Ray Bradbury 's "The Pedestrian" and Kurt Vonnegut 's "Harrison Bergeron" are similar and different. Both short stories are told in a future perspective “The Pedestrian” is told in A.D. 2053 and “Harrison Bergeron” is told in 2081. Both stories do have authority over the people, but in “Harrison Bergeron” it is more severe than in “The Pedestrian.” The differences between both stories are that in “Harrison Bergeron,” George and Hazel could not think of what was going on around them. In “The Pedestrian,” Mr. Leonard Mead would have all the time to think of anything he would like.
Harrison Bergeron was a book written in 1961 that portrayed an abnormal child defying the dystopian government; in 2009 a movie was made, based off of it called 2081 that changed the character both physically and morally. The differences in how Harrison Bergeron, the main character, appears in each story changes how the audience perceives his morality. These changes are easily highlighted in Harrison’s age, dialogue, and appearance. The tone of the story is also changed, resulting in similar changes to what the audience interprets. As both stories continue these differences become more and more apparent and by the end, there is a clear split in what the audience ‘takes away’.
The characters in Harrison Bergeron were much different from the ones in Anthem. George (a mentally and physically handicapped man watching a television programme) was okay with the way the general public ran things. He was content with the fact that his government sounds off disturbingly loud and obnoxious noises in his head every time he had an individual thought. However, there was one character that wasn’t okay with what was going on; he went by the name of Harrison Bergeron, he was arrested at age 14 for supposedly being a threat to society because he was stronger and smarter than the other men around him. While in prison Bergeron was in prison his irritation with the social order grew.
Books and movies have been around for many years and lately movie directors have been making more and more movies based off of books. Most people do not know that around 50% of movies are based off of books. Although, it really depends on what people mean when a movie is “based” off a book. Some directors say a movie is based off a book, but has a different plot and seems totally different. So, in order to keep true to the book, directors keep the plot relatively the same, but there are a few times they decide to change the message entirely by changing just a few key events.
Horrors of Uniform Societies In society, there are many writings which teach people that there are groups of people who have different beliefs because of their past experiences. These experiences shape people's identities, making up who they are and how they live. Because communities have people with different beliefs living in them, everyday life is lively and full of diversity. During the Holocaust and in dystopian societies, many of the people lack diversity because of their living conditions.
“Repent Harlequin Said the Tictockman” by Harlan Ellison wrote in 1965 is about a time keeping government trying to achieve complete efficiency. The 1961 science fiction short story “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is about complete equality, disabling humanity from success. By examining elements of character analysis, tone, plot, setting, and diction, readers can see that these two dystopian stories can be compared and contrasted. “Repent Harlequin…” and “Harrison Bergeron” take place in alternate futures where the government has either taken control of everyone’s schedules or removed things that would make them unequal. Both stories are led by an antagonist and by someone who rebelled against them, but eventually, the rebellion fails and as far as we know the oppression goes on.
Can an overbearing government/society cause an individual to break down mentally and or physically? The thought of the government having some control over our lives can be seen as overbearing but to others it can be seen as a bubble of protection, George Orwell’s 1984 can be compared by a character’s act of rebellion due to the lack of freedom and contrasted by the repercussions of an individual rebelling to Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron”. The act of rebelling is perceived as such a negative practice in both of the dystopian societies, on the occasion that one rebels it cause for drastic measures. In 1984 Winston Smith rebelled against Big Brother by doing whatever he pleased.
Nobody in the story Harrison Bergeron was truly the same. People having devices to make them equal didn’t make sense because people still looked different. Devices or methods to take away talents or intelligence didn’t work either. Everybody in Harrison Bergeron was unique in some way. The people in the story weren’t truly equal, and there are a couple of examples to prove it.
"We rise by lifting others." ( Ingersoll.) In the story of "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut describes a society where the gifted are handicapped in order to reach equality. On the contrary, imagine a society where the ungifted are, instead, lifted up through genetic engineering and biotechnological enhancements. People would be equipped according to their disabilities and brain development.
Harrison Bergeron the short story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. he demonstrated different qualities in Harrison character throughout the story. He shows his intelligence, athletes and courageousness. While living in a dictated society ran by the government. That forces people to be equal and not allowed to be smarter or physical stronger than anyone else.
“Harrison Bergeron” Discussion Questions: Question Two: What is the significance of the dance that Harrison performs with the ballerina? How does the style in which the story is written change in this passage? The significance of the dance that Harrison performs with the ballerina is to represent the way the world would be like if they were allowed to express themselves and show the world their beauty, intelligence, and any other physical attributes. According to page 4, it says “Harrison and his Empress merely listened to the music for a while-listened gravely, as though synchronizing their heartbeats with it…
According to Google, a dystopia is an imagined state or society in which there is a great suffering or Injustice, typically one that is totally literation or post-apocalyptic.” Although plot lines of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “Examination Day” different many ways the to share a core theme nightmarish dystopian future Harrison Burgernon was written in October 1961, this short story was written by author Kurt Vonnegut. In this story there are the characters Harrison, George, Hazel, a ballerina, and the handicapper general. In this story Harrison gets taken out of his home and gets put in a maximum security prison. This is because the government is worried that he may try to overrule them.
“Government 's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives”. The short story Harrison Bergeron is written by Kurt Vonnegut. It is the year 2081; because of the new Amendments to the constitution everyone is now equal. One day, Harrison Bergeron is taken away from his parents’ home, George and Hazel. They are both unaware of what is happening because George is required to wear a radio in his ear that makes it so he cannot comprehend what is happening around him, the reason he must wear this is because he is smart.
Harrison Bergeron, a story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, shows a society where everyone is the same, no one is- or allowed to be, better than anyone else. The story takes place in a futuristic society during 2081. The main two people in this story are Hazel and George Bergeron. George, along with most people, has sacks filled with birdshot, and a handicap radio.
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.
