Arguments For Science Fiction

Imagine a horrifying world where the government has finally made every individual equal in every aspect of their lives. In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., this is a terrifying reality. In this society, the strong are required to wear weights so they can be equal to those that are weaker, the intelligent are required to wear ear pieces that disable their thought process, and beautiful are required to cover their face with hideous masks, thus rendering their mental, physical, and social attributes equal to everyone. With a government constantly pushing for equality among all citizens, Vonnegut reveals a dystopia that society is slowly working toward. Vonnegut uses foreshadowing to reveal the future of society, Vonnegut

In “Harrison Bergeron,” mankind has created a different kind of torture for humans they have created handicaps that create loud noise to stop them from thinking too deeply and weights to slow him down and masks to make people uglier. “. . . had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. . . every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking advantage of their brains” (14-17). This technology made life miserable and dull and caused people to become oblivious to problems in their lives The author makes this story to tell his readers that being equal is not necessarily a good thing. The technology of the future is dangerous if treated without care or given to the wrong people. The authors both give warnings about the future and how we must be careful with technology and how being equal is not always good.

To maintain the balance between individuals in the utopia of Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron,” citizens who have the ability to think beyond the average level are forced to wear handicap radios in their ears that “…would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut Jr. 226-227). By keeping a government device in the ear, an individual’s thoughts are abruptly stopped and forgotten as sharp, painful noises are blasted through the earpiece into the individual’s brain. Additionally, all citizens are required to carry large weights as a form of egalitarianism. Compared to “Harrison Bergeron,” “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” also brings a significant symbol that represents the short-term memory that everyone must have in order to be equal. All citizens in Omelas take a drug called “drooz” that causes them to feel elated and carefree.

People are not meant to be the same; everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. The society this short story takes place in restrains highly exceptional people, “Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair

Does our government have too much control on us? Do we have too many rules to follow? Kurt Vonnegut, the author of “Harrison Bergeron,” writes about how the government tries to take control of everyone.In this story Vonnegut writes how the Handicapper General makes the smarter,prettier and stronger people wear handicaps.Some readers may think Vonnegut is writing about civil rights.However,throughout this paper I am going to prove them wrong.

To achieve equality, the government denies it’s citizens their freedom and expression while torturing them in the process. The intelligent, strong, and beautiful are forced to hinder their attributes by wearing handicaps. Since George is considered one of the bright, he is required to wear a handicap radio in his ear: “Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut 1). Meanwhile, the athletic and attractive are paying for having an upper hand as well: “They were burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, … something the cat drug in” (Vonnegut 1). Having an advantage is the opposite because the government realizes it is more attainable to

As a tool for social commentary, oftentimes a writer will employ the use of a biting satire. Through precise writing and exaggerated concepts, Kurt Vonnegut is clearly a skilled user of satirical storytelling. As one of the most famous and widely read short literary tales of all time, Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron is certainly his best example in this genre. In Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut proposes that true equality is not an ideal worth striving for, as many people believe, but a mistaken goal that is dangerous in both implementation and consequence. To achieve physical and mental equality amongst all Americans, the government in Vonnegut's short story subjects its citizens to “handicapping” through the use of crude means, such as canvas sacks of lead balls worn to impede physical ability, or more sophisticated technology, like the miniature radio used to mentally incapacitate the intellectually adept. This has rendered the dystopian future presented both bland and uneventful through its enforcement of equality for all. Vonnegut expertly engineers his story to capture the essence of an utterly broken and depressing future. Calibrating the specific aspects of literature, Vonnegut is attune with the exact parameters he so desires for his tale. Like a true master of his craft, Vonnegut in Harrison Bergeron welds together poignant imagery, vague setting, rich symbolism, and a detached tone to build a stunning tour de force of American literature.

