"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against." (pg58) by Beatty
This quote stimulated a lot of "thinkings" in my head. I think the quote is very controversial in the way that it influences the readers to evaluate life with equality and non-equality. What is the definition of genuine happiness? Just as Beattty quotes above, does genuine happiness comes from equality amoung the people? The equality that we can no longer distinguish oursleves and lose the meaning of identity...Beatty seem to think that no identity brings no judgement; thus, concluding complete happiness in life. Well...I guess there could be some sort of happiness because you would not be stressed from jealousy, hatred, and sadness since everyone is same. But...I don't know if it will bring the genuine happiness. I think it will bring numbness in life instead of happiness. If I continuously live same as everyone eles and live with no uniquiness in my life, would there be a such word "happiness"?
Isn't this idea of equality sort of leads to "communism"? Communism also emphasizes the equality amoung the people so that there would be neither poor nor rich and everyone would be happy sharing equality. Maybe one day, when the world turns into communism, we might end up living in a world which Montag lives. eeek!!
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4 comments:
I read this book and I thought that quote was really good too. I agree with you that there can't be genuine happiness from the sameness which Montag is in. Instead everyone should have different personalities and the citizens in the novel should try to act what they believe is right.
Good. I agree with you. Even though equality can liberate the individuals from stress and pressure, it can't create individual's identity.
When the founding fathers drafted the constitution, they guaranteed the liberty and rights for citizen. However they didn't guaranteed the happiness of individuals. To that, I think happiness doesn't come from being equal to others but being unique.
Jerri, I really like the quote and your questions toward the quote. What you said reminded me of the moive "pursuit of happiness." Throughout the movie, Will Smith refers to the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote one of the rights as "pursuit of happiness," not as "happiness." So Will Smith says that maybe Thomas Jefferson knew that there is no complete happiness but only people are to pursuit happiness. Maybe this is correct. Maybe we cannot feel complete happiness and we cannot fulfill our greed. Yet, we feel happiness through pursuing happiness. Well- I think I digressed a little, foucusing on happiness itself. But, I think the both of our questions can only be answered through our lives.
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