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Who Is Harrison Bergeron

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Recommended: Summary of harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut

Imagine you live in a world where you are punished for being ever so slightly better than average, and anyone who wants to compete with their fellow citizens are handicapped in some way so that no one is superior. What would you do? Would you follow along like a helpless sheep, unable to speak your opinion? Would happiness and joy fill your mind because you’re afraid that everyone would shun you due to your incompetence, or would you fight for your right to be a unique individual who has their own strengths and weaknesses. In the story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, jr., the main character, Harrison, did just that, he fought a corrupt government and tried to release the people from their torturous bonds. Though Vonnegut describes Harrison as a true adonis, Harrison's ignorance shows just as easily. The fact that he thinks that he could rule an …show more content…

It would take a lot of bravery or stupidity to go on national television and announce himself the new ruler of the country, but Harrison did it to try to restore humanity. “ ‘ Even as I stand here’ he bellowed, ‘ crippled, hobbled, sickened-I am a greater ruler than any man who has ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!’ ” The reasons why he did this are clear; benefit the civilians, restore a natural society, and give the people the right to be individual. “Harrison Bergeron” is a perfect example of a dystopian society where the idea of equality is taken too far to create an exemplary civilization. The struggles of Harrison Bergeron to create a new country were in vain due to his ignorance, overconfidence, his untimely death, and the fact that Harrison's plights fell on deaf ears due to the mental handicaps that restricted the countries brain power. Vonnegut's reason for writing this short story was to make society look back on itself and think about what equality truly

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2251 Words | 10 Pages

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.

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1515 Words | 7 Pages

In the short story, most people see Vonnegut’s character as an immature fourteen year-old boy. People can see this easily when he states his goal is to become an “emperor” and how “Everybody must do what [he] say[s] at once!” (3). Harrison then goes on to stamping his foot in a way most people would see from a child who is throwing a tantrum. This is important because when Harrison points out that he only wants to be an emperor, it really shows how little he cares about the message the people saw and more about want he wants.

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835 Words | 4 Pages

Compare and contrast Harrison Bergeron The 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments have been written, and it seems the world has finally become what people call “equal” nowadays in 2081. This isn’t bad for some people but these so-called handicaps to keep people equal aren’t good for everyone. Both the text “Harrison Bergeron”, and the film are similar in events but there are a few differences in the situations, plot, and characters. One main difference that was evident is a character in the text “Harrison Bergeron”, that was represented as blindingly beautiful.

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414 Words | 2 Pages

"The year was 2081 and everybody was finally equal. " Everyone may have been equal, but some people may disagree with the ways the government made them equal. Harrison was an example. However, was he really a hero for rebelling? In 'Harrison Bergeron" , Harrison was a danger to society because he makes everyone obey his orders, tried to rebel, and escaped from jail.

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312 Words | 2 Pages

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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471 Words | 2 Pages

Harrison Bergeron: Heroic or Dangerous? “‘I am the Emperor!’ cried Harrison ‘Do you hear me? I am the Emperor! Everyone must do as I say!’”

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979 Words | 4 Pages

Aristotle once said, “The worst form of inequality, is trying to make unequal things equal.” A major example of this concept of inequality displays itself through humans. Although people may seem similar and equal, each personality and talent differs from one another. Now one might wonder what it would be like if every single person were truly equal. This theme is developed in the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and also in the film 2081 directed by Chandler Tuttle.

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517 Words | 3 Pages

It is just as unfair if not more unfair to put a handicap on someone who has greater strengths than another. When Harrison Bergeron stood up for individuality, society shut him down. In the real world, society shuts down those who speak out for individuality by shaming them or making them outcasts. Kurt Vonnegut created a universe that put the rules of society before the life of an individual. People were willing to stand and watch another human being be killed for accepting their individuality.

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1003 Words | 5 Pages

We know that he’s been locked up by the government, but we weren’t given enough information about him to build a relation with him from the beginning. As we begin to see Harrison more after he escapes from jail, we start to build that relationship with him. When he’s being described on TV, we’re told that he is “a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous” (Vonnegut). By these descriptive details that were given about Harrison, unlike the details about other characters, we can tell that he’s going to be an important character in the story. Harrison is similar to most teenagers who, at one point during their teenage years, has had a period of defiance.

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870 Words | 4 Pages

Thesis: In Kurt Vonnegut 's story, "Harrison Bergeron," symbolism, tone, and irony reveal the author 's message to the reader which is his perspective on equality. Notably, there are countless symbols in the narrative "Harrison Bergeron" all of which trace back to the theme of the story. The handicaps people are forced to wear are symbols for the control the government has over people. "George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn 't be handicapped.

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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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660 Words | 3 Pages

In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. relies on the use of irony to indicate where our country will stand once we have gained total equality amongst each other. The theme in “Harrison Bergeron” is that the government cannot enforce equality within the people. The author creates a fictional visualization of the future in the year 2081, where the government controls the people and tortures them in order to maintain “equal opportunity” in their world to prove why it is impossible to achieve absolute equality in the world. Vonnegut dives into a whole other level of uniformity in Harrison Bergeron by focusing on eliminating advantages in appearance, intelligence, strength, and other unique abilities rather than focusing on

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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.

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808 Words | 4 Pages

“Harrison Bergeron," written by Kurt Vonnegut during the 1960s, portrays vigorous political and social criticisms of America. The political system depicted in Vonnegut's story distinctly enforces the concept that people should be equal in every way. This concept, however, is taken literal. It is the year 2081 and every individual in America is forced by law to be completely equal. No one is allowed to be smarter, good-looking, or physically superior than anyone else.

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305 Words | 2 Pages

“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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