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Effects of social inequality essay
Effects of social inequality on society
Effects of social inequality essay
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Equality is defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. Based on this definition one may say that the society portrayed in the story of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is equal but when taking a closer inspection, it is evident that it is far from equal. In this society there was one in control, the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glamper. She regulated life in a way for all of those under her control by assigning the common people various handicaps that would make the victims average, by her standards. While those in this deranged world believed they were all equal they failed to recognize the fact that people that were more superior in physic or intelligence where handicapped the most, that the Handicapper General bared all the power, and that they are brainwashed and forced to believe that …show more content…
this was the right way of life for them. This leads to the problems that arise in their nation and it is proven that this system does not in fact work. The handicaps put on the characters in the story where not equal. Harrison Bergeron, a truly gifted person, was given an extreme dose of impairments. It is said that “he wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses… Harrison looked like a walking junk yard” (Vonnegut 3). He was also altered physically to cover up his looks. In contrast to Harrison, his father George was given a radio in his ears that prevented him from thought for more than twenty seconds (Vonnegut 2). Comparing just one of the few handicaps that they both had shows that they are not equal. While George is given a radio to interrupt his thoughts, Harrison is given a set of headphones that are blaring in his ears. This is far from equal because if it was true equality everyone would have the same handicaps to the same extent. The Handicapper General would have to find an average based on the population to see what same handicaps will be fair to implement on the population. Some may argue that this would not lead to true equality because the groups that have superior genes are being impaired less while the groups that lack this gift of good genes are being impaired more. This is in fact the case but it is closer to true equality and “average” than people all having a range of different handicaps. The Handicapper General Diana Moon Glamper and the H-G Men bared all power in the United States at this time. They had the power to make anyone how they want them to be and into their form of average. Harrison Bergeron was one that slipped through the system. He was the one that the H-G Men and the Handicapper General could never keep up with Harrison due to his superior intellect and physique. Because of the fact that they could not keep up with his growing mind and body he found a way to over thrown the system. Harrison punishment was “a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and Empress were dead before they hit the floor” (Vonnegut 5). There was no deviation from the plan of handicapping the people of the country. Therefore, the power was held in those responsible for the handicapping. Also if those responsible for handicapping were infact “average”, the same as they were making everyone else, they should not be able to carry out this task because they are no different then anyone else. Brainwash is what lead to the plan of implementing handicaps on people to work. People were in fear that if they broke the rules set in place by the handicapper general they would be punished by law and that this was the only way for society to function. This is evident in when Hazel says, “Reckon it’d all fall apart” (Vonnegut 2). This was in reply to a question George asked about what would happen if people started cheating on the laws. What is evident in the text is that George and Hazel are not satisfied with the way things are run but are dealing with it because they believe it is the only way society can function without falling apart. George is extremely uncomfortable with the radio in his ear and the weight that is tied around his neck. Hazel recognizes this and makes a proposal to take just a few weights out of his sack. This shows the reader that people are sacrificing their basic comforts to be able to follow this ideology set forth, which is to sacrifice normalcy of oneself to form a peaceful society. The idea of equality was not achieved in the story of Harrison Bergeron.
There is a lot needed to be equal and in this story there was no sense of equality. The superior people were punished for being bored that way while those who were not as gifted were disabled less. To be truly equal everyone would have to have the same disability and it should not differ from the other people. This idea of true equality would never work because there is no way to unite a society together to create the same lifetyle for everyone at least in this day and age. Basic human nature prevents that from happening because greedy, power and self identification lead to separations which cannot happen if people are needed to be united. In the story this also did not work because people like Harrison realized the problem in making everyone less than what they were intended to be and decided to make a statement to try and change society back into what it once was. The only way that equality could have been fully achieved in this story is by people being bored average. It did not work by making normal people average and that is where equality
fail.
