March 5‚ 2013 A Dystopian Masterpiece In his short story‚ “Harrison Bergeron”‚ author Kurt Vonnegut‚ Jr. tells about a society‚ or America‚ in the future being ruled by a totalitarian government‚ whose number one law‚ is equality. Everyone is treated equally by law; no one is smarter‚ faster‚ stronger or more beautiful than another. The people of the society are forced to conform to handicaps by wearing weights around their neck or masks to hide a beautiful face. Vonnegut shows how far people are
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dystopian short story‚ “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut‚ the setting is based on achieving a society where everyone is equal in looks and talent. In order to limit people’s talents and looks‚ there are handicaps such as sacks to weigh people down‚ masks to cover pretty faces‚ and earpieces to distract people with a high intellectual ability. George and Hazel Bergeron’s son‚ Harrison‚ is redeemed as a dangerous person for being incredibly strong‚ smart‚ and handsome. When Harrison escapes prison and
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Theme: Harrison Bergeron Harrison Bergeron (Kurt Vonnegut‚ 1961) is a fictional commentary on an egalitarian society. Based in the future‚ 2081 to be exact‚ Vonnegut describes a society where the American government has passed amendments to make all its citizens equal by use of handicaps. These handicaps range from masks for the beautiful‚ weights for the strong‚ radio chips that give off bursts of frequencies to disrupt thoughts for the intelligent‚ all in an attempt in an entirely equal citizenship
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In the short story‚ “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut‚ life is extremely different. Set in the futuristic time period of 2081‚ Vonnegut gives you a peek at a dystopian world‚ much different than what life is like now. In the story‚ everyone must be equal. No one is smarter‚ prettier‚ or stronger than anybody else. The new government punishes people who act on their own and gives handicaps to those who have “unfair advantages”. For example‚ the government put an ear piece in anyone’s ear who is
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Equality Isn’t as Easy as an Open Book Do you ever wonder whether people are truly equal? In the world of the short story “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut‚ everyone is “equal” in terms of strength‚ wisdom‚ and beauty. No one is stronger‚ smarter‚ or prettier than each other. Everyone supposedly is virtually the same because of the new laws and handicaps implemented in 2081. However‚ not everyone is truly equal in this story. One reason for this is that all the handicapped people aren’t
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equal.” This is what all people aspire to have‚ but true equality should never be attained. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.‚ the year is 2081 and the government has finally constructed their perfect world and made all its people equal. The government forcefully administers handicaps on those who are stronger and smarter than the average person. The character Harrison Bergeron passionately disagrees with this. With Harrison’s rebellious and forceful ways‚ he tries to overthrow
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The short story‚ Harrison Bergeron‚ was written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In the story‚ we see many uses of different literary devices that help us understand the world they are living in. Similes introduce us to the loud‚ distracting sounds that go off in George’s head every time he is about to take advantage of his brain. The handicaps that certain people are chosen to wear symbolize their strength‚ intelligence‚ and beauty. Vonnegut uses allusions to reference a Greek god and the Constitution. I chose
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Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story about the future‚ composed of 92 paragraphs that sends a message that total equality is not worth striving for‚ for freedom is the cost of equality. Equality is more or less achieved but at the price of freedom and individual achievement. For all of the people to be equal‚ some people who are stronger that normal‚ have to wear weights all the time‚ girls that are more beautiful have to cover their faces. The more advantage they have‚ the greater
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When you picture equality‚ do you see people carrying around heavy bags of birdshot on their necks with the reasoning that they are “stronger than the average person”? No‚ I didn’t think so. The point I’m trying to get at‚ is in the short story “Harrison Bergeron” the matter of equality is taken far out of proportion. Total equality is absolutely impossible. It doesn’t matter how many restrictions you put on people‚ there will always be people who are superior to others. For example‚ in paragraph
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Short Story Analysis 6 By: Michael Hurley Harrison Bergeron: This novel centers around the Bergeron’s‚ the average 2081 family in this stories dystopian America. According to this story‚ every single person is equal‚ not just under the law or equal with opportunity‚ but equal. While this sounds nice the way in which true equality is achieved is one which will annoy most modern Americans. George Bergeron‚ the father figure in this story‚ is apparently considered “above average” in mental capacity
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