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How did US society change from 1920 to 1960
Social changes in the 1960's
Social changes in the 1960's
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Kurt Vonnegut paints a picture of American society 120 years past 1961. Society has made a gradual change, but it is a drastic one nonetheless. After nearly two hundred amendments to the constitution, everyone is supposed to be equal in every way. “Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” (232 Vonnegut). In this landscape Vonnegut shows that people will never be completely equal, and trying to force equality through controlling individuals will only create a new class system.
In the sixties, as today, equality was a frequent topic of debate. The Civil Rights movement was rapidly gaining support, as was equal pay for women, protections of voting rights for minorities and a political shift embracing many teachings of Karl Marx (Decade of Change). There was an idea that if the playing field could just be leveled, if economic or social classes could be dissolved, then everyone would be happy and successful.
Kurt Vonnegut was a socialist, many would assume this dream falls in with his beliefs. However, “Too often, [Vonnegut] warns, people assume that equality means being the same. This is simply not realistic (Labin).” Vonnegut did not believe in equality, rather he favored equal opportunity. For this reason he shows us a possible future society in which, “Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” (232 Vonnegut). And this is why there are two distinct classes, average citizens with handicaps and above average citizens without handicaps. Additionally, there are two more less obvious classes, the below average citizens and the agents of the handicap ge...
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... equal opportunity before the law and in society, but his idea was equal opportunity to succeed. He felt “it [was] the exceptional people who improved society” (Labin). Harrison Bergeron is his frightening caricature of what society would become if people continue with the absurd equalization ideas of the sixties.
Works Cited
“Decades of Change - 1960-1980.” Outline of U.S. History. U.S. Department of State. 2011. Web.
1 Apr. 2014
Labin, Linda. “Harrison Bergeron.” Masterplots II: Short Stories, Revised Edition Jan. 2004. 1-2
Literary Reference Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Mowery, Carl. “Harrison Bergeron.” Short Stories for Students. 2002. Literary Resource Center.
Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and
Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New Jersey: Pearson, 2013. 232-236. Print.
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Equality appears to be the ideal factor that can perfect a society. It eliminates the need to feel envious of any human or their qualities. Nevertheless, with impartiality comes lack of diversity and ambition. Inequality is the entity that provides individuals with the passion to strive for a better life. If everyone has already reached their full potential there is no purpose for living. 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
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In conclusion, the complete freedom and absolute equality have been a goal of innumerable societies throughout human history. However, these two ideal cannot exist together in their most perfect forms because the perfect forms of either freedom or equality represent total chaos or total oppression, as we can see in “Harrison Bergeron,” the consequences of sacrificing freedom for perfect equality. The author uses the story of this imaginary perfect world where everyone is happy to demonstrate that a society in which total equality exists is not only oppressive, but also inert and unproductive. Using his futuristic scenario, the simplicity of the society, and the actions of his characters, Vonnegut makes his point of view of a repressive society. In addition, societies that try to create total equality have almost always proven to be oppressive, such as China.
What gives the reader the false idea of utopia in Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is the deep social control in the form handicaps where individual’s abilities and competence and even appearance are neutralized and vilified as a form of inequality. The characteristics of equality chosen by Vonnegut; beauty, athleticism, and intelligence is important to the story’s message. The main focus of the story are the characteristics of equality that are subjective, the very same characteristics we are born with that makes us different and minimally states the objective ones, the ones that plague our society today. This not only satirizes the epitome of equality itself, but rather the people’s flawed ideals and belief of what total equality is supposed to be or should be.
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The 1960s was a period well remembered for all the civil rights movements that occurred during that time frame and the impact these movements had on the social and political dynamics of the United States. The three largest movements that were striving in the 1960s were the African American civil rights movement, the New Left movement and the feminist movement. These three movements were in a lot of ways influenced by each other and were very similar in terms of their goals and strategies. However, within each of these movements there were divisions in the way they tried to approach the issues they were fighting against. Looking at each of these movements individually will reveal the relationship they all share as well as the changes that were brought forth as a result of each groups actions.
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