At the first glance, an image of the society portrayed in the “Harrison Bergeron” short will put the reader at a halt. This short story depicts a nation that has made the world a place of pure equality. “They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” (Vonnegut). The government had completely taken over the nation and its people. There were handicaps for those who had advantages over anyone else. Power was non-existent in this land. Mainly because all of it belonged to the government. If there was ever a time to see the imbalance of power it would be now. This story is not only a fictitious short to entertain the reader. This Short is a warning to the world providing a view of the consequences of power. “Ironically, no one really benefits from these misguided attempts to enforce equality” (Themes and Construction: "Harrison Bergeron"). Even on the television programs, beautiful women with handicaps placed on their faces. “They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.” (Vonnegut). An elaborate handicap had been placed over the whole country and the public was fine with it! Power causes more than a hardship if not detected. It ruins lives. The people of this short will never know what it means to be
The short novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut presents a futuristic portrayal of a world where everyone is equal in every way possible. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut displays the clear flaws in society that lead to the creation of a horrific dystopia that lacks genuine human emotions, fails to develop as a civilized community and is strictly government At the beginning of the story we are introduced to George and Hazel who are an ordinary couple that consequently suffer from handicaps. They are recalling the time when their son, Harrison Bergeron, was taken from his home by the handicapper general. It was an unhappy thought “but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard” (Vonnegut 1) due to the mental radio that separated the two from regular functioning emotions. Although Hazel was not affected by the handicap itself, it became a societal norm to act almost robot-like.
Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Kurt Vonnegut portrays Aristotle’s philosophy brilliantly in his short story “Harrison Bergeron.” The story depicts the American government in the future mandating physical handicaps in an attempt to make everyone equal. Vonnegut describes a world where no one is allowed to excel in the areas of intelligence, athletics, or beauty. Yet, the inequalities among the people shine even brighter. Vonnegut uses satire to explore the question of whether true equality can ever really exist.
……………Most of the numerous and very disparate urban utopias imagined since antiquity, claim more or less a social justice combining equality, fairness, and freedom. However the methods invented to reach this social justice often lead to more binding law, sometimes up to the absurd, that limited the abilities and capacities of the citizens. Thus, behind the mask of an ideal equality, is concealed in fact, a tremendous social injustice. In “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut’s shows us the consequences of sacrificing freedom for perfect equality by using the story of an excessive utopia to demonstrate that a society in which total equality exists, is not only oppressive, but also static and inefficient. Vonnegut exemplifies the image of fairness
The society that Vonnegut has created takes equality to a level most of us cannot comprehend. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren 't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." Equality is a great thing that the world should embrace; complete equality though is another issue. In a world of absolute equality, every human would be looked upon nothing more or less than the person beside him or her. Vonnegut highlights these issues of how equality can be taken to the extreme with the handicaps. The handicaps are brutal and seem almost primitive or medieval. Bags filled with lead balls that are attached around Georges neck, or the masks that the ballerinas are forced to wear. The goal is to try and manipulate the population in such way that humans will produce children that are all relativity average and the
Imagine a society where not a single person competes with another. It has been like this for years, yet nothing has changed since the start of this new world. No new technology, no new occupations, no new discoveries. Absolutely nothing is different. Without competition no one will push themselves to be better or to achieve any goals, and without new achievements society cannot survive, let alone thrive. The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. discusses this topic. Set in a society where anyone above average in any way is handicapped, therefore everyone is completely and totally equal. One handicapped man, George’s, son is taken away by the government at the mere age of fourteen under suspicion of rebellious intentions. Another
Each person has different characteristics about them that give them their own identity and that should not be changed. In the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, the main character, Harrison Bergeron is known as a threat to society. He is very intelligent, handsome, and athletic. In 2081, every person in the United States is equal. The government has taken over and has required everyone to wear handicaps to make them less smart, less pretty, less strong, and many other things. At the beginning of the story they mention a husband and wife, George and Hazel Bergeron, and they have a son, Harrison, who gets taken away because of his perfections. Later in the story, Hazel and George are watching ballerinas on television, when the program is interrupted by breaking news. They inform the viewers that Harrison has broken out of jail. The program then turns back on and Harrison appears on stage with the ballerinas. He proceeds to take off every
Aristotle said, “ The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” True equality is hard to come by when there are so many things that make people so different. The word equality has a very general meaning. That meaning however, can be interpreted in many different ways. To some, the interpretation can lean more towards a sense of freedom. This freedom has been something society has been fighting for throughout the entirety of history. To others, such as author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., it could mean the complete opposite. In Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut portrays equality as a sort of societal imprisonment.
