KURT VONNEGUT JR.’S HARRISON BERGERON Vonnegut plays with the idea of equality as a literal sentencing of oppression‚ and not what the general public’s vision of it is. The society created by Vonnegut in which George and Hazel live in is‚ under every and any possible function of the term‚ a dystopian society. Plagued by “handicaps” which include physical disturbances of the psyche‚ George finds it difficult to string his thoughts together – this would give him an advantage of the misfortunate others
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Harrison Bergeron "If I tried to get away with it‚ then other people’d get away with itand soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again " This statement by George Bergeron sums up Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story "Harrison Bergeron" in one line. "Harrison Bergeron" is the story of a futuristic United States in the year 2081‚ where all individuals are made equal regardless of what their natural born characteristics were. They are made equal both mentally and physically‚ all to the same measure
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abiding” father George Bergeron and his “rebel” son Harrison Bergeron. As George and Hazel watch television one night the program is interrupted by an announcement stating that "Harrison Bergeron‚ age fourteen‚ has just escaped from jail‚ where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete‚ is under-handicapped‚ and should be regarded as extremely dangerous."(Vonnegut‚ 915) At first the reader is lead to believe that Harrison is a miscreant and should
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Elena Johnston American Studies Mr. Chau 09/02/13 Harrison Bergeron 1. The simplicity of the world created by Vonnegut may appeal to some‚ but I could never live in such a society where ones thought process is limited to average and the government plays such an overbearing role in the community. People who are born with “above average” intelligence are immediately controlled by handicapper devices to limit their brilliance. Some are given a device that partially alter their sight of
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According to Vonnegut‚ so did the U.S. government‚ in the year 2081. In the outrageous short story of "Harrison Bergeron"‚ many historic achievements and ideas‚ like the Manifesto‚ can closely parallel with that of the future outlook described by Vonnegut. Vonnegut shows the ridiculousness of the outcome of this‚ at the time‚ popular ideology with satire and exaggerations. Harrison Bergeron opens with a paragraph that immediately gives a background setting to the story as a whole. The time of 2081
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story by “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut‚ the world is all equal. The government has tried to make everything including seasons equal. Some people of a higher intelligence have to wear handicaps‚ devices that make the people unable to process more complex thoughts‚ along with anyone above the average attractiveness. George has to wear handicaps because he is above the average intelligence while Hazel does not due to her only having average intelligence. Kurt Vonnegut kills Harrison Bergeron to show
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The idea and possibility of equality appeals human’s emotional nature. It’s everyone ideal image and vision of how the world should be. However‚ can equality in every aspect potentially handicap one who’s potentially gifted? In the passage‚ “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut (1961)‚ he creates a strictly equitable society. In this “utopian” society‚ each person is treated equally despite each person’s characteristics or talents. Those who could be considered gifted or highly intelligent receive
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HarrGeorge Ferguson Mrs. Eck English Harrison Bergeron After reading the title I wasn’t interested in reading the article whatsoever because it appeared to be just another one of those articles designed to bore me to death. After reading the first sentence the author slightly caught my attention. With the first few words in all caps the author said “THE YEAR WAS 2081‚ and everybody was finally equal.” As I was reading it I had a puzzled look on
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The United States has always been called the “land of opportunity”. Individuals are said to be free to pursue their dreams to the best of their abilities. Almost everyone living in the type of society of “Harrison Bergeron” is born with a fixed mindset‚ where they think there is no room for growth and everyone is okay with settling for average. A truly equal society is something that sounds great‚ but will become a disaster in the long run. Vonnegut uses characterization‚ word choice‚ and several
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great things. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. the citizens of a dystopic U.S.A. were limited in their abilities through the use of handicaps in an effort to achieve equality. The main character Harrison Bergeron‚ breaks his handicaps off and performs a graceful dance with his Empress‚ in order to restore order and equality‚ the Handicapper General shoots both Harrison and his Empress‚ killing them on live television. After Harrison removed his handicaps and asked the
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