ipl-logo

Futuristic Setting In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

1134 Words5 Pages

In the story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut shows a clear understanding of a futuristic setting and how the government controls the individuals. Vonnegut shows and describes certain roadblocks that the government imposes on certain individuals. There is also a very strong use of character in this story. Character is defined as the mental or moral qualities distinctive to an individual. In the story “Harrison Bergeron”, there is a strong sense of futuristic setting that allows the characters to become more developed throughout the story. “Harrison Bergeron” takes place in the year 2081 and everyone was finally equal. Vonnegut states, that they were not only equal before God and the law but, they were equal in every which way. (Vonnegut 1224) Having equality throughout society is something that …show more content…

This is where the difference is between “Harrison Bergeron” and Lebron James, or at least as far as we know for now. Harrison was held back because of the physical attributes that he possessed and Lebron is glorified for having similar physical attributes. Character is defined as the mental or moral qualities distinctive to an individual. We have no idea what the future may have been for Harrison but we do know what it could be for Lebron James and that is something of fame and fortune. Lebron is known currently as being the best at what he does and also as one of the greatest to ever do what he does for a living, whereas Harrison may also be known for being one of the best to stand up for his people and show that the government is not always right in every situation. Unfortunately though Harrison’s life was cut short because of the things he believed and the things he wanted to accomplish. Character is something that Harrison showed a lot of, and he never changed throughout the story. He had the same mind set and same plan

Show More
Related

  • Lebron James In Schooled By Don Stradley

    1644 Words  | 7 Pages

    No matter who you are and what obstacles you go through it’s no limit to anyone greatness and what they want to be in life. Lebron James was a basketball superstar before he was old enough to drive so his journey to the NBA wasn’t easy. A handsome, very

    Read More

  • How Does Harrison Bergeron Use The Concept Of Government In Total Control

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is a guy who is all the things that would make a man perfect in our society today but in the book this man is feared for being handsome and smart and every other thing that he is as if he is some type of disease. But you could say that the government had something to fear once Harrison was sick and tired of having all these handicaps .Could you blame him though?On page 4 of the short story harrison starts to rip off the handicaps as if they are just pieces of paper breaking free and allowing himself to be the best that he can be. But of course the government doesn't want him doing that on live television for everyone to see.

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron

    962 Words  | 4 Pages

    Author Kurt Vonnegut, captivated and astonished its readers with a dystopian society novel about absolute equality known as no other than Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is the prime example to the rebellion that can occur in a completely equal community. Although human equality is something desired by society, in the novel, Harrison Bergeron, Harrison is a primary example of how equality can affect a person's life. By showcasing intelligence, symbols, and equality with lack of freedom there is an understanding of what could be possible in an absolute equal community.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Outliers By George Gladwell

    397 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was a greater competitor. Sometimes it takes a major external change to cause and external change. In Jordan case, was the fact that he got cut by his high school coach. after that event, he was badly motivated for success and achieve greatness.

    Read More

  • Is Harrison Bergeron A Danger To Society

    321 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first reason that shows that Harrison Bergeron is a danger to society is that at his young age of 14, he went to prison because he was accused of trying to overthrow the government. He also has handicaps because he had talents that where above

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron Kurt Vonnegut Analysis

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Harrison Bergeron” is a short fiction written by Kurt Vonnegut, the story is set in the year 2081, and it talks about a futuristic society where all people are equal. No one is smarter, beautiful or stronger than the other, and if someone happens to be better than the others they find themselves compelled by The United States Handicapper General to wear what they call “handicaps” in order to bring down their abilities to the most basic levels as the others. Throughout the story, Vonnegut expresses a strong and vigorous political and social criticism of some historical events in the US during 1960s such as the Cold War and Communism, television and American Culture and Civil Rights Movement. “Harrison Bergeron” was published in 1961 during that time several events were happening around the world in general and in the US in specific which was engaged in a series of political and economic crisis with the communist Soviet Union know as The

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

    165 Words  | 1 Pages

    Equality is a great idea that we should strive for and achieve; however, being made equal physically and mentally by the government could be very unfair. People should still have characteristics that make us different. One can be diverse but still equal to his neighbor. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s use of point of view, conflict, and imagery in his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” illustrates how difficult living in a world where everyone is the same would be.

