In “Constructing Normalcy,” Lennard J. Davis discusses how the idea of normalcy, the bell curve, and eugenics go hand-in-hand, especially in how only “negative” deviations from normalcy are deemed as a threat to the “purity” of humankind. This concept is inescapable in daily life, even seeping into such widespread cultural phenomenons as the Harry Potter book series, published by J.K. Rowling between 1997 and 2007. In particular, Remus Lupin, a werewolf, and Nymphadora Tonks, a Metamorphmagus, both have magical abilities beyond the norm, and each of their abilities is queer, yet Lupin’s lowers his productivity and is thus a disability while Tonks’ increases her productivity and is therefore normalized. Furthermore, both of these characters …show more content…
Davis’s “Constructing Normalcy: The Bell Curve, the Novel, and the Invention of the Disabled Body in the Nineteenth Century”. Davis’ first point is about how the world “normal” was not applied to humans until the advent of statistics and subsequent eugenics. The text then discusses the eugenecist redefinition of the bell curve “to show the superiority of the desired trait (for example, high intelligence).” This redefinition created “ogives”, which assign a person at the median a value of 0 and a person in the upper quartile a value of 1. This then allowed the normalization of the abnormal, but only for those traits that were desirable in society - high intelligence, height, etc. By turning some deviations from the norm into disabilities while simultaneously making other deviations desireable, and later “normal”, eugenicists essentially redefined the entire concept of normality. Additionally, Davis discusses how, in literature, disabled characters are often used as plot devices and removed from the story when they are no longer useful to the …show more content…
Much of Lupin’s description, even before he reveals his lycanthropy to Harry, focuses on his physical appearance, mental health, and socioeconomic status, all of which his lycanthropy severely impacts. When Lupin first appeared in the series in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he was “wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard’s robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray” (Rowling 74). In this scene, he was sleeping, and his name had not even been revealed yet. He was also on the train to Hogwarts with the students, though no other professor ever rode the Hogwarts Express in the entire series. The first thing we learned about Lupin, therefore, is that he was fundamentally different than other wizards. We were not told why, but his shabby robes, illness, exhaustion, gray hairs at a young age, and riding the Hogwarts Express with students already indicate a low socioeconomic status within the Wizarding world accompanied by some sort of mental or physical
The short novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut presents a futuristic portrayal of a world where everyone is equal in every way possible. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut displays the clear flaws in society that lead to the creation of a horrific dystopia that lacks genuine human emotions, fails to develop as a civilized community and is strictly government At the beginning of the story we are introduced to George and Hazel who are an ordinary couple that consequently suffer from handicaps. They are recalling the time when their son, Harrison Bergeron, was taken from his home by the handicapper general. It was an unhappy thought “but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard” (Vonnegut 1) due to the mental radio that separated the two from regular functioning emotions. Although Hazel was not affected by the handicap itself, it became a societal norm to act almost robot-like.
3. In the story, what is the purpose of 'handicaps' and how do they keep people equal?
It is this dysfunctional world that Equality 7-2521 is born into. The novel begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a dark tunnel transcribing his story. He begins with a declaration that “It is a sin to write this… [because] men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Rand, 17). Equality 7-2521 writes that he was born with a curse: He is different than the other men in his society. He laments that “the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head too quick” (Rand, 21). From the youngest age children were taught that ability is a vice, not a virtue. They were to be embarrassed of their superiority because “it is not good to be different from our brothers” (Rand, 21). Equality 7-2521 writes that he tried to stifle this fault but was unable to do so.
