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Comparing Short Stories 'Harrison Bergeron And The Pedestrian'

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Lynnson Ceneston Nov.28.2015 Something or someone with great power often controls humanity’s place in the universe, which does not allow individuality. In the short stories “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury both authors depict the excessiveness of government control and how equality regulations are strictly implied and punished if not respected. Harrison Bergeron, in the short story "Harrison Bergeron”, was an extreme example of a social deviant. In his society, it is believed that not one person should be better than anyone else. To equalize everybody, they are given a handicap to block any talent that truly stands out from anybody. Harrison is portrayed as a social deviant because he had a different point of view and opinion on this verdict. He found it immoral and wrong, in result to …show more content…

Leonard is also a social deviant. Due to the fact he differed from other people in his society. In this society the norm is to stay home and watch T.V, but he felt the need to go out for fresh air and observe things with out a screen in front of him. Due to that he was arrested and sent to a psychiatric center. In this case his “odd” actions lead him to no good. In “Harrison Bergeron” short story, you are given handicaps, to lower everyone’s individuality and abilities. There is no way to slip and do as you want in contrast to “The Pedestrian” where your allowed to do as you want even if you know the consequence there’s nothing to stop you from leaving your home. Unlike Harrison in “Harrison Bergeron” Mr. Leonard wasn’t immediately shot and he was simply arrested and sent to a psychiatric center. This only goes to show us that in “Harrison Bergeron” the rules are strictly implemented and followed but in the short story “The Pedestrian” you’re less restricted, you’re given a chance to redeem yourself from what they called “horrible”

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Harrison Bergeron said as he took off all his handicapped “Now watch me be different!” Once he took off his handicapped things, he was shot down by a officer, because he wanted to be

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In addition this story a character name harrison bergeron who was in a jail because he tried to take off his handicap and he also tried to plot to overthrow the government. Another character named george also had to wear a handicap and every twenty seconds a transmitter would send a sharp noise to keep him from using unfair advantage of his brain. The theme of the story is being equal isn’t always fair. Body paragraph 1: These 3 paragraph will explain the theme that being equal isn 't always fair. The first piece of evidence

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Single Paragraph Essay “ Harrison Bergeron ” “ Harrison Bergeron ,” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. focuses on equality — physically andmentally — strongly controlled by the government in the year 2081; the beautiful are forced tolook ugly, the physically skilled are required to wear weights. With these handicaps makingeveryone so equal, the world became very different, odd, and average. But the government hasno right or reason to push the whole world to be “…equal every which way.” (203) To suppress someone’s natural looks or physical talents is not only wrong to natural human rights, but it is also illegal, and for very good reason: everyone is different.

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Laws are the key to having a well-mannered society. They are created with the intention of bringing good to the civilization. However, even actions with good intentions can end with devastating results. This is what occurs in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron”. “Harrison Bergeron” is about a dystopian- like future that has had citizens stripped of their individuality due to an Amendment.

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“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

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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.

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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.

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However, people do not have to conform to the standards set by society. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, society forced people to be alike, in every way possible. No one person better than another. However, it shows that handicapping those who have excelled in an area of life or have greater ability than another is an injustice.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“Harrison Bergeron” is a unique story, in the sense that it takes place in 2081 in a dystopian society where everyone is equal. No one could be smarter, better-looking, or more athletic than anyone else. They are made equal with mental handicap radios for those who are intelligent, hideous masks for those who are beautiful, and heavy weights for those who are strong. The main character of this story, Harrison Bergeron, has a conflict with the American society in 2081. The internal conflict in Harrison’s mind is that the mental and physical handicaps affect the people’s thoughts.

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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

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To conclude, the similarities between “The Pedestrian” and “Harrison Bergeron” were that, in the end, everyone became equal. Although in The Pedestrian, the main character was changed, it was implied to be so. Another similarity, is the majority of people were the same, but there was always one outlier. The differences however, are many. The Pedestrian takes place in 2053, while Harrison Bergeron in

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