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron Literary Analysis Essay

    923 Words  | 4 Pages

    One common afternoon in the year of 2081, when everyone was equal, Hazel and George Bergeron were in their lovely living room watching television. Suddenly, a news reporter with a severe speech impediment came on. After trying many times to say, “Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” he handed it off to a ballerina who read, “Harrison Bergeron, age 14, has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.” However, in this short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut uses irony, shift and mood, and allusion to illustrated haw society would be if everyone was under the law of equality.

    Read More

  • Dystopian Elements In Harrison Bergeron

    653 Words  | 3 Pages

    . Falling into the category of dystopian, “Harrison Bergeron” displays many different aspects that call forth this classification. Typically displaying characteristics such as an unnaturally dark setting, an uneasy and often oppressive atmosphere, and usually rebellion, dystopian literature portrays some of the worst possible scenarios for the future, should we continue to follow whatever path the author sees the world on. Within the story, an unsettling atmosphere that is both dark and oppressed is portrayed throughout the exposition. Descriptions of the setting and how equal the people were in that society, especially pertaining to the handicaps help tremendously in creating this form of atmosphere.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between 2081 And Harrison Bergeron

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    Comparing and contrasting 2081 to Harrison Bergeron Admit it, one time you were bored or sat down with nothing to do and couldn’t help but imagine how life would be if everyone was equal, don’t even try denying it, you’ve thought of that at least once in your life, but as any good writer would do, they’d write their thoughts down and turn it into a story, that’s exactly what Kurt Vonnegut did. Just imagine living a life where no one gets compared to others in any way. We all wish for a society like that, but Kurt showed us how equality can negatively affect our society. But that’s not the our main idea in this essay, our main idea is to highlight the comparisons and contrasts between the story “Harrison Bergeron” and the movie version “2081”. To begin with, Both the story and the movie had the same introduction/ Opening; “Everybody was finally equal.

    Read More

  • Lebron James Compare And Contrast

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lebron is a 6'9" point guard who can score from anywhere on the court and is an elite passer. On the other hand, Michael Jordan was a 6'6" shooting guard who was primarily a scorer and relied heavily on his athleticism to get to the rim. Furthermore, Lebron has been able to stay healthy throughout his career while Michael Jordan had to deal with numerous injuries throughout his

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan's Influence On American Culture And Society

    1254 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Jordan Influence When most people think about Michael Jordan, they think about him as the greatest basketball player who ever played. However, Jordan was not only a basketball player, but someone who influenced the American culture and society. Jordan’s influence was one that had never been seen before. Whether it was through basketball or his own brand, Jordan was making everyone want “to be like Mike”.

    Read More

  • 42 Jackie Robinson Character Analysis

    845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Every question for Jackie Robinson from the media, is pointed and it’s point is to destroy Jackie Robinson’s career and everything he is trying to achieve. The fact that he has to worry about this outside of being a baseball player is ludicrous and just goes to show what true character precisely is. A person with true character is a person who will not give up or give in even under the most extreme of situations. A person with true character is a person who will keep calm and keep his emotions in check, even when he has every right to tear into the people who did him wrong. A person with true character is a person who will do all of this, to help out people that he doesn’t even know.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron

    1823 Words  | 8 Pages

    Kurt Vonnegut uses characterization to describe how the characters act in this society. Vonnegut also uses style to show how he uses science fiction and dystopia in “Harrison Bergeron”. The theme demonstrated in “Harrison Bergeron” is equality is not meant to make one person better than another. Kurt Vonnegut in “Harrison Bergeron”, demonstrates that equality based on characteristics is not a good thing for society. Harrison Bergeron is a short story based on the year 2081, where everybody is equal.

    Read More

  • An Analytical Essay On Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    Analysis Essay on “Harrison Bergeron” The author of “Harrison Bergeron” is Kurt Vonnegut. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 11, 1922. Vonnegut is well known for his satirical literary style, as well as the science-fiction elements in much of his work. He first published “Harrison Bergeron” in October 1961.

    Read More

More about Futuristic Setting In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Open Document