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Reflection essay on harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut
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“Everybody was finally equal.” This is what all people want, but true equality should never be reached. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the year is 2081 and government has finally made all its people equal. The government puts handicaps on those who are stronger and smarter than the average person. The character Harrison Bergeron strongly disagrees with this. With Harrison’s rebellious and forceful ways, he tries to overthrow the government because he feels this is unjust. Due to Harrison’s rebellious ways, the government puts him in jail and applies numerous handicaps on him just because he is strong than the “average” person. This makes Harrison want to rebel against these oppressions. Harrison breaks …show more content…
out of jail and attempts to overthrow the government. “Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen... has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government”(3). Harrison’s rebellious actions make the government fear losing their perfect world. In addition to to his rebellious ways, Harrison is also remarkably strong. Harrison shows his strength by all the handicaps on him. “Harrison looked like a walking junkyard… Harrison carried three hundred pounds”(3). Everywhere Harrison goes he must carry this burden. Harrison also shows his strength by how easily he destroys his handicaps. “Harrison thrust his thumb under the bar of the padlock that secured his head harness. The bar snapped like celery”(4). Not only does this show strength but it also shows his forceful ways. In like manner Harrison is very forceful.
Harrison want to be emperor so he forces this upon the people “‘Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!.’”(3) This is clear how forceful Harrison is. Also Harrison forces the band at the television station to play for him “‘Music!’ he commanded”(4) Harrison didn’t ask the band if they wanted to play he just forced them into it. This can be a good trait for a leader but sometimes it can be too much. Harrison also tore off their handicaps not even asking them if that’s what they wanted “The musicians scrambled back into their chairs, and Harrison stripped them of their handicaps”(4). This shows how forceful Harrison can be. By the same token Harrison is too rebellious for his own good, too strong for his own safety, and too forceful for his own goals. He shows this by breaking the 5000 pound handicap like celery, breaking out of jail to overthrow the government, and forcing the nation to be under his rule. Harrison Bergeron is just way too great of a person for this new and equal world. Ultimately Kurt Vonnegut is trying to show that true equality is unreachable and that a true utopia is where everyone is treated equal not everyone is physically and mentally
equal.
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 At the beginning of the story we are introduced to George and Hazel who are an ordinary couple that consequently suffer from handicaps. They are recalling the time when their son, Harrison Bergeron, was taken from his home by the handicapper general. It was an unhappy thought “but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard” (Vonnegut 1) due to the mental radio that separated the two from regular functioning emotions. Although Hazel was not affected by the handicap itself, it became a societal norm to act almost robot-like.
Harrison Bergeron is a short story that creates many images and feelings while using symbols and themes to critique aspects of our lives. In the story, the future US government implements a mandatory handicap for any citizens who is over their standards of normal. The goal of the program is to make everyone equal in physical capabilities, mental aptitude and even outward appearance. The story is focused around a husband and wife whose son, Harrison, was taken by the government because he is very strong and smart, and therefore too above normal not to be locked up. But, Harrison’s will is too great. He ends up breaking out of prison, and into a TV studio where he appears on TV. There, he removes the government’s equipment off of himself, and a dancer, before beginning to dance beautifully until they are both killed by the authorities. The author uses this story to satire
……………Most of the numerous and very disparate urban utopias imagined since antiquity, claim more or less a social justice combining equality, fairness, and freedom. However the methods invented to reach this social justice often lead to more binding law, sometimes up to the absurd, that limited the abilities and capacities of the citizens. Thus, behind the mask of an ideal equality, is concealed in fact, a tremendous social injustice. In “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut’s shows us the consequences of sacrificing freedom for perfect equality by using the story of an excessive utopia to demonstrate that a society in which total equality exists, is not only oppressive, but also static and inefficient. Vonnegut exemplifies the image of fairness
Harrison is no ordinary being of society. In fact, he is described as "a genius, an athlete,…and should be regarded as dangerous….Instead of a little ear radio for a mental handicap, he wore a tremendous pair of ear phones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses….Scrap metal [is] hung all over him….he wear[s] at all times a red rubber ball for a nose, keep[s] his eyebrows shaved off, and cover[s] his even white teeth with black caps at snaggle-tooth random" (Vonnegut 236). His physical appearance alone would definitely offset him from the rest of the crowd. Just by walking down the street, one could sense his greatness by his excessive handicaps. Furthermore, his mental capacity is great enough to override the annoying sounds that the H-G men create. The reader can obviously see that Harrison has something more to offer, yet his society is binding him down and taking away his individuality: "Harrison 's only crime was taking control of the television studio, but his motives outweighed the crime. He was shot for exposing the world to beauty" (Marton). In this sense, Harrison represents uniqueness of an individual. He is the one willing to exploit his society and have variation as being a celebration of oneself not a crime, or is this possibly his only
Science fiction stories are a very effective way of conveying a strong point. In “Harrison Bergeron” the strength of this short story is its ability to make you think. Not just about the societal structure, but also the abuse of power, and repression. The intentional significance of this story is if people accept oppressive measures in the name of fairness. No one really benefits from these foolish attempts to enforce equality. The tyranny of the majority stifles any sort of freedoms, gifts, individualities, and strengths. If an action must ...
