Compare And Contrast Harrison Bergeron

Government Glitches Conflicts between governments and their respective societies has been a long existing battle. Moderated censorship, limited input in the lives of citizens, and evenly distributed power are at the heart of most issues under the vast umbrella of this topic. Many people have found ways to creatively express their opinions on the matter. For instance, authors Kurt Vonnegut and W.H. Auden used their skills to create pieces that do just that. In Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” a futuristic American society has achieved complete “equality.” This nation does this by way of handicaps on those who are above the average standard in any way possible. These handicaps are severely enforced and strictly obeyed until Harrison

In “Harrison Bergeron,” the author describes how the society created complete equality and the law enforcement that ensures obedience saying, “All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.” The “Handicapper General” symbolizes the government agencies that Vonnegut is criticizing. Through their continuous enforcement of these amendments and ongoing fight to hold power over the people, it is clear to see who Vonnegut’s antagonist is. Vonnegut uses this idea of an abusive government to show how power hungry officials can hurt a nation’s people. Auden reveals a much different issue. In his poem, “The Unknown Citizen,” the author begins the eulogy with this statement: “He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be / One against whom there was no official complaint” (lines 1-2). Throughout the poem, the narrator portrays himself as a part of these government organizations. All of the gathered information for the eulogy strictly contains facts and data, in contrast to the emotional setting of the citizen’s funeral. The agencies cited for this information are Auden’s representation of government in his poem. Auden uses these agencies and the information that they provide to show that despite how devoted this citizen may have been to his

Vonnegut wrote his short story in third person point of view. This narrator provides insight into the minds of most characters in the tale. Despite seeming to have no personal connection to the plot line, the narrator voices many of the thoughts and feelings that the people have. Vonnegut uses this element to show how despite having no direct connection to its inhabitants, the government seems to know every detail of the people’s lives. This abuse of surveillance has a negative effect on the citizens and brings about a gruesome end for some characters. Contrarily, “The Unknown Citizen” is spoken from first person perspective, yet contains little to no personal information about the citizen they are describing. A eulogy is meant to be spoken by a family member or other loved one, containing memories and loving descriptions of the lost loved one. In contrast to this, Auden’s speaker is seemingly a stranger to the deceased and appears to know nothing of emotional value to the citizens friends or family. He only speaks of the citizens recorded data from government agencies, and thinks that this is all to know about the deceased man. In the closing lines of the poem, the speaker says, “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: / Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard” (lines 28-29). Despite the man’s