Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Freedom is a large umbrella that houses many “little” freedoms, including academic, individual, social, political, and economic freedom. Freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Depending on where people grow up, or the circumstances they grow up with, some of these freedoms are more important than others. However, whether or not these freedoms mean more or less to certain people, they are all important to the well-being of our society. Being free means having the ability to change or better oneself and consists of three freedoms: individual, academic, …show more content…
Without these qualities, identity is lost and our society is unable to grow. This is shown in Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergerson. In this story, people who have above-average intelligence, athletic ability, musicianship, singing, or even beauty are suppressed by the use of “handicaps”. People who surpass “average” in any of these categories are made to carry these “handicaps” that inhibit even the thought of independence or success for themselves. Harrison Bergerson, a character who is a “criminal” for wanting to change their society, carries the most handicaps because of his strength, intelligence, and achievement. He is an advocate for individuality and independence and wants to change the way society works by attempting to overthrow the government and get rid of its ideals. He tries to raise awareness about the “upside-down” way of life the government wants them to live and even makes an effort to recruit some followers. However, he is unable to escape and ends up being killed, and soon enough everyone forgets the event. The “idea” or intention of this kind of society is equality; a world where everyone receives, no one surpasses anyone …show more content…
Freedom of the individual is incredibly important because without it, no one can become the best version of themselves which results in a failing or broken society. Academic freedom is essential for the growth of our nation’s future, knowledge is power, and we have only lost once we become ignorant. Academic freedom is the right to learn about controversial topics, question established norms, and engage in critical thinking. These rights might seem simple, but there are lots of places and people who are not given these basic rights, and because of this, there are many advocates for academic freedom, Malala Yousafzai is an example. Malala is a teenage girl who has, since she was young, spoken out about the necessity of academic freedom, and having access to education. In her speech at the United Nations, she explains the importance of education, and the absence of education can be detrimental to the growth of our society, and even our world. In her speech, she tells the story of how others were threatened by her wishes for the world to allow access to education for children

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