Equality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

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Do you really want to live in a world that is totally equal?
Do you really know what means total equality? Will you stand to live in a society that is totally equal? Can you imagine that the government could take away what makes you different? “Harrison Bergeron” is a story where equality is the number one priority. This story shows that is not right or even good to be exactly the same as everybody. When you do not have anything that differences you from others, do you have any reason to live or to fight for? “The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal” (Vonnegut 1). In 2081 total equality was good for average people but bad for above average people. For average people total equality was good because other people cannot shine more …show more content…

Been exactly equal means “been the same”. Every human has something that differences him or her from others: color, size and shape. In order to achieve total equality we will have to take away or hide our attributes that makes us recognize that we are different from others for example our physic. In Harrison Bergeron we can see how not been equal can be punished by law. In 2081 no one could be stronger, taller, shorter, quicker, or cuter from the rest. If you were different they will make you wear handicaps that will decrease your physical appearance. If you were taller than the others as punishment handicappers will make you carry a bag full of rocks that will dissimulate your beauty and distract others from distinguish your attributes. Harrison was one of the characters that had so many different characteristics from the rest that “his appearance was Halloween and hardware” (Vonnegut 3). He was an athlete that had to hide one of his qualities in order to please others. From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently (Hayec 1). Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time (Hayec

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