I hate to appear seemingly from nowhere only to solicit the knowledge of some wonderful bradburyphile, but this, I feel, is important. Locating this one particular piece has become imperative to an argument I am to present on the evils of the "No Child Gets Left Behind" law (hope you're not a fan). It may seem a little dramatic to base the success of said argument on the presence of a single short story, but there must be a literature lover who can understand (or perhaps pity) the plight of an anal-retentive over-acheiver....
Please, the work I'm searching for is about a young man (a ballet dancer) who is forced to shave his head and eyebrows to mask his beauty and to don weighted boxes and chains to hinder his talent. I think his name was Ralph but, then again, I am in no postion to assume that I have the capacity for retaining important information. Anyway, one night while being filmed for a television program this dancer (we'll call him Ralph) breaks free from the chains and oppression and spends a few moments in glory, dancing with a ballerina of supreme grace who has also abdicated the instruments of the conformist society. A strangely beautiful prediction of a perverted (and frightfully plausible) future in which, I believe, the two swans are killed or imprisioned by the end.
This is what I recall--granted I haven't read the story in many years. I would greatly appreciate any help anyone can offer. Thank you.This message has been edited. Last edited by: mad hunter,
03 May 2005, 12:20 AM
grasstains
HARRISON BERGERON by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
It's one of my all-time faves. I especially like the bells and 21 gun salute going off in dad's head. There's a movie with Sean Astin as Harrison and Christopher Plummer as The Inspector General (or whatever) and Fred Willard as the father. It's really different from the story, but I still enjoyed it. It had a Canadian feel to it (think newer THE OUTER LIMITS or early X-FILES).
"Years from now we want to go into the pub and tell about the Terrible Conflagration up at the Place, do we not?"
This has been posted here previously but has since become buried deep in the archives. See "Authors A - Z," click and search the extensive biographies, dates, and a.k.a.'s that are offered. Nice RB details! Of course, we here are rather partial to pilnic's - http://www.bradburymedia.co.uk