Nobody was better looking than anybody else,” (627). This quote shows that in Harrison Bergeron’s society, everyone is identical to everyone else. People are not allowed to be unique or different in any way, shape, or form. This is due to the immense pressure of society that forces people to conform. In this case, it is the Handicapper General, one of the most influential powers, that is oppressing the individuals to become similar as well as the common person who is going along with it. When the Handicapper General suppresses George, he is forcing him to conform to be “normal,” and when the majority of the population goes along with it, they are reinforcing the conformism. This idea is also reinforced in the poem, “Richard Cory.” When describing how society views the “perfect” protagonist, the writer explains “In fine, we thought he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place, (Robinson Lines 11-12). This quote shows how society has forced Richard Cory to be this perfect image of a man. Richard Cory was not allowed to be individualistic due to society’s standards. A good man was supposed to be rich, a gentleman, and happy. These qualities of a good person pressed in on Cory and made him become something that he was not. In the end, Richard Cory’s downfall is
Harrison Bergeron’s mother, Hazel Bergeron, is the definition of the Handicapper General’s “normal” and model for enforced equality. Everyone must be leveled and thereby oppressed to her standards. Hazel’s husband, George Bergeron, is no exception. “‘I’d think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds,’ said Hazel, a little envious. ‘All the things they think up.’” (Vonnegut 910). George suffers from his own comically ludicrous mental handicap. The fact that this incites jealousy in Hazel reaffirms the artificial equality Vonnegut ridicules. The author satirizes oppression in American society through his depictions of misery and restraint exhibited in his characters’ ordeals. “The different times that George is interrupted from thinking, and his inner monologue is cut, we have a sort of stopping his having dialogue with himself. So he can’t have a unique personality, which itself involves his worldviews” (Joodaki 71). Not being able to know oneself epitomizes
Society often views individuals that do not conform to its expectations as separate from the societal group. The Story of the Marquise-Marquis de Banneville, by Charles Perrault, François-Timoléon de Choisy, and Marie-Jeanne L’Héritier follows two main characters, one of which does not fully conform to binary gender presentation. The Girl with the Golden Eyes, authored by Honoré de Balzac, portrays an “oriental” woman as an object to be purchased and used. In Le Roman de Parthenay Ou Le Roman de Melusine, written by Coudrette, the heroine is a half human, half fairy who holds great power. In this paper, I argue that the majority of biologically female protagonists in these novels exist in-between the expectations society has for them, which
As highlighted by the author, Mary Louise Adams in her article, “Excerpts from The Trouble with Normal”, ‘a norm’ “can be defined as something that is usual, typical or standardized” (Hacking, Adams, 2003). Norms are often already so established that most individuals do not realize how much they have shaped society and the people who live in it. Audrey Lord tells us that being a “White, thin, young, heterosexual, Christian, male” defines the characteristics of being “normal” and “privileged,” in which she calls “the mythical norm” (Perry, 2011). We use our sexuality, race and class as a way of giving ourselves an identity for the world to see. This identity will ultimately allow us to understand our place in the world and give
Egalitarianism can be absurd and detrimental to American society. In the story, heavy weights are put on strong people, and grotesque masks are put on attractive women. Also, many other people who have an above average intelligence often listen to loud noises which render them from completing a thought (5-7). Harrison’s father, George, compares the noises to, “somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer.” Darryl Hattenhauer of Arizona State proposes that “The story satirizes the American definition of freedom as the greatest good to the smallest number.” Unfortunately, the sacrifice of the individual to the good of society doesn’t improve conditions for the above average, average, or below (Alvarez). Joseph Alvarez suggests that, “the result [of the] power vacuum [is] a ruthless central government created by legislative controls people’s lives, which have become as meaningless as if they were machines.” In addition, the American dream that is described as moving up social and economic class through hard work and education; turn into a nightmare (Hattenhauer). For example, Kurt Vonnegut infers that the ballerina who reads ann...
As the narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief Bromden, a paranoid half- Native American Indian man, has managed to go unnoticed for ten years by pretending to be deaf and dumb as a patient at an Oregon mental asylum. While he towers at six feet seven inches tall, he has fear and paranoia that stem from what he refers to as The Combine: an assemblage whose goal is to force society into a conformist mold that fits civilization to its benefit. Nurse Ratched, a manipulative and impassive former army nurse, dominates the ward full of men, who are either deemed as Acute (curable), or Chronic (incurable). A new, criminally “insane” patient named Randle McMurphy, who was transferred from the Pendleton Work Farm, eventually despoils the institution’s mechanical and monotonous schedule through his gambling, womanizing, and rollicking behavior. McMurphy’s dereliction of Nurse Ratched’s rules not only provides entertainment for Bromden and the other patients, but also acts as an impetus for their own reb...
