Harrison Bergeron: The Analysis of a Quote
Harrison Bergeron Quote Analysis
Turn the page to the next chapter of our lives and we’re still searching for equality. Look at the greater picture and see that the whole world is trying to find the same thing. What we define equality as is being equal in our status, rights, and opportunities. When jealousy and envy come into play that changes up the whole game. No longer are we fighting to say we’re good enough for the job, but fighting because the person before us was better for the job. Although we all search for equality, it soon comes to our realization that equality is different in every person’s eyes. One may see being equal as having the same rights and opportunities while another person may see it as having the same intellectuality and beauty. The motivation that drives the fight for equality has an immense impact on how things turn out in the end. Harrison Bergeron is a perfect example of how the wrong drive for equality leads to an unjust society.
In Harrison Bergeron, the author Kurt Vonnegut writes: “George winced. So did two out of the eight ballerinas. Hazel saw him wince. Having no mental handicap herself, she had to ask George what the latest sound had been.” During this part of the story, the character George and his wife are watching ballerinas dance through their television. Hazel, his wife, comments on how they dance so gracefully and George gets thoughts flying through his head. Those thoughts are soon disturbed by a loud noise, they were above average, and therefore he is not seen as equal.
In the quote above, there are several examples of how the society the characters live in is not at all equal. They base their equality on being just average. Ballerinas are masked because they are too beautiful, if it were truly equal everybody would be masked. Not only certain people would be placed with handicaps, all would be. Equality shouldn’t be based on looks nor should it be based on how academically advanced one is. This society goes
Turn the page to the next chapter of our lives and we’re still searching for equality. Look at the greater picture and see that the whole world is trying to find the same thing. What we define equality as is being equal in our status, rights, and opportunities. When jealousy and envy come into play that changes up the whole game. No longer are we fighting to say we’re good enough for the job, but fighting because the person before us was better for the job. Although we all search for equality, it soon comes to our realization that equality is different in every person’s eyes. One may see being equal as having the same rights and opportunities while another person may see it as having the same intellectuality and beauty. The motivation that drives the fight for equality has an immense impact on how things turn out in the end. Harrison Bergeron is a perfect example of how the wrong drive for equality leads to an unjust society.
In Harrison Bergeron, the author Kurt Vonnegut writes: “George winced. So did two out of the eight ballerinas. Hazel saw him wince. Having no mental handicap herself, she had to ask George what the latest sound had been.” During this part of the story, the character George and his wife are watching ballerinas dance through their television. Hazel, his wife, comments on how they dance so gracefully and George gets thoughts flying through his head. Those thoughts are soon disturbed by a loud noise, they were above average, and therefore he is not seen as equal.
In the quote above, there are several examples of how the society the characters live in is not at all equal. They base their equality on being just average. Ballerinas are masked because they are too beautiful, if it were truly equal everybody would be masked. Not only certain people would be placed with handicaps, all would be. Equality shouldn’t be based on looks nor should it be based on how academically advanced one is. This society goes