Equality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

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

Equality in society means everyone is the same, in personal attributes as well as public living. However, extreme measures of interpreting equality in this way destroys individuality. Imagine all people being “equal in every which way”, including intelligence, physical means, talents, and appearance. In the dystopian short story, Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, the shift in tone, selection of details, and symbolic use of handicaps demonstrate that no society can be totally equal without the sacrifice of the individual and self expression.

The story of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is about a dystopian future of America that forces its citizens to be completely equal. The way that they enforce the rules is by forcing the strong to wear weights and the intelligent to be given mental handicaps. The style of writing Vonnegut uses to portray his story of equality is very subtle. Vonnegut uses diction, imagery, and syntax, to help the reader understand the characters, mood, and visuals.

Picture a society, far in the future, where everyone, by government control, must be on the same level. Would this be Hell or a utopia? This is the subject of Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron”. In this society, the gifted, strong, and beautiful are required to wear multiple handicaps of earphones, heavy weights, and hideous masks. In turn, these constraints leave the world equal, or arguably devoid of, from brains to brawn to beauty. With the constant push for equality among all people, Vonnegut reveals a world that society is diligently working toward. “Harrison Bergeron” is written as a form of satire with heavy irony, to demonstrate the clear difference between equity and equality in society. “Harrison Bergeron” is

Kurt Vonnegut’s unique story “Harrison Bergeron,” displays a theme which is a warning about the dangers of equality, which is equality is a hindrance to an individual’s success and society’s success, but this hindrance is ironically, unequal. In the story, Harrison and his bride are arrested for their unwillingness and inability to stay within the bounds of equality enforced by the Handicapper General. Equality hinders the success of an individual like the weights hinder the beauty and grace of the ballerinas in the story. Equality doesn’t promote everyone to be equally better, but to be unequally worse. Handicaps are no use in ensuring equality, because one’s strengths will always shine through, such as Harrison’s strength and wit, or the

Harrison Bergeron is a valuable story that has underlying themes, which are very relevant in our current society. The theme of equality can be seen throughout the book, and it is the principle that is enshrined in America’s constitution now, whereby they claim that all men are equal. Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates the issue of equality in a Utopian society. Vonnegut in his story, cautions Americans on the dangers of creating a truly equalitarian society, whereby citizens go to an extent of sacrificing their freedom, and individuality to the state, to create a place where all people are equal. Vonnegut creates a society whereby, all people are made equal. The beautiful are forced to wear hideous masks to disfigure their beauty, those considered intelligent are to wear radio calls, and ear splitting noises that are supposed to impede their thinking, and the strong are forced to wear weights around their necks throughout the day. The author uses masks, and the weights as symbols to symbolize

Vonnegut sets his story in 2081, where everyone is equal. No one is smarter, more talented, stronger, or better looking. The government in his story controlled everyone and how they acted and thought with machines. Those who were smarter had a mental handicap radio’s in their ear that made a noise every so often throwing them off the train of thought. The stronger ones had to carry around weight at all times, to make them equal to the weak. Those who were beautiful had to wear mask, or were made to look less beautiful. All competition was gone. However, Vonnegut shows that trying to control everyone, so all are equal is impossible, and can lead to disastrous things. In the story, Harrison Bergeron was arrested for suspicion of overthrowing the government. He escaped jail and on the TV episode of the ballerinas, people watched him take over. He allowed himself and others to take off the equipment controlling them and everyone became an individual again. Until, the leader came in and killed Harrison and the beautiful ballerina as they were dancing. Things became equal again, but not perfect.

Assessing our world now, many would believe that is the best time to be alive. More and more people are given the basic needs to survive with a dramatic poverty reduction. Compared to a century ago, individual freedoms and democracy have drastically grown. Rights for all people was once unthinkable, but it is now a cultural norm. Yet humanity still suffers from daily inequalities that leave victims of our system with no possibilities. Maybe nature is survival of the fittest, only letting people with the best qualities and opportunities succeed. To solve the issue of suffering, utilitarians have looked towards complete equality for all. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut illustrates extreme “equality”, in a sense that makes everybody the

Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliant story, “Harrison Bergeron,” takes place in the year 2081. Thanks to the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments “Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else”(Vonnegut 1). Everyone seems to have equal looks and abilities but to make this happen; they have to limit people so they can be equal to other people. People with natural beauty, gifted intelligence, or high strength have to use handicaps so they can be average like anyone else. They give people mental radios, masks, and sashweights so no one will get jealous. Because of these visible handicaps, people can tell who is stronger, prettier, and smarter. In the story, they describe one of the

The subject of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is equality. The theme of this short story is that society should make an effort to value individuality and fairness, in which everyone receives what they need to prosper, instead of universal equality. The forms used to elevate this subject and theme are point of view, syntax, characterization, irony, and humor.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s futuristic story, “ Harrison Bergeron”, is in the year 2081, where everyone is equal. No one was smarter or stronger than anyone else. No one was better looking than anyone else. Everyone was exactly the same. Harrison Bergeron is a 14 year old boy who had absolutely hates how equal everyone was. Harrison was stronger, smarter, handsome, and bigger than everyone else. Harrison was the opposite of being average. He plans to override the government and forbid equality so that the people can be themselves and unique. One lesson the short story suggests is that equality isn’t always a good thing. Difference can make people better.

Have you ever thought what the world would be like if everybody was equal. Well in this essay you will find out why it would be a good idea. Harrison Bergeron is a book about a man named Harrison who lives in a total equal world where no one is better than anybody. Harrison has escaped prison and is now on the run where he finds himself on live television and dances with a ballerina then gets shot by the Handicapper general in front of his family. The short story Harrison Bergeron everybody was equal because everybody has the same intelligence because of the earpiece they have to wear. The Next reason that everybody is equal is that everybody that is pretty has to wear masks so nobody is uglier than anybody else. My last reason that everybody is equal is that everybody weighs the same due to weights they wear.

People are constantly trying to fit in and conform to “normality” because they fear that they will be criticized for being different; but to be different is to bring unique and individual attributes to society. Instead of trying to mimic another’s character, one should be content in their own skin. In his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut creates a 2081 society where no one is better or worse than anyone else. If someone proves to be greater than another, their skill is discouraged and restrained with handicaps. One who has no handicaps is seen as a normal person. However, Kurt Vonnegut reveals that this sense of normality is a corrupted one through the development of his dystopian society.

The story “Harrison Bergeron” is about a future when everyone is equal. Everyone has equal strength, beauty, and intelligence which is achieved by wearing handicaps. Harrison Bergeron is very smart, beautiful, and strong. He escapes prison where he was for scheming against the government. Then takes off his handicaps and dances with a ballerina on television.

In a distant future, a country is made equal by modifying people’s beauty, strength and intellect. There is no individual in a society stronger, smarter, faster, or weaker than anyone else. The government achieves this equality by disfiguring the beautiful with repulsive masks to hide their beauty. The intelligent individuals get an earful of disturbing noises that hinders their ability to think or comprehend a conversation, and the physically strong wear pounds of metal to slow them down and impede their endurance. In this short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut, the author gives a preview into a society that follows extreme equality that eventually becomes detrimental.