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Essay about harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut
Symbolism in harrison bergeron
Essay about harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut
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One of the many main pieces that makes up a literary work is the theme that is shown through the story. A theme is a core or main idea that a literary work is trying to teach or tell the reader. An author can develop a theme through many things. One of those things that can be seen in the three short stories is symbolism. The three short stories that are being spoken of are Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie, and The Moustache by Robert Cormier. The theme is all three of the short stories is developed through the authors’ use of symbolism.
The short story Harrison Bergeron has one main theme throughout its story. This theme is that most people think they want true equality but we really do not. We just think that we do, but instead we really want everyone to have equal opportunities. This can be seen through the handicaps that most people have to wear in order to have equality. When someone was too smart, beautiful, strong, or fast they had to have a handicap for it. These different handicaps symbolize equality because they are what makes everyone equal. This can be seen in the beginning of the story when it says “everybody was finally equal... Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General,” (Vonnegut 1). These handicaps develop the theme because they make everyone equal but they are also what causes Harrison to want to take control. When he sees how the system truly does not work the way everyone thinks that it does he wants to ...
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... the theme of a story can be seen in the three short stories Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie, and The Moustache by Robert Cormier. In the first it helps develop the theme that we truly do not want equality among all people, in fact we want all people to have the same opportunities. In the second it helps with the theme that generosity can get you far in life and that helping others can in turn help you. Finally, in the last it helps develop the theme that one should not attempt to grow up faster than they already are. That is how symbolism can be seen being used by authors to help develop a theme throughout a story.
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem.” New York: The New Yorker, 2003.
1-11. Print.
Cormier, Robert. “The Moustache.” 1-6. Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” 1-4. Print.
The main concern for the characters in “Harrison Bergeron” is equality. It is the handicapper general’s job to manipulate everyone so no man is stronger
Symbolism is one of the most effective and powerful elements in writing. We see various examples of this all throughout "The Things They Carried." Symbolism enables us to tell a story one way, while all along trying to say another. I believe Tim O'Brien has achieved success in doing so in "The Things They Carried."
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An idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art of literature can be referred to as a “Theme”. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly. Theme is an important part of fictional stories. Several themes are presented in the novel to kill a mocking bird. One of the reoccurring themes in to kill a mockingbird is courage.
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In both J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, symbolism is used through the employment of imagery and metaphors. These are utilized to convey universal themes, such as alienation, pressures of conventional expectations, and sexuality. Symbolism is also utilized to portray significant and meaningful messages to the audience.
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