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
Harrison Bergeron is a story about what happens in an attempt to create equality. Equality, media influence, fear and technology are themes used in both stories to change and create devastation in the future. The
Set one hundred and twenty years in the future, Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian world short story “Harrison Bergeron” is about the outcome of what happens when the government takes over due to people in society pleading for equality. Ranging from physical looks to one’s intelligence, it seems that people are continually unsatisfied with themselves when compared to others. However, there is one boy who refuses to conform to the laws set in place by the Handicapper General. Harrison Bergeron is that boy. The story tells of his capture, rebellion, and his demise due to breaking free from the laws of equality. In whole, Kurt Vonnegut wants his readers to assess the issue of equality in society before the made up world of his story turns into reality.
While George and Hazel Bergeron, Harrison Bergeron’s parents, are watching a ballet on their television, the narrator describes George’s thoughts by stating, “George was toying with the vague notion that maybe ballerinas shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts” (Vonnegut, Jr. 1134). The mental handicaps citizens like George have are used by the regime to not only make them “equal” to other citizens, but to also confine the thoughts of these civilians. By restricting the minds of the Americans, this government allows itself to function without the threat of being overthrown, thereby permitting it to commit a social injustice by having the ability to abuse its citizens as much as the regime wants
The way that Kurt Vonnegut is portraying the story “Harrison Bergeron” is almost with a sense of mockery. Take Harrison for instance, he’s pretty much super man. Seven feet tall, strong as an ox, good looking, a genius, and an amazing dancer at only fourteen years old. He's also the only person unafraid of overthrowing the government. Harrison's own father wont even take one of the heavy balls he must lug around on his neck out, in fear of getting caught, fined, and thrown into jail. Harrison on the other hand has been thrown into jail for trying to overthrow the government once already. Once escaping prison he declares himself the emperor and then sets out to find his empress. Kurt Vonnegut was trying to portray the supreme man through Harrison.
One similarity between the short story “Harrison Bergeron” and the film 2081 film maker to keep was when Harrison broke free from his handicaps. This scene symbolizes Harrison showing the people that it is possible to become free from things that are holding you back or that you can overcome any challenge that you are faced with. In the story it says “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper…” In both the film, and the short story, it seems as if Harrison was able to break free from his handicaps fairly easily. This is interesting because it shows that the author and the film maker thought this was one of the major prevailing themes.
When Harrison appears on stage, Vonnegut’s choice of dialogue for this certain character shows a deep symbolism, “"I am the Emperor!" cried Harrison. ”Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!" He stamped his foot and the studio shook.” (Vonnegut, 38). One thing alone can be assumed: Harrison represents those who defy equality, those who believe that this type of equality is, in a way, messed up, and choose to fight against it. Though along with defiance, there comes those that try and discipline the virus of a society. Harrison is very well trying to assist the handicapped people―trying to convince them that this way of living is unfair, although he is soon put to rest by a woman who holds a different opinion, ”Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.” (Vonnegut, 39). Diana is the woman who is trying to enforce her idea of true equality, causing her to kill two people who were defying the rules in order to maintain the perfect society. This symbolizes the government in a way, as they are trying to force we, society, what to
People never had the chance to freely express themselves and their ability. Harrison, the man who has more handicaps and strength than any other person being killed so quick in public will forever bring fear to the people in the society if they ever act to differ. Hamideh Mahdiany, a M.A. student from University of Lorestan, says, “In Harrison Bergeron, the dancing, happy, powerful, freedom seeking Harrison and Ballerina are shut to death so that the viewer wouldn’t even have the chance to develop any kind of identification with them which would even least probably make them want to be real humans.”
In the beginning, he uses this descriptive language to outline how the government has too much power. “Every twenty seconds or so the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” This quote explains the relationship between the people and its government. It is as if the government has complete and utter control over them. Vonnegut describes the people to be “like bandits from a burglar alarm..” This symbolizes the people, and their ability to be called out on their irregular traits. “ George was white and trembling, and tears stood on the rims of his eyes.” This quote shows the pain that the people with handicaps go through. They are captives without thought.
The conflict in this short story is fairly complex. It can probably be categorized as a person vs society conflict, due to Harrison defying the ‘normal’ of the society. Harrison defies the norm by being remarkably strong and intelligent. Any handicaps he has are useless, and this means he is dangerous to the government. This is shown in the story when he, “...tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds (Vonnegut 72).” He escapes after that, starting the climax of the story. The climax is when he and his Empress are dancing, and then when the Handicapper General enters and shoots them down. Harrison is rebelling against society, using his outstanding smarts and strength.