What Is The Theme Of Equality In Harrison Bergeron

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The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut Jr portrays the new era of 2081 and the sense of equality of the people. No one is better or worse than another individual and they are treated the same in all opportunities. Looking at the story from a formalist critical lens, and the meaning of equality, it is clear that there is not equality represented in this story and no fairness. When using the term equality, it is stating that every individual is treated the same, especially when it comes to their rights and opportunities (Merriam-Webster). When viewing “Harrison Bergeron” from a Formalist critical lens, the focus of the writing will be on the elements and the structure of the story. I choose to approach this story using this critical lens because of its form of imagery. It also “regards literature as a unique form of …show more content…

In paragraph ten, we see the imagery that described some of the handicaps that the government has imposed on the ballerinas that Hazel and George are watching on the television. Vonnegut describes it as, “They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in” (Vonnegut para. 10). From this description, you can imagine the weights the ballerinas have on their shoulders, which does not help them dance very well, which in turn disables their ability to dance. This takes away from the opportunities as dancers to show off their skills. If someone is not able to show their talent that they have and worked on just because someone else is unable to have the same talent, is not fair and causes everything to be unequal. Everyone has their own talents and dreams, and should never be held back from fulfilling

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