemen. Another futuristic story, although controversial, is presented by Tom Godwin in his book The Cold Equation. The book is set in a science-fiction-like setting where an EDS (Emergency Dispatch Ship) is heading towards the planet Woden.

According to the rules, any stowaway discovered on the way is to be jettisoned off the EDS (Godwin, 1). The pilot faces the dilemma after he finds an eighteen-year-old young girl named Marilyn, who wants to see her brother after ten years. However, in the desperation of the situation, Marilyn is ejected out of the spacecraft out into space or the whole EDS could have suffered.