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How Is Harrison Bergeron A Dystopian Society

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A dystopian society is an imaginative society in which the citizens live a dehumanized, fearful life. A similar conflict is found in the stories of Harrison Bergeron, Examination day, and Shades. Dystopian stories relate to each other by having the protagonist's rights taken because something is forbidden. Harrison from the story “Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is denied his freedom, and individuality. He is being kept in prison for being a genius, strong, under-handicapped, and being regarded as extremely dangerous. He’s so frightening to the government that he gets put in prison on suspicion of plotting to overthrow them. He escapes, even though he has heavier handicaps than anyone else. Those handicapped are in prison. They show it on the newscast. It shows that “Instead of a little …show more content…

The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches. In the race of life, Harrison carried three hundred pounds. Required that he wear at all times a red rubber ball for a nose, keep his eyebrows shaved off, and cover his even white teeth with black caps at random.”(4). Harrison is being forced to feel ostracized. He doesn't have freedom at all. He can't be himself because he has more abilities than others. In the same way, there is something similar. Freedom of potential being denied. Dickie from the story “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar has to do a test that will determine his future. If a person exceeds the score on the test, meaning they go over the potential the government thinks they should have, then they will get eliminated.

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How does the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by author Kurt Vonnegut, incorporate the common characteristics of dystopian literature? The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by author Kurt Vonnegut, typifies the characteristics commonly associated with dystopian literature. Whereas in the text, everyone is described as the same. “They were equal every which way.” (Vonnegut 1), In which “The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.”

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Everybody must do what I say at once!" (Vonnegut 4). The insane Harrison was brave enough to do what no one would ever dare to do. Harrison wanted more then a handicap harness around his neck unlike the rest that genuinely, but not by choice abide by the rules. Equality was more diverse from the rest of the society, he wanted something different.

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Massive Retaliation is the threat of using nuclear weapons against the Soviets if they tried to seize a country not occupied by them and/or tried to expand there country by force. While Brinkmanship was the threat of using nuclear weapons to get an opposing country to back down/consed, Eisenhower used these effectively in the Korean war but there were saw as too dangerous. He used these to easily dispose of the Korean threat by threatening the use of nukes, and all the while, kept communism from spreading into Korea.

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injustice, according to Google Dictionary. Many stories include a dystopian setting. Some of these stories are “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar. Although the plotlines of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar differ in many ways, the two share a core theme: nightmarish dystopian futures. “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story, written by Kurt Vonnegut.

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Dystopia, an imaginary place where people live dehumanized and often fearful lives. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and The Giver by Lois Lowry, both societies are robbed of their human attributes and live in fear of the government. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut illustrates how life would be if everyone was equal in every aspect. The citizens are attached to “handicaps” that deprive them of their intelligence, an attempt to prevent a rebellion. For the most part, people followed the regulations that were evident until Harrison Bergeron, son of George and Hazel Bergeron, realized that the handicaps were inhumane.

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There are many reasons on why the story of Harrison Bergeron is a dystopian story. One main reason is because the way the government is ran meaning it is a bureaucratic control type government. What this means is it is controlled by mindless bureaucracy through relentless regulations and government officials. This is shown in the part of the story where Harrison was shot mid air by a government official or known as Handicap General. Another way bureaucratic control can be seen is that no one has any free will.

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Harrison wanted to show society that there is beauty in everything and yourself. To prove the point “ “Now watch me become what I can become!” Harrison tore the straps of his handicaps…” on page 4. This piece of evidence proves that he wanted to show that society can hold him back.

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“A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another” -Buddha The two dystopian stories “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and Anthem by Ayn Rand, are expressed to promote that everyone being exactly the same isn’t good for our society. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and Anthem by Ayn Rand are both dystopian pieces, their portrayal of family and love differs greatly. The novella “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut represents somewhat, of a healthy family.

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In some parts of the world today people government, will not let them do certain things and if they do them things they will be put in prison or executed. Harrison’s world and parts of the real world are just like. Many people do not have rights they are under a strict government. To begin with in the story of “Harrison Bergeron people wore handicaps around their neck and could barely do anything, because they were watched by the government.

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In the development of the theme one person's dystopian is another person's utopian. It Is evident in the analysis of setting in multiple dystopian text for example in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Harrison and, other people in his society are forced to wear handicap's. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss goes out to her happy place the woods everyday with her best friend Gale to hunt, gather and, talk about issues. It's illegal to be in the woods, but many creatures and, different types of herbs lye in this peaceful place where Katniss gathers her food. Katniss is able to hunt because she has her fathers bow that is "(Page 5) well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in water proof covers.

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Nobody Is perfect In this society In the first paragraph It says ‘’ They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger quicker than anybody else’’, The story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut has various dystopian characteristics such as propaganda, independent thought and freedom are restricted and citizens live in a dehumanized state. Propaganda Is used to control citizens

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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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. 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.

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1823 Words | 8 Pages

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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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.

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