Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron was a satire of the policy of equality of outcome, a belief system that favors equality over equity, and McCarthyism. The story begins with the words, “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” (Vonnegut, 1). The protagonist Harrison Bergeron is initially a victim of the laws implemented in this society, since he is depicted as an extremely handsome teenage genius. As a countermeasure to enforce equality, he was taken away from his parents and sent to prison. Harrison’s parents, George and Hazel, are watching ballerinas on TV when it is revealed that Harrison has escaped from prison. They show a picture of Harrison; he is forced to wear huge earphones as a mental handicap, a grotesque mask to cover up his face, and is covered in 300 pounds of metal He then bursts into a TV studio, rips off all of his handicaps, and declares himself emperor. He then says that the first woman to stand up will be his empress. After a ballerina stands up, Harrison takes off all of her handicaps and reveals a beautiful woman. Then, the pair began to dance, and in an act of defiance, “they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each

It was announced on television that Harrison Bergeron escaped from prison, where he had been detained for plotting to overthrow the government. In a society where all must be equal, he is seen as extremely dangerous because he is a genius and an athlete, attributes that one is not allowed to have. Harrison was shown in a picture on the television under extreme handicap, with tremendous earphones instead of a little ear radio, outgrown hindrances, three-hundred pounds of scrap metal hanging off him and spectacles that made him half blind

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 illustrates the central theme by using Harrison

Through “Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut J.r. illustrates his vision and hope for equality. For example in the text when George and Hazel were talking George says “The minute people start cheating laws, what do you think happens to society?” In this excerpt, George is saying that without equality society will fall apart and be destroyed, furthermore adding to the fact that violence is never the answer. In the text Harrison said “I am the Emperor! . . . Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once . . . she fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead.” Equality had some resistance from Harrison but he was stopped quickly. This is Kurt Vonnegut portraying equality as unstoppable

In the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, shows that when people try to be equal to other people they will still have the little qualities that make them stand out from everyone else. Some people may argue that the theme for this story is telling people that their is no way that people can be different when there is equality. It teaches you that you shouldn’t be afraid to stand out and be you. Some might argue that the theme is telling people that you can’t stand out.

The publication date for “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was October 1961, making it a coincidence to the Cold War which took place from 1945-1991. Harrison Bergeron is a story that portrayed competition as evil and equality was the way to go in life. Similar to the Cold war, the USSR was also passionate in being equal. If Harrison Bergeron was a commentary on the Cold War ideological struggle between the USA and the USSR, it would have taken the USSR’s side. Although the story and the USSR have different views of wanting equality (the story wanted more equality in looks, intelligence and strengths, where, the USSR was wanting more equality towards the economy.), it does not change that both have strong beliefs in equality. For example, in the story, people are permitted to wear handicap radios, weights,

The short story “Harrison Bergeron” brings into question the productivity that television contributes to society. This story, by Kurt Vonnegut, has been criticized as “a kind of desensitizing, numbing, and clearly thought-stifling, rather than thought-provoking medium that is partly responsible for the state of society.” Television, in reality, can be argued as a positive and negative medium that both benefits and hinders the public. Whether television is viewed as a beneficial or counterproductive mechanism is based its use. This form of media can be utilized as a source of knowledge, information, and education, or it can be used as negative propaganda, or as a form of brainwashing, as demonstrated in “Harrison Bergeron”. There is no cut

The year 2081, and everybody was finally equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else” (Vonnegut 864). In the futuristic short story, “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. illustrates a government implemented law of equality forced upon a society. Vonnegut a social commentator utilizes satirical events in the story to illustrate irrational thoughts and ideas from society. Satire is a special form of literature that seeks to expose foolish ideas and customs in a society. Satire does not lecture; instead, it exaggerates a part of society and lets the readers decide what to do about it, if anything. Most of the time,

The story “Harrison Bergeron” is about individualism and government power. It takes place in 2081 where the government has supreme control over every person in the nation. People are given “handicaps” and downgraded to be equal to one another. Harrison decides to take action and tries to change things for the better. Unfortunately, this is not what happened. There ended up being a terrible consequence that no one would ever wish upon a 14 year old boy. The short story “Harrison Bergeron,” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., teaches its readers that to much equality is not good.

In the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison is portrayed as a rebellious character and George, the complete opposite. But if George had switched his mindset to a less rule-abiding and cautious thinking, he may have felt more emotion and a pull inside of him to do the right thing when Harrison did what he did and got shot on TV.

Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” entails the story of the quest of equality in the future, which is spreading all around in many nations. This story is very powerful; it describes how equality can have negative impacts on society and people’s individuality. The entire story revolves around Harrison Bergeron, who throughout the story is the symbol for defiance and individuality. He represents the citizens who will stand up and rebel against the government. Through the characterization of Harrison and the other supporting characters, Vonnegut explains how the idea of equality can go rogue.

The Idea of equality in today's society is very biased and blurred. Most of the people in the world have their own definition of equality. In the story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. the author depicts a very obscure way of describing equality. He chose to make every character handicapped so they would be no better and no less than another person. The story focuses on the happenings of the Bergeron family who's not coping very well with the government's views of equality because their son has been labeled dangerous simply because he is a genius. There are many reasons Vonnegut's perception of equality truly is not equal. Equality brings peace, it also helps society's development and lastly, his perception was very unfair and cruel.

It can be easy or hard to identify theme. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut jr, the theme is jealousy can make you want others to change. There could be more themes but this fits the story the best. The author, Kurt Vonnegut jr, makes it easy to identify the claim(s). The Handicapper General makes everyone the same because of her jealousy. There is many evidence to support this claim.

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. gives the world a glance at the horrors of enforced equality through its simplistic and blunt storytelling. Stephen Moore and Peter Ferrara discussed in The American Spectator how “Harrison Bergeron” shows how “a society that puts equality ahead of freedom and prosperity will be in the end an unhappy one” (30). Therefore, it is easy to reason that any attempt to craft a utopia through government enforcement will end in only brutality and absurdity. Vonnegut 's dystopian story shows how corruption results from striving to achieve the ideal society as his characters are forced to wear handicaps that limit their citizen rights and their ability to disapprove of government actions. Therefore, Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” proves that pure equality is not attainable nor should it be through its portrayal of the unrealistic and illogical notions of taking away one’s individuality, repressing one’s freewill, and allowing government power to outstand the individual.

The short story of Harrison Bergeron takes place in 2081 in the United States which after the second Revolutionary war over full equality has sense created a true equal society; No one is smarter than anyone else, no one is more beautiful than the next, and everyone has to wear a handicap which regulates the brain to think on a certain intellectual level that is allowed or not to be considered unfair to the “average” Joe. The story doesn’t give you much detail on the theme of the setting or