Harrison Bergeron Essay

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Brylee Jordan Mrs. Ruiz English 102 April 9, 2024 Power of the Media In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., explores the theme of the power of the media. The short story is set in a future society where everyone is forced into equality through the use of handicaps to limit an individual's beauty, abilities and strengths. The main character, Harrison, is intelligent and has a great amount of strength. In punishment he was forced to bear heavy weights, wear glasses that cause headaches, wear large headphones as a mental handicap instead of a small earpiece and diminish his physical appearance. The story follows as Harrison’s parents, George and Hazel, witness Harrison’s attempt to rebel against the oppressive government. Vonnegut …show more content…

She aimed it towards the musicians and told them they had ten seconds to get their handicaps back on. It was then that the Bergerons’ television tube burned out” (Vonnegut 235). This reveals how the power of the media controls what information is being released to the public. As the author, Vonnegut wanted to show how much power the media has by having the television turned off right after Diana Glampers started to become deranged because it shows how the media has the power to control what people see. While, the media’s manipulation of information serves to maintain a singular narrative, perpetuating a sense of control over public perception and discourse. Overall, one of the underlying themes in “Harrison Bergeron” is how the media has the power to control the people. While the people are only given certain information through media to help keep everyone having the same viewpoints, Harrison did not want to stay within those boundaries. As a result of Harrison attempting to rebel against the government, he is ultimately killed by the Handicap General in an attempt to maintain a certain status and strict control of the

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