ipl-logo

Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

290 Words2 Pages

In the story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, the government wants everyone to be equal, so no one feels inferior. They make people that are more intelligent, athletic or attractive where handicaps such as heavy weights, masks, and a mental handicap radio . Harrison Bergeron is in jail because the government thinks he will try to overthrow it, which he ends up attempting to. He is killed by the government along with a ballerina because they take off all their handicaps and disobeyed. Even though he tries to do good by defying the government, he ends up achieving nothing but his death. The people that live in this dystopian world don’t even want people to be more talented than others people. George tells his wife that if people stopped wearing

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And Fahrenheit 451

    480 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else,” (Vonnegut). The beautiful were to disguise their faces while the smart were to be rendered idiotic .The Handicapper General mandated ear radios in order to scramble the thoughts of those who show intelligence. Handicap weighed down the physically strong rendering them crippled.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And Fahrenheit 451

    1186 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this book, the government does everything in their power to make sure that everyone is equal and no one is smarter, stronger, quicker, or better looking than anyone else. If anybody is even the least bit better than someone else, the government handicaps that person so they return to being equal with the rest of the civilization. George is more intelligent than the normal person so the government makes his carry a bag full of lead balls on his shoulders and a mental handicap radio in his ear. “Go on and rest the bag for a little while. I don’t care if you’re not equal to me for a while” (Vonnegut 2).

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut, And Anthem

    707 Words  | 3 Pages

    “All for one and one for all.” Is it an oath of loyalty and teamwork, or rather one of slavery and oppression? Where utopias are the light, dystopias are the dark. The former depicts an optimistic view of what civilization could be; the latter shows a pessimistic, sometimes an all too realistic portrayal of how our values and governments can be used to oppress the masses. One common example of dystopia seen throughout literature is the collective society, this idea is that the collective group is valued more than the individual. This concept was in no doubt popularized by the rise of the Soviet Union which resulted in the “Red Scare”.

    Read More

  • True Inequality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    402 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, the feat of true equality has been obtained, but at a sour expense. The short story details a world where everyone is truly equal, so much to the point that equality has costed everyone their individuality and, in some cases, intelligence. The story takes place with two characters, Hazel and George Bergeron. They are watching ballerinas on television, when the story’s antagonist, Harrison Bergeron enters the scene and breaks his handicaps, being both intelligent and smart. He claims to become the new emperor, and dances with one of the ballerinas.

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron Research Paper

    517 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is just as unfair if not more unfair to put a handicap on someone who has greater strengths than another. When Harrison Bergeron stood up for individuality, society shut him down. In the real world, society shuts down those who speak out for individuality by shaming them or making them outcasts. Kurt Vonnegut created a universe that put the rules of society before the life of an individual. People were willing to stand and watch another human being be killed for accepting their individuality.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Harrison Bergeron

    1204 Words  | 5 Pages

    Imagine a society in which everyone is equal, sounds perfect right? You would be wrong in this case of forced equality. In Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron," Harrison is a one in a million intellectual who is taken away by the government at the age of fourteen. Typically, those with knowledge are handicapped to become average. He eventually becomes incarcerated on "suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government" (Vonnegut 3).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Individualism In Harrison Bergeron

    707 Words  | 3 Pages

    This government made everyone became handicapped so that everyone is the same and equal and no one is better than the others. Vonnegut’s view on equality is very judgemental and selective. Society these days, pressures

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451 And Harrison Bergeron Analysis

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    in Harrison Bergeron they solve the problem of inequality by giving people handicaps. These would restrict people who were prettier, smarter, or stronger than average. They censored their knowledge and their thoughts specifically with a brain handicap that was "tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep [smart] people…from taking unfair advantage of their brains." (Vonnegut 1)

    Read More

  • Government Control In Harrison Bergeron

    1055 Words  | 5 Pages

    Government Control Everyone has felt smarter or maybe not so smart, due to others intelligence once in their lifetime. In a world full of different people this can happen often. However, what if there were a world where everyone was equal? No person was smarter than the other, and everyone had the same level of intelligence. In the movie, Harrison Bergeron, he is a very gifted boy who is against a “government” that makes the entire society equal by handicapping the more gifted, down to the level of the less fortunate or incapable.(Bruce “Harrison”)

    Read More

  • Too Much Power In Harrison Bergeron

    252 Words  | 2 Pages

    The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr takes place in the futuristic setting of 2081. Vonnegut harshly criticizes society's morals and values and also uncovers the corrupt truth of what it would be like if individuality and uniqueness were forbidden. “Harrison Bergeron” explores the possibility of too much power placed in the government's hands. In this society, those who are better than others are given handicaps in order to maintain the peace and create equality amongst the population. The handicapping is seen to be absolutely necessary in order to prevent rivalries also known as the “dark ages”(1) from happening again.

    Read More

  • People Are Not Truly Equal In Harrison Bergeron

    302 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Harrison Bergeron”, each person was not truly equal. For example, the ballerinas in the story were prettier than the maximum people, so they were required to wear masks. Hazel, the mother of Harrison, believed that the ballerinas were beautiful since her mask was extremely ugly. Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicap General, forces them to be like the public and will punish anyone who says different. Consequently a few people enjoy being the same, it is not easy, and following the Handicap General’s rules is challenging.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Equality In Harrison Bergeron

    349 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter how many handicaps you put on someone they aren’t going to change. It’s kind of like trying to cover up beauty with a mask or make-up. Handicaps have no value in making anyone equal. Although equality is needed, no one in “Harrison Bergeron” is solely based on appearance and how smart you are. Equality is treating everyone one with the same amount of respect so therefore, no one in this short story is

    Read More

  • Being Equal Isn T Always Fair In Harrison Bergeron

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harrison Bergeron Essay Claim: Being equal isn’t always fair. Intro: What if someone had to wear a handicap? Or what if someone had to be treated exactly like everyone else?

    Read More

  • What Is The Cost Of Equality In Harrison Bergeron

    519 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is about a couple, Hazel and George Bergeron, in the distant future when all people must be equal. This equality is reached in the form of handicaps. Weights are placed on the strong and athletic people in society, masks are forced upon the beautiful, and loud noises are constantly blasted into the ears of the intelligent to prevent them from thinking. While most equality is often thought of as good, the story shows a much darker side, using the government’s forceful equalization of the people. “Harrison Bergeron” uses multiple perspectives to highlight the costs of equality paralleled in today’s society.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Harrison Bergeron

    870 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thesis: In Kurt Vonnegut 's story, "Harrison Bergeron," symbolism, tone, and irony reveal the author 's message to the reader which is his perspective on equality. Notably, there are countless symbols in the narrative "Harrison Bergeron" all of which trace back to the theme of the story. The handicaps people are forced to wear are symbols for the control the government has over people. "George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn 't be handicapped.

    Read More

More about Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

Open Document