Have you wondered what the world would be like if everyone was forced into the government’s opinion of equality? In Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s story “Harrison Bergeron”, it is the year 2081 and the government has altered the society into being physically and socially equal. The most charming people are left to wear hideous masks, the intelligent are to be equipped with a earpiece that plays ear piercing noises, and the strong people have to wear excessive heavy weights so they resemble the weak. I believe that the society of “Harrison Bergeron” is not truly equal, because no one can be changed unless they want to be.
In both Harrison Bergeron and today’s society, people struggle with equality. As shown in Harrison Bergeron the pushing of equality causes consequences. Equality is being pushed onto everyone by having handicaps to make them sure that no one person is better than another. Equality can also cause any type of hurt, both physical and mental. Physical hurt is what occurs with George. George is
This short story takes place in the future around the year 2081. Due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments under the law, everyone is treated as an equal. With that being said, no one is prettier, smarter or stronger than anyone else. These laws of equality were created so that everyone is made to be equal by placing mental and physical handicaps onto them. A Handicapper General named Dianna Moon Glampers is the one who enforces all the laws for this society as they are designed to keep everyone the same. Harrison Bergeron is the main character in this story and he was taken away from his parents George and Hazel at the age of fourteen by the government. Harrison is not only intelligent but also tall and handsome. Living in a world where everyone is forced to be equal make him a big threat to society. Dianna Glampers
What would actually happen if everyone was forced to be equal? Kurt Vonnegut envisioned the fatal outcome in his masterpiece, “Harrison Bergeron.” The story illustrates “what would happen if a government or some other power takes this notion serious” (Mowery). The protagonist, Harrison, who is arrest for “exuberant individuality,” escapes from prison and goes on national television station to declare himself emperor, only later to be killed by the handicap general Diane Moon. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut satirizes the movement toward egalitarianism and the effect of television on people.
“The narrator of the story Harrison Bergeron definitions’ of America’s equality begins not by positing a future equality as much as exposing the misunderstanding of it in the past and the present” (Hattenhauer). The story Harrison Bergeron has two meanings: too much equality and too much inequality. Too much equality is expressed through the Handicap General, Diana Glampers, as she wants everyone to be equal because she envies the talented and beautiful. However, “it is not fair to the productive, the risk taking, or the hard working, to deprive them of what they have produced, merely to make them equal to others who have worked less, taken less risk, and produced less” (Moore). This society would never work because “no one who has lived very long can think that all men are equal in physical, prowess, mental capacity, willingness to work or save, to assume leadership, to design or invent new products or processes, to get votes, to preach sermons, to play the violin, or even to make love” (Even Fingerprints Differ). In any society one should not have the power to make people equal for each “were endowed by our creator” (Moore). In a society where there is too much inequality, or a potential dictatorship- Harrison Bergeron, society would fail as well. Kurt Vonnegut wrote Harrison Bergeron in order to show the world that we cannot take away talent or
In “Harrison Bergeron,” the author tells the tale of a generation that is equal in both mental and physical abilities. The major idea of the story is to show readers that total equality can be dangerous if they are interpreted too literally, as we are born each with our own individual mental and physical capabilities, and achieving total equality can be torture and unrealistic. To achieve physical and mental equality among all citizens, the government in Vonnegut’s story sets equality as a principle set in America’s Declaration of Independence, where the beautiful must wear hideous masks or disfigure themselves, the intelligent must listen to earsplitting noises that impede their ability to think, and the graceful and strong must wear weights
The year is 2081, this was the time when everyone was finally equivalent. “Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anyone else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than everybody else.” In the short story, Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, uses descriptive language to show tension, suspense, and drama within this story. Vonnegut uses this tool to show the people's need for freedom from both the handicaps and the government. This reveals both the drama and suspense.