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Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron: Power Of The Media

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Brylee Jordan Mrs. Ruiz English 102 April 9, 2024 Power of the Media In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut, one of the many themes he shows is the power of the media. The short story is set in a dystopian society where everyone is equal in every way, due to the use of handicaps limiting individuals’ abilities and strength. The main character, Harrison, is intelligent and has a great amount of strength. He rebels against the oppressive government and is ultimately killed by the government in an attempt to maintain a certain status and strict control of the society. Vonnegut utilizes the media to manipulate how individuals perceive themselves, others and the world around them; the theme showcases the potential negative …show more content…

the ballerina”. She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous” (Vonnegut 233). This illuminates how the individuals watching the television see the people there and how they reflect those feelings on themselves. They make references about them but not truly knowing if it is real or fake. The masks help the people make those inferences, due to how ugly they are. Simultaneously, the people make their judgments based on what they see through the TV, which is to say that it is not all a facade. While the power of the media shows one thing, it may appear to be another. As people watch the television it makes them view themselves differently, as the ballerina wears a mask because she is too pretty to be seen. They may wonder what makes them too pretty to be seen, as I am not. While the handicaps are there to make everyone equal, they habitually do the opposite. In addition, the media abuses its power by controlling the people as they control what they see and do not see. The author's goal is to have the media sway the people into having one opinion and only one opinion. An instance of when this happens is when “Diana Moon Glampers” loaded the gun

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