ipl-logo

Literary Techniques In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

489 Words2 Pages

In the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, the US has reached “true equality.” The year is 2018 and because of the amendments declared by the government, people who have talents and gifts are handicapped to become average. Strong people have heavy weights, smart people have transmitters that don’t allow them to think straight, and attractive people wear masks. The main character, Harrison Bergeron is incredibly gifted, so when he was 14 he was taken by the government and placed into jail with huge handicaps. One day, he gets out and goes to a ballet and reeks havoc. Harrison tears off his handicaps and asks for a dancer-- tearing off her handicaps too. They dance together, but not for long. The handicap enforcer comes and shoots both …show more content…

This includes literary techniques such as repetition and word choice. These emphasize certain ideas as well as compare them. One frequently used technique is repetition. Vonnegut uses this many times, but the best example is on page 1. This quote from the exposition states, “Nobody was smarter… Nobody was better looking… Nobody was stronger…” The author repeats the word “nobody” over and over. This emphasizes the idea that everyone has the same skills and is equally gifted. The message of “true equality” is displayed throughout the whole story, but in the exposition the reader interprets this theme through the repetition of the word “nobody.” Another technique Vonnegut uses is word choice. On page 5 Harrison is at the ballet and asks the dancers who would like to be free of their handicaps. The quote describes the beautiful ballerina who volunteered herself, “A moment passed, and then a ballerina arose, swaying like a willow.” The author’s word choice compares the idea of the ballerina rising and a swaying willow. It shows the extreme grace of the dancer as she stood to dance with Harrison. Because of this comparison, the reader knows that the dancer has the potential to be elegant, but the handicaps given to her by the government have restricted

Show More
Related
215 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
418 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

But Diana Moon glampers didn 't like that so she shot them. In addition this show how government / handicapper general isn 't being fair and how they want their people to be equal it not fair how they treat them and they not letting them use their talent they were blessed with. In all honesty the government is dumbing them down instead of making them better or

Read More
208 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

The area of the Khina culture is a plateau region in the mountains, surrounded by slopes and lots of rocks located in central Africa. The group living in the region is a pastoralism/early agriculture-based society, needing to grow food and collect supplies to prepare and cultivate their crops. It has been well documented that the transition into agriculture was very hard on humans as a whole, all around the world, and this would have been no different living where the Khina people lived. While little formal and recent archaeological excavations have been done in the area, the ethnographic record with recorded accounts from around the 1920s is extensive and provides a lot of information about what could be expected in an excavation of the area

Read More
955 Words | 4 Pages

“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

Read More
165 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
976 Words | 4 Pages

Ray Bradbury 's “The Veldt” takes place in a house that can do anything the want which results in the main characters-George, Lydia, Peter, and Wendy Hadley not sharing a strong bond with their family. You end up having no connection to your family so you have trouble communicating and having feelings for them which results in even though the machines don’t have any feelings or connections having to machines more that other people this shows how when people use technology too much or machines. People become to rely on them too much which dehumanises them and Bradbury shows that by symbolism, imagery and dialogue. Ray Bradbury uses symbolism to show how machines dehumanise people. One example is what the lions actually mean, the lions represent

Read More
1020 Words | 5 Pages

Analysis Essay on “Harrison Bergeron” The author of “Harrison Bergeron” is Kurt Vonnegut. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 11, 1922. Vonnegut is well known for his satirical literary style, as well as the science-fiction elements in much of his work. He first published “Harrison Bergeron” in October 1961.

Read More
1823 Words | 8 Pages

Vonnegut states, “They were equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else” (Vonnegut). Vonnegut is showing the idea that there have been major social and environmental changes of the

Read More
302 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

On the surface, the song “Pretty Hurts” is about a pageant girl who comes to terms with her insecurities and learns to accept her natural beauty; however, when one looks deeper, the audience understands that the speaker is criticizing society’s beauty standards and its effect on young women. This message is shown through the author’s use of various rhetorical devices including diction, metaphors and

Read More
349 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More
473 Words | 2 Pages

Authors use Imagery, Simile and Metaphor to put a clear picture in the reader's head. In the “Pedestrian” Simile, Imagery and metaphor are used to put a clear picture in the reader's head as well as developing the mood at the same time. In the "Pedestrian" Bradbury uses imagery, simile and metaphor to develop the futuristic setting and the mood so that the reader better understands where Mr.Mead is and what he see's.

Read More
1166 Words | 5 Pages

One example of this in the reading was when he used this to describe the beauty and view of a horizon. He stated that so many people have come and go, limping on crutches or dieing, and were heroes from many wars. Then while stating the different wars, he uses this device to empathize the amount of people who came and went by listing the many wars with the conjunction or in between each one, such as, the Pacific or Europe or Korea or Vietnam or the Persian Gulf wars. A third use of a rhetorical device that I noticed throughout the reading was the author's use of euphemism. This is when the author substitutes a word for another that is more pleasant so that he or she does not come off as rude and can avoid conflict in with the readers of the story.

Read More

More about Literary Techniques In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Related Topics

Open Document