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Harrison Bergeron Dystopian Analysis

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Harrison Bergeron is a dystopian story about a society that strips all humanity and human nature. This society is so altered that basic human genes can so be expressed. This society portrays human’s gifts such as knowledge and athleticism as threats to the society as a whole. Human emotion is also stripped because of the lowered down standards. The outcome of this is a dysfunctional world with no progress. The dystopian society of Harrison Bergeron altered human nature for the worse in the thought a better society.

Society is full of people with special talents which makes them unique and a contribution to society. In the story of Harrison Bergeron, it is altered this view. Being forced to hide natural beauty and intelligence through the use …show more content…

Emotion is one of the defining characteristics of a human. In the story of Harrison Bergeron George is the defining character the reader sees who is constantly suffering from the handicaps. We can see in many points how the handicap is in direct association with loss of emotion. This is seen when George acts like this -- Hazel turned to comment about the blackout to George. But George had gone out into the kitchen for a can of beer. George came back in with the beer, paused while a handicap signal shook him up. And then he sat down again. "You been crying" he said to Hazel. "Yup," she …show more content…

This passage really shows how even the most damaging of events are still forgotten. Without your humanity you lead a pointless life with no gain. The average human with no handicap expresses the role society should follow. Hazel is a very important character in the story because she has no handicaps and has the perfect average intelligence. This is important because they way she acts society should mimic. Even the most average of intelligence still shows flaw to emotion. Hazel lacks to feel the pain handicap people face everyday. This is seen in this passage "Sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball pen hammer," said George. "I'd think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds," said Hazel a little envious. "All the things they think up.". In this passage Hazel clearly shows no emotion towards Georges pain. The average human proves to show no emotion therefore altering human

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“They were not simple folk, you see, though they were happy. But we do not say the words of cheer, much anymore”. The authors Vonnegut and LeGuin expresses the importance of individuality in the stories “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. “Harrison Bergeron” is about how the government makes society “equal” by using gadgets known as handicappers to stop the people from thinking freely. But there’s one person who rebels against the government and he has to face the punishment.

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Harrison Bergeron is similar to the book Fahrenheit 451 where the citizens live in a dystopian world where it is against the law to have books because the people are to be equal. The government didn’t want people to read because this would cause them to think and they couldn’t have it. Clarisse asks, “Do you ever read any of the books you burn? He laughed. That's against the law!

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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’.

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The Vietnam war is known as the longest war in the U.S. history. It was situated in Vietnam, a country located in the southeast of China, during the cold war. Vietnam was a French colony and like in most colonies, the natives (Vietnamese people) were not treated right; Ho Chi Minh, that later became north Vietnam leader, asked for help to western countries, which was denied. The Soviet Union offered to help Vietnam, however, in order to do so they had to become communists, the country was divided into North Vietnam (communist) and south Vietnam (democratic), eventually North Vietnam wanted to take over South Vietnam. The U.S. got involved in Vietnam to keep communism from spreading, thus the country was divided because not all Americans agreed with the participation in this war, and the division between Americans made the U.S. foreign policies to change.

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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

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“Harrison Bergeron” By: Kurt Vonnegut In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut explores the dangers of a dystopian society where individuality is suppressed in the name of equality. Through the use of various elements if 20th century writing, Vonnegut effectively conveys his social commentary on the dangers of conformist societies. One key element of 20th century writing present in “Harrison Bergeron” is the use of satire. Vonnegut uses humor and irony to critique the values and actions of the government in the story, portraying the idea of total quality as absurd and oppressive.

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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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With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.

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“He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. ”(Fredrich Nietzche) The story of Harrison Bergeron is based around a society whose primary function is to be equal, not only that but to make it so everybody is at the same level of physical and mental ability. The concept of Serenity is the ability to live freely with the absence of feeling guilt, sorrow, anger, or loathe between man and life, without their depictions being manipulated by outside forces. The example for this is how society in this novel tries to make their world perfect and happy, only to make it a living nightmare.

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The character Harrison, in the story “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, has many traits that help aide the theme of the story. Harrison was a strong, good looking, determined young individual with a goal to be different than everyone else. To begin with, Harrison is a good looking 14 year old that is 7ft tall with big goals in life. Harrison is one that was made handicapped by the Handicapper General because he is better than the others.

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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.

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People who are not equal get handicapped in a way. George and Hazel Bergeron are the parents of Harrison, who was taken away from them when he was fourteen by the Handicapper General. George and Hazel are not even sad that their son was taken away. Hazel has average intelligence so she can only think of things in short bursts. On the other

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Most people would be angry or upset, however George cannot feel this way due to the consequences that may follow. When a character does feel a human emotion, they soon forget. “ ‘Forget the sad things.’ said George. ‘I always do,’ said Hazel”(44).

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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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In his short story Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut uses an astounding amount of powerful imagery and diction to create the perfect scenes of the dystopian reality he creates. Throughout his use of imagery, Vonnegut creates scenes palpably imagined by readers. He uses underlying humor to lighten scenes of the morbid and macabre nature of the future where being different can be a death sentence. The future that is created in totality by Vonnegut is a dire scene created to be filled with a pastiche of people strung with handicaps to make them to be exactly the same as the “perfectly average citizen.” Vonnegut’s tone throughout is both dreary towards the bizarre and twisted dystopia that makes everyone equal, but is also somewhat insulting to those who do not bear handicaps due to being lacking both mentally and physically.

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