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How is harrison bergeron a dystopian world
A reflection essay on harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut
How is harrison bergeron a dystopian world
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In the short story “ Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut the solemn, melancholy and nightmarish moods are expressed by the theme and figurative language, and it helps the reader understand better the story. Vonnegut used simile to describe when the buzzer went off in George's head(22). Also, when Harrison showed how easy it was to take off the handicaps showing that it was as fragile as tissue paper(25). People were impressed on how easy it was to take the handicap off. Vonnegut used hyperbole to describe events that were exaggerated.
The narrative "Harrison Bergeron" is a piece of dystopian fiction wherein the government decides to enforce complete equality between its citizens. Although the story is told from a third person limited point of view, the story mainly focuses on Harrison, a fugitive of the law. George and Hazel, the parents of Harrison, are the only characters the author has omniscient insight on. As a result of striving for complete equality the government has complete control over people's actions and thoughts to be certain no one has an "unfair advantage" over others by making them wear handicaps. In Kurt Vonnegut's story, "Harrison Bergeron," symbolism, tone, and irony develop the theme of how complete equality is impossible and undesirable to achieve.
Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1961. It is often taken at face value as a cautionary tale of the dangers of forcing equality on society. Equality is essentially achieved by government issued handicaps, which hinder people’s talents, as imposed by the amendments of the American Constitution. The protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, rejects these handicaps. He declares himself Emperor and orders others to follow him.
“Most dystopian, classic and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society - a future world that could plausibly happen” -Lauren DeStefano. Throughout the short story of Harrison Bergeron, the film A.I and the short story The Veldt, many themes of dystopian futures are explored. Firstly, Harrison Bergeron is about a dystopian future where everyone losses their individuality. Secondly, in A.I. humans ability to have empathy is blurred or lost. Finally, in The Veldt the advancements in technology has led to a loss in people having personal relationships.
There are many ways an author can convey the message of any story. Elements such as the Plot, Conflict, Character/Characterization, Setting, Symbolism, Narration, and Imagery are used in these ways. For example, in the In the story "Harrison Bergeron", the author Kurt Vonnegut uses the characterization, and the conflict to communicate the message to the reader that Uniformity and strict laws lead to a loss of personal freedom and individuality. Vonnegut uses the element of characterization.
Being the Same Being equal by the law and being equal are two very different things. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut uses a satire to make fun of a future in which everybody is equal, in every which way. In the story, Harrison was rebelling against the government and how they handicap people, so that they are all at the same level mentally and physically. In this society, the people in the government are the only people that are not handicapped, or supposed to be handicapped, and they intend to keep it that way. They will go to great lengths to keep their overruling power as it is shown in this part of the story, “It was then that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled
“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” -Aristotle. When two things are compared with different values, they do not easily come together. This relates to the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, because the government changed citizens appearances and personalities because everyone was different. Harrison Bergeron was placed in jail on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
“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
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.
Most authors, when writing futuristic stories, tend to have technological advances like flying cars or robots to add that flare. However, in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut there is nothing of the sort. In the year 2081, the US government has tried to reach full equality by using handicaps on the gifted. The society’s rules leave more people with pain and anger rather than a sense of total equality with each other. Which leads some readers to wonder what a society where the ungifted were lifted up instead of the gifted put down would be like in comparison with Vonneguts.
This short story is mainly about equality for everyone and it’s a Utopian society that becomes a Dystopian society. A Utopian society is, “an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens”(“Utopia”). On the other hand, a Dystopian society is, “an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible”(Dystopian). The setting of “Harrison Bergeron”
. 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.
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.
Dystopian stories are usually set in an unfavorable society in which to live, where the antagonist is the society itself, and the protagonist is the person who is looking towards changing this society and fixing its flaws, who believes that they can make a difference by overthrowing the government or escaping from it. The conflict is often not solved, or the hero fails to solve it, and the dystopian society continues as it was before. Harrison Bergeron is an example of a dystopian story where society has intensely controlled the population’s unique qualities to make everyone exactly equal. People’s talent, beauty, intelligence, and any other quality that makes them different is brought down and destroyed by forcing them to wear handicaps, masks, and weights. Harrison Bergeron is the protagonist of the story.
As a twelve year old, I was often asked to babysit young children. Starting off caring for young family members quickly escalated to other babies and toddlers, which gave me an astounding sense of responsibility. My father is one of seven children, making my family rather large. I grew up surrounded by seventeen younger cousins, which immediately allowed me to experience how babies and young children act on a daily basis. Exposure to people who can not function fully on their own assisted me and built me into who I am today.