There has been a long history of China’s one child policy, since it was first introduces in 1979 by a Chinese Leader Deng Xiaoping (Rosenberg n.p). The law was meant to be temporary and used to control the population; however it is still in use today (Rosenberg n.p). When the policy was first enforced, it only

In Vonnegut’s story the government uses equality as a means of control. By Forcing anyone who achieved above a certain standard to wear handicaps so they were kept equal to the lowest performing person. Because of the tortures endured people willing hid their differences as to avoid pain. As a way of further stressing the punishments for being different the government uses television as a propaganda machine. Between the forced handicaps and unchecked brutality on television daily the government kept order. The character of Harrison is one of an anomalous few who resist the oppression only to be silenced as an example. Harrison who was a 14-year-old boy is taken out of his parent’s home by authorities due to the cause of their fear of his want to overthrow the government. Though Harrison escapes jail, he finds his vision of the way life once was to be cut short along with

Due to the one-child policy there are many serious human rights infractions. Since the policy has been in effect, there have been more than 400 million prevented births ("China:

In the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. the Constitution of the year 2081 perverts the original meaning and intent of our nation’s founding principle that “all men are created equal.” The U.S government assumes the role of ensuring not just equality under the law but uniformity of “intelligence,” and “thoughts” (Vonnegut, 1961). Talents are only identified so as to be targeted and suppressed. Conflict arises when someone is found that is so uniquely strong that heavy weights are hung on him to slow him down. A highly intelligent individual is forced to wear headphones so as to distract him from his own thoughts. A seven foot athletic man sporting “good looks” was forced to wear a bizarre mask out of concern his looks

Despite the patriotism and nationalism constantly encouraged in the United States, our society is far from perfect, and science fiction is just one genre that comments on these frailties. Science fiction comments on our world by creating a dystopian society in attempt to emphasize our civilization’s dangerous flaws. Two examples can be examined in the selections, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury and "Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut. Fahrenheit 451 is about a society consumed with every possible form of technology. The people neglect one another and find a family within their fascinating trinkets. This is not very similar to our society, yet our society could eventually go down this path. Most characters from the book ignore knowledge and it is also against the law to educate oneself from books. Overall, there is limited meaningful conversation amongst the majority of people and instead, a lot of propaganda provided by the government. All of these precautions are taken so that ‘every minority is happy,’ similar to the theme of "Harrison Bergeron.” Furthermore, this selection focuses on equality and the lengths that a government will go to in attempt to destroy

Throughout the short story, Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut, Vonnegut tries to spread a general theme. In Harrison Bergeron, the audience meets several characters in a utopian society. In this utopian society, everyone is equal. If someone had an above average intelligence, they were handicapped. These handicaps were not to be taken off, but to be worn at all times. They all had to be on the same level. In the end, people try to break free, and the government did not want the society to be like this, so they killed them. Today our society is trying to equalize, but we have not been successful. The theme in the short story Harrison Bergeron is that equalizing is not always good to do in a world like we have today.

A seemingly flawless, utopian society is revealed to actually be a dystopian world in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short-story, “Harrison Bergeron.” George and Hazel Bergersen are inhabitants of a nation, where everyone is equal. In an attempt to achieve this equality, the government monitors and moderates those who exhibit above average intelligence, especially through the use of television. Some, such as the couple’s son Harrison, are even incarcerated for their talents. Despite what is popularized and prioritized in widespread media, individuals must seek to discover less known information on their own. Being well informed, grants the freedom for one to stand up for what they believe in. By using satire and universal symbolism, the author depicts

What makes you unique? Your looks? Your opinions? Your wisdom? Now, imagine living in a society where you are not allowed to stand out and you are forced to be like everyone else. The short story Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, displays a society in which people have to adapt their qualities, such as appearance and intelligence, to fit equal standards. The reader experiences a day in the lives of George Bergeron, a man with an above average intelligence, who is forced to lower his mental capacity to the level of average people like his wife, Hazel Bergeron. The laws and standards in this society are created and controlled by an association called The United States Handicapper General. The author’s message in the book is that total equality