Harrison Bergeron Research Paper

Anthem vs. “Harrison Bergeron”
Is Equality 7-2521 a criminal or is he an underestimated leader? Anthem is about a boy named Equality 7-2521 and he lives in a collective society. He finds a tunnel where he discovers the light bulb. He goes on this big journey to help his society where people wear handicaps to cover up their talents or beauty to make them equal to the average person. George and Hazel are both married with a son named “Harrison Bergeron”. Harrison was in jail, but he broke out of the prison and broke into the ballet performance. At the performance he removed his handicap and one of the dancer’s handicaps, but after they were done dancing, Harrison got shot for breaking the law by taking off his handicaps. Even though Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” are both dystopian literature, they differ when it comes to family and technology.
Although “Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are both dystopian writing, they both vary when discovering family and technology.”Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are both dystopias, yet in “Harrison Bergeron” you are allowed to have relationships with people.
The author says,”The H-G men took George ad Hazel’s son, Harrison, away.” (Vonnegut 1). In the quote, it states that George and Hazel love each other and are married with a son named Harrison. That means that George, Hazel, and Harrison all have some form of relationship with each other because they are related. Unlike “Harrison Bergeron”, there are no relationships in Anthem. Equality 7-2521 says, children never know their parents.“( Anthem, page 41). The children do not know their parents because two people are assigned to mate at the mating palace and when the woman gives birth, she leaves. This states that kids grew up without a family, so they never had a relationship because they were not allowed to. “Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are both dystopias, yet stand alone within the topic of
family. Anthem and “ Harrison Bergeron” bear no resemblance with their uses of technology. “Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem contradict with the topic of technology because “Harrison Bergeron” is advanced with the topic of technology compared to Anthem because Anthem has no technology of any sort. The narrator says, “George and Hazel were watching television.”(Vonnegut 1). A television is a form of technology that George and Hazel use for entertainment. The television is a normal thing to have in one's house , however in Anthem they do not have a clue about electricity. Anthem has no technology what so ever in their society.Equality 7-2521 says, “ We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And we have discovered it alone, and we are alone to know it.”(Rand, page 53). Equality 7-2521 says that he has discovered the light bulb and that he is the only one who knows about it. Anthem has no form of technology because Equality 7-2521 is the only person who has ever come across the light bulb, unlike “Harrison Bergeron” where the have technology such as televisions. In the world of “Harrison Bergeron”, you are allowed to have relationships like family and friends. Although in Anthem, no one has friends or family, just acquaintances. Also, in “Harrison Bergeron”people use technology on a daily basis like their television, handicaps, phones and more. While in Anthem, people don’t have any form of electricity. Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” may both be dystopias with collective society, yet they are both different when considering family and technology.