Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron

Name: Abby

Section: C

The short story Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., was a fantasy story published in 1961 in the Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine. The government wanted to control everyone to be equal, using handicaps and transmitters. They also had to wear masks if they were pretty. Handicaps were for people that were strong and most likely to be tall and big, they could beat up most people. Although the transmitters were for people that were smart and knew what the government was doing and that it was wrong and that know one should be created equal. Also, the transmitters got a ring in their ear every 20 seconds, making them lose their train of thought. The masks were for people that were pretty and they had no big nose or big forehead that would

make them look dumb. Just think if one of these people were trying really hard to do their math problem and you got a ring in the ear by some earpieces making you lose your train of thought. The people that had the handicappers were forced to wear the heavy weights with lead balls that would make you wanted sit down all the time, and you have them on your whole life you have to wear the weight even if you had a job that was tough you would still have to wear them.

Most of the best athletes have the handicaps so they're not going to be good at any sports. Think about running a track while carrying weights, or dribble a ball or spike a ball at volleyball. People that were not pretty or strong or smart did not have to any “equipment”. The most important, the government wanted everyone to watch the same thing on t.v. and have the same idea as everyone else. The government wanted the people to be the exactly the same as everyone, no one being smarter or stronger than anyone else. Everybody was created equal no one was better than anyone else.

The protagonist in this story was Harrison Bergeron was strong and athletic and smarter. The antagonist where George and Hazel and the government. George was tall, athletic, smart and strong.The opposite of Geroge is Hazel, was a person that does not have any handicaps or transmitters. Harrison Bergeron was put into jail for being too strong and too smart. It all started on the day in 2081 everyone was watching there usually t.v. were the ballerinas danced, and then the

show was interrupted with a thing that said Breaking news that said Harrison Bergeron had broken from jail. The news announcer said he is “strong and smarter than most people”. George and Hazel are people from that time period and there were people watching the t.v. too. All a sudden Harrison storms into the studio where all the ballerinas dance with all of his “equipment” on. He then gets upsets, snaps off his “equipment” and says that the people in the audience need to listen to him, and he will show them what it would like if be no one was equal. He asked if someone would be his empress and to dance with him. George was sitting there and thinking about Harrison and remembered his face from somewhere and just remember him then he gets a ring in his ear and scatters his thought. Then Harrison told the musician to take off their handicappers and play the best music they could play. Then he takes the ballerina and dances with the her as they jump so high they kiss the ceiling, and then when they came down Harrison gets SHOT by Danani (government). George then remembers that he really knows him and feels a stronger connection between and Harrison and that he lost one of his sons to jail and that he was really stronger and smart but then a ring rang in his ear. Danai the main government person told the musician to put her handicaps on in 10 seconds or they would get killed. All a sudden the Hazel and George t.v. turns off. On the edge, George forgets what went on about the whole t.v show and that he thought he had a feeling about the Harrison guy. Since, Hazel is not the smart one she does not really care and doesn't know what's really going on. The resolution is that the government has just won that battle and that that even though people had just tried, the government was too powerful for even a smart person.