Seven-foot, blonde haired, blue-eyed super-humans bearing the swastika and marching in perfect Aryan rhythm, bred to be smarter, stronger, superior. This is a typical image when people hear the word eugenics, but there are two distinct branches: negative eugenics, which looks at removing undesirables and degenerates from society, and positive eugenics, which looks to promote the positive hereditary traits within society. In this essay I will Look at both sides of the eugenics argument in order to find a conclusion.
Kurt Vonnegut was a socialist, many would assume this dream falls in with his beliefs. However, “Too often, [Vonnegut] warns, people assume that equality means being the same. This is simply not realistic (Labin).” Vonnegut did not believe in equality, rather he favored equal opportunity. For this reason he shows us a possible future society in which, “Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” (232 Vonnegut). And this is why there are two distinct classes, average citizens with handicaps and above average citizens without handicaps. Additionally, there are two more less obvious classes, the below average citizens and the agents of the handicap ge...
The podcast opens with an anecdote that at first seems unrelated to the main topic of disability as a social construct. The authors detail a science experiment in which rats are trained to run through a maze. However, through a careful analysis, it becomes clear that the example of training of rats is actually the same argument as the rest of the podcast, just through a different lens. Robert Rosenthal, a research Psychologist from the University of California Riverside, was featured in the podcast to present his experiment. He explained the scientific process of how he and his team divided a group of identical rats into two groups and labeled one group “smart” and the other “dumb.” He then had experimenters run the rats through a maze and record their times. During the course of the experiment, he found that the rats labeled “smart” consistently ran faster through the maze, even though the rats were originally identical. Through this opening vignette, the authors prepare the audience for the message of the rest of the podcast. The example of rats bei...
On the surface, the Harry Potter series is set in a world that is colour-blind, one where those of any foundation can ascend on account of their capacities alone. Underneath this surface, however, Harry Potter explores profound racial themes and, as the books go on, develops a complex and very stratified racial order; the books explicate the social and genetic predispositions of its characters. Furthermore, they highlight the revulsions propagated by individuals who seek global racial purity, i.e. Voldemort, while offering multi-layered feedback of the egregious racial stratification that is maintained
People today judge one another by their appearances, no matter how similar or different they they come across. However, prejudice occurs less and less in our current time period, but during the early 1900s people would discriminate basically anyone that was not like them. A few examples of these “misfits” are people with different ethnic backgrounds and mental disabilities. In the novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, we meet the first characters, George and Lennie, in the clearing by the river, heading to their new job. At the job, they meet many character who, like them, do not exactly fit in. While there, Lennie, who is mentally challenged, ends up getting into many types of trouble, killing mice, pups, and Curley’s wife. This
The portrayal of female characters in British literature has most often reflected the larger perception of women by society during the time of a work’s publication. In this regard, the immensely popular Harry Potter series written by author J.K. Rowling is certainly no exception. The circumstances for women in late 20th century Britain have improved and in many ways are nearing equality with men, yet a notable upper barrier to success still remains. Rowling captures this gender dynamic throughout the Harry Potter series by including a diverse cast of resilient female characters who are not allowed to take on the same leadership roles dominated by the men at Hogwarts, at the Ministry of Magic, in quidditch, and during the Triwizard tournament. The novels also center on an important theme of motherly love that Rowling uses to explore the sacrifices women must make in order to raise their children well. Such issues have been present in British literature for well over a century, with each generation seeing steps toward equality, both for the fictitious characters and the women of a given time period. The Harry Potter series, therefore, constitutes a reflection of female status in modern Britain that has advanced, but remains perpetually flawed.