Final answer:
The Gladney family's decision to move was prompted by a need to disconnect from harmful technological dependencies, while Lil George Starling and other African American refugees were driven by the need to escape slavery and the fear of family separation, despite the emotional toll of leaving loved ones behind.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factors prompting the Gladney family and Lil George Starling to move differ but share underlying themes of seeking better opportunities and alleviating difficult circumstances. In the case of George Hadley's family, as mentioned in the snippets from a fictional story, the move away from their current lifestyle is motivated by a realization that their over-reliance on technology, particularly the nursery, has been detrimental to their children's development. The nursery's immersive environments have started to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, leading George to consider the importance of shutting it down to give his family a fresh start.
For African American refugees like Lil George Starling, the movement away from their homes was driven by the social and political environment of the time, specifically the horrors of slavery. Escaping to Upper Canada was not only a flight towards freedom but also a painful decision that often entailed leaving family members behind due to the strong familial and community bonds that existed, as evidenced by historical accounts like those of Henry Atkinson and David West. Economic factors, such as the threat of being sold away after the death of an enslaver, also played critical roles in prompting such perilous journeys.