Harrison Bergeron Literary Analysis

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List the characteristics of dystopian literature and illustrate how “Harrison Bergeron” depicts those characteristics.
In literature, a dystopian society is an imaginary place in which people live dehumanized in an unfavorable environment due to oppression and terror. Usually under an authoritarian government, citizens live under uniform expectations in an attempt to build a utopian society. Essentially, dystopian literature is a nightmare vision of the future, giving some readers a sense of fear since most of the societies imagined actually seem possible. "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut depicts many of the characteristics found in dystopian literature.
Dystopian societies are often ruled by a totalitarian regime who is devoted towards controlling the populace and use propaganda order to control citizens in a society . To …show more content…
Most of their rights are taken away, such as free will and privacy, and uniqueness is prohibited. George and Hazel, from “Harrison Bergeron”, are clearly miserable in life: the siren’s in George’s head gives him a headache, the couple’s son was taken away from them, and life overall is a struggle. Throughout the story, everyone’s lives show evidence of gruesome conditions. For example, the anchorman on the news had difficulty reporting due to his speech impediment, and so did the ballerinas, who had trouble dancing during their recital thanks to all the handicaps weighing them down.
Dystopian literature purpose is to warn society the corrupt world it might turn into if it continues its ways. It shows the massive power the government has and how easily politicians will use that power for themselves. The author’s message is meant to help save humanity and correct injustices and problem. Vonnegut, in “Harrison Bergeron”, warns that equality taken to extremes erases individuality and uniqueness, leading to dire consequences.
What is satire, and how does Vonnegut use satire in his
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