HArrison Bergeron

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Recommended: Thematic essay over "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut

“The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal” (Vonnegut). Throughout the world of “Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut, everyone is equal. Everything is controlled by the state or the “United States Handicapper General” (Vonnegut). The people of the world are not allowed to have any personality that makes them different from the next person in their controlled society. Vonnegut’s use of diction is noteworthy due to the fact that everyone is supposed to finally be equal. There is not one soul in the entire world that is equal or the same within; people are born with all types of different personalities and physical features. In that case, the first words noticed are handicap, heavier, and junkyard. The words relate to each other because they describe Harrison’s handicap restrictions. Moreover, handicap has several meanings. In the story a handicap is the restriction of using one’s own intelligence or natural features. On the other hand, it could also mean a condition that markedly restricts a person's ability to function physically, mentally, or socially. It sounds the same but one is the same as being disabled. Within the story, no one is spoken of as being disabled; the complete opposite is spoken. The passage signifies and places emphasis on the importance of equality in the story because Harrison Bergeron is a freak of nature, standing at seven feet tall with the wits and skills to outsmart those around him. But in this society, no man or woman could step outside their boundaries, no matter how smart or beautiful, without the crucial punishment from the state. During the narrative, Vonnegut endeavors to reveal to the readers what society would look like with the loss of the original thought by comparing the society of 2081 an...

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...r, we may desist to maintain any individuality or creativity in the future. If we let ourselves be overrun by constraints and restrictions, we prevent ourselves from being the mighty and influential society we are now and fall into a time of dullness and depression. Vonnegut obviously worried about the future administration of the state and wrote this story to prevent upcoming ages from making things grow any worse. By depicting a society in which no original thought could live, Vonnegut makes us ponder before allowing further commands from a higher authority. By exposing an extreme contrast between Harrison and the remainder of the world, Vonnegut encourages scholars to be like Harrison and fight for them and for what they believe. Vonnegut wants our community to precede in a positive and independent course and not be restrained and defined by any higher authority.

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