harrison bergeron Essay

Submitted By xxomeglobinxx
Words: 860
Pages: 4
Open Document
Analytical Essay of Harrison Bergeron
Some people see the future having flying cars, robots, and peace. Kurt Vonnegut sees the future as a dark world and a prison. In his short story, Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut writes about a world where the government plays the role of “equality” on the people, but the government is really using this falsity as an excuse to control the people in the society with handicaps.
In the present, equality is what we strive for. We try to treat people equally like people’s rights and the justice system or something as simple as including everyone in an activity. Kurt Vonnegut sees equality as a controlling factor in the future. The government uses handicaps to make everyone equal. The handicaps hold people back by not letting them use their intelligence, strength, and/or beauty. The handicaps cripple the society because there is no more competition among coworkers. People have jobs but they don’t strive to be better than anyone else. They know and fear that if they step out of line, the Handicapper General will make them pay. After work the people come home and sit in front of the television for the rest of the day, like George and Hazel. George was “condemned” with above average intelligence and strength. So by using the role of “equality” the government gives people handicaps in order to restrict them from using their “condemnations”. The first handicap is an earpiece, this transmitter sends out earsplitting noises in order to impede above “average intelligence” people. George is one of these unlucky people in which he has the earpiece and that he can’t remember Harrison dying in the theater because “There was the sound of a riveting gun in his head.” Basically, Kurt Vonnegut uses this sentence to show how this “equal” government has taken control of the people enough so that the government can regulate what the people remember or think about. Also “Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts.” Hazel is the perfect kind of person that the government is trying to create. She has no mental handicap which means that she is the perfect example of “average intelligence” for this society. The graceful and strong must wear weights to obstruct their physical advantages. George along with the ballerinas both had to wear lead balls around their necks. These handicaps made sure that everyone felt the burden of lugging around huge and heavy weights everywhere they went. This made it more difficult for them to rebel because they were slower and more tired than the H-G men. The last handicap was that the beautiful, the ballerinas, had to wear hideous masks because they were prettier than others. This shows the extent of the government’s power because they even control something as petty as appearance.
To convey his idea of this prison, Kurt uses intense irony, figurative language, and symbolism. Throughout the short story Vonnegut repeats the idea of equality, but truthfully none of them are equal. In the government’s attempt to make everyone equal, Hazel says, “I'd think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds, all the things they think up.” Ironically, with her “average
Show More

Related Documents: harrison bergeron Essay

Harrison Bergeron

In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, the year is 2081, and the government has made everyone the same. Everyone is finally equal, there are absolutely no differences between one another. Everyone was equal every which way possible, there was no one that was smarter, stronger, faster, or better looking. If anyone were to be advantageous in any of these traits, the government would give them a handicap to make sure they stay even with the public. This was due to the 211th, 212th…

Words 659 - Pages 3

Essay On Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron In the science fiction story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. we are 65 years into the future, where the government has made everyone equal. Harrison, being a fourteen year old boy, wanted to overthrow the handicapper generals and free everybody from the handicaps. Bergeron was an antagonist that was nefarious, athletic and opinionated. First of all, the ballerinas were all stopped as a news reporter interrupted. The man had a speech impediment and couldn’t read it, so one…

Words 552 - Pages 3

Harrison Bergeron Symbolism

a reference to a well known story, work of art, historical figure/ event, or movie. An allusion is similar to a symbol. Each author in Harrison Bergeron, 2BR02B, and The Lottery uses symbolism in a countless number of ways. Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Harrison Bergeron, gives us some examples of symbolism. To start off with, George Bergeron,the father of Harrison, hears a 21 gun salute in his ear piece. Normally you hear a 21 gun salute for a fallen hero. For example, when someone in the army dies…

Words 654 - Pages 3

Harrison Bergeron Theme

Harrison Bergeron The story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. tells the story of a society that has created a system to force everyone to be equal to one another. This is achieved using a series of laws and assigning each person handicaps specific to their own talents and abnormalities thats would give them an advantage over others. The plot, basically, is about George and Hazel watching a televised ballet performance when that is interrupted by a news broadcast telling of Harrison Bergeron…

Words 635 - Pages 3

Symbolism In Harrison Bergeron

In the short stories Harrison Bergeron, 2BRO2B, and THe Lottery with have lots of symbolism. Symbolism is a object,person or setting that represents something. First, in the story Harrison Bergeron written by Kurt Vonnegut. In the story Harrison Bergeron Shirley Jackson uses alot of symbolism like int the beginning she says that Harrison Bergeron’s father heard gun shots in his ear which could symbolize Harrison getting shot. Also towards the end when Harrison Bergeron escapes that could symbolize…

Words 268 - Pages 2

Harrison Bergeron: Summary

In 2081, George and Hazel Bergeron’s son, Harrison Bergeron, get taken away by the Handicapper General’s men. The parents continue watching television after he gets taken away, due to their lack of ability to retain thought. The ballerina program they were watching was interrupted by a news bulletin. The news bulletin reveals that Harrison Bergeron had escaped from jail, was brilliant, an athlete, under- handicapped, and extremely dangerous. Harrison breaks into the studio and claims to be the emperor…

Words 151 - Pages 1

Harrison Bergeron Summary

Cycle Assignment #3 “The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal.” Summary of Harrison Bergeron The dystopian tale, “Harrison Bergeron”, describes a world where the government had decided mankind’s competitive tendencies had gone too far. The government then created handicaps for people that were gifted in any way. Harrison Bergeron was one of the most difficult to control, most would say impossible. Harrison was incredibly strong, he even broke the straps holding his handicaps on, straps that…

Words 713 - Pages 3

Harrison Bergeron Essay

In a world of control and a society ridden with freedom, the short story “Harrison Bergeron” shows the underlying effects that the external factors of a totalitarian government can have on the individuality of a person. From start to finish of this text, this dystopian society is brought down to a level of equality. The physical and mental elements that encompass an individual are leveled to an average to fulfill this “utopia” of equality, “... everybody is finally equal. They weren’t equal before…

Words 561 - Pages 3

Response To Harrison Bergeron

Christian VonThun Mrs.Delf LA 11 16 september 2016 Harrison Bergeron Response One big theme in the story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is equality. It had people who were handicapped because they were superior to others. So they would put weights on people that were too strong and when people could hear too well they would give them headphones. The president made sure everyone was equal and there was no reason to argue. Those who had rebelled were sent to jail.…

Words 82 - Pages 1

Harrison Bergeron Summary

Harrison is a wanted criminal. In “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is a story about Harrison Bergeron. He was sent to jail because he didn’t have his handicaps on. When his parents George and Hazel were watching a ballet show on tv, but it was interrupted will an important news bulletin. Saying that Harrison has escaped from jail. It showed a picture of him on the news of what he looked like with all his scrapmetal on him. These paragraph will be about Harrison, George, and one of the ballerinas…

Words 588 - Pages 3