Mistreatment And Endangerment In Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. tells the story of a futuristic America where people who are given handicaps if they are better than other people in order to give complete equality to everyone. The main message of “Harrison Bergeron” is that everyone doesn’t have to be the same for them to be happy. In fact, when everyone is equal they are sadder because they don’t know what real life is like, and they are able to be controlled. Harrison and Phillippa demonstrate that being unique brings happiness as they take off their headbands and learn how wonderful life can be when they can express who they are.

John. C. Maxwell, a writer, and a priest, once said “There are two kinds of pride, ‘good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad’ pride is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance” (Quotefancy). Just as there are two sides to pride there are two sides to every human trait, each trait has an advantage and a disadvantage. Being stubborn could mean working towards goals until they have been achieved, or it could mean closing one’s mind so much so they miss out on opportunities they are not looking for. John Maxwell’s paradox of traits is shown through the idea of equality in Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s “Harrison Bergeron”. In this story the society is led to believe everyone is equal because of handicaps, but

The story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is120 years in the future, which allows us to more easily accept some of the bizarre events that happen in the story such as when the character Harrison Bergeron is dancing with a ballerina and there is no law of gravity and motion, so they can almost touch the studio ceiling which is thirty feet high. The author emphasizes in his work themes such as freedom, mind manipulation, the American dream, and media influence, also the opposition between strength and weakness and knowledge and ignorance. The story illustrates that being equal to one another is not always the best way to live because everyone is different for a reason. Also, this is what makes everyone special in your particular way.

When Bruce Pittman directed Harrison Bergeron in 1995, most things changed from what was originally written by Kurt Vonnegut. In the film adaptation of this short story, the director had more or less the same idea the author had. Vonnegut presents a scary view of human society in the United States of the future, in which American citizens are all uniform. This then leads to their loss of individuality, and as a result, the deformity of humanness. Both the movie and the short story share these themes; they also have a multitude of other similarities, but have just as many differences. The theme might be the same in both, yet in the story, Harrison is portrayed as a seven foot tall, athletic, fourteen year old with a godlike complex, and the

Harrison Bergeron is a story written by Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut’s story is a warning to the world about the quest of equality, which is spreading all round in many nations with America on the lead. The story shows the reader how the equality issue can have negative impacts on people’s individuality, and the society. The story revolves around the protagonist, Harrison Bergeron who is an archetypical symbol that represents defiance, and individuality. He is used to represent the people who will stand up, and protest against cruel laws imposed by the state on equality, and encourage others to protest with him. Through the characterization of Harrison, George and Hazel, Vonnegut shows how the equality idea can go to the extreme. The

It is unbelievable the types of things humans would let happen to themselves and other humans just because it is the “social norm”. Things like blatant discrimination and racism, cruel and unusual punishment, unnecessary killing and slavery itself are all things that are caused by a lack of rational thinking stemming from the conformity in society.

Conformity has always been at the center of controversy. However, individuality is a virtue that has been fought for, addressed in a positive light, and at times, even encouraged in such a dark world. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut illustrates the conflict that lies within both sides of this argument, due to a human’s nature to incline to both sides.

The modification of governments in human history will always evoke people what leadership is capable of doing to the citizens. The governments in human society are based upon a set of rules and regulations, created by other human beings. Often time, human nature provokes human nature’s desire for power, as a result the so-called the “government” can become oppressive and inhumane. Many authors and predecessors whom experience these governments create satirical works of literatures based on their experience. For instance, George Orwell writes, “Shooting an Elephant” and 1984 to portray how the governments are able to achieve their total power over people using oppressive treatments. I believe human society should not be governed through the

Harrison Bergeron is satire of today’s society he makes this satire applicable through the handicaps of the people, the similarity authoritarian government, and the technology. As a result of these factors that have been stated the

When you look at it, the perfect society is what Russia was looking to achieve

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.

Any government with total control is worth being feared and having a group of individuals who go against their government. With complete control, a government is capable of committing acts against their citizens, which can be perceived as “something good” from the government’s point of view. In 1984 by George Orwell, and “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, the main characters, Winston and Harrison, feel oppressed by the government's acts and events, try to overthrow their government, and go through a realization of hopelessness and defeat.

If people could imagine the impossible; all the amazing talents someone has, restricted. All the things that one loves to do are being limited. Now, they are not able to try their hardest and succeed in what they love most. This is the world Harrison Bergeron lived in. Kurt Vonnegut wrote “Harrison Bergeron”, a story that demonstrates a brave, bold character’s heroic actions to salvage the world many once lived in. Out of the many heroic actions Harrison did, he finally, “…plucked the mental handicap from her ear, snapped off her physical handicaps with marvelous delicacy. Last of all, her mask.” (Vonnegut 138). This is a pure example of Harrison rescuing an innocent dancer who was punished for having certain talents. Soon

Kurt Vonnegut has strong themes of lack of individuality and government control in his stories. In the story Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut uses themes of both individuality and government control to give readers a deeper meaning to his story. In a country where "Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else"(Vonnegut 1) our main character Harrison is above the government mandated level and the government was unable to disable him like his dad who was required by law to wear his handicap ear radio at all time(Vonnegut 3).

Kurt Vonnegut almost seems to be making a joke of the government through this story. In making everyone dull down their beauty, strength, and intelligence by law, he’s portraying that the government doesn't see anyone as an individual, but instead all as the same person. Without any individuality and limited intelligence the government could control everyone. Harrison Bergeron is made to be the perfect man, seven foot tall, strong, extremely handsome, and a genius. But he's so intelligent that he sees what the government is doing as being unjust and takes the matter into his own hands by trying to overthrow the government. The assassination of Harrison on television is Vonnegut's way of showing that even the most powerful of men cant overrule