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Essays About equality
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Harrison Bergeron Theme Paper by: Alaina Clark Imagine a society where everyone is exactly the same, no differences or unique talents. That's exactly what this society is striving to do. The short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. teaches us that not everyone is exactly the same but those differences are what makes every individual person unique because the handicapper general tries to make everyone “equal” and as a result Harrison fights back. The handicapper general in the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. attempts to create a society where everyone is “ equal.” On page two paragraph four, “ she was referring to the forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag, which was padlocked around George’s neck.” …show more content…
Revealing the handicaps are supposed to make everyone equal, but in reality are making the people with more abilities less equal. Another point in the story that shows the inequality is on page three paragraph five“ She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two-hundred pound men.” This shows that the people with more abilities in this story unfairly have more handicaps. Revealing the unfairness of the large handicaps on the dainty ballerina. The handicapper way of making everyone equal actually makes people in this society less
At the first glance, an image of the society portrayed in the “Harrison Bergeron” short will put the reader at a halt. This short story depicts a nation that has made the world a place of pure equality. “They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal 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). The government had completely taken over the nation and its people. There were handicaps for those who had advantages over anyone else. Power was non-existent in this land. Mainly because all of it belonged to the government. If there was ever a time to see the imbalance of power it would be now. This story is not only a fictitious short to entertain the reader. This Short is a warning to the world providing a view of the consequences of power. “Ironically, no one really benefits from these misguided attempts to enforce equality” (Themes and Construction: "Harrison Bergeron"). Even on the television programs, beautiful women with handicaps placed on their faces. “They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.” (Vonnegut). An elaborate handicap had been placed over the whole country and the public was fine with it! Power causes more than a hardship if not detected. It ruins lives. The people of this short will never know what it means to be
The theme of the text “Harrison Bergeron” is equality has its pro’s and con’s,the author's use of similes and metaphors helps develop the theme.First off,one element that help support this theme is honor. Humor helps support the theme because in the text,”Harrison Bergeron” it shows how employees can’t even do their jobs because they have their handicaps on,but Know one earns a better profit because they're the same.Another type of element the author uses is similes .In the text it says,”but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard”.That helps support the theme because if the leader or government puts handicaps com people they will get mad and try to escape their state or country.The theme in the article is equality has its pro’s and con’s this
Equality appears to be the ideal factor that can perfect a society. It eliminates the need to feel envious of any human or their qualities. Nevertheless, with impartiality comes lack of diversity and ambition. Inequality is the entity that provides individuals with the passion to strive for a better life. If everyone has already reached their full potential there is no purpose for living. The short novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut presents a futuristic portrayal of a world where everyone is equal in every way possible. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut displays the clear flaws in society that lead to the creation of a horrific dystopia that lacks genuine human emotions, fails to develop as a civilized community and is strictly government
3. In the story, what is the purpose of 'handicaps' and how do they keep people equal?
“Harrison Bergeron” features a society that emphasizes some fundamental problems of total equality. While it is human nature to want to be accepted and up to par with others, there has to be a distribution of achievement for the sake of achievement itself. We wouldn’t be human without our differences in aptitude. We just have to celebrate that diversity in order to
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
uses hyperboles to show the real unfairness of an “equal” world. Hyperboles are exaggerations used to enhance the story. In Harrison Bergeron exaggeration is seen in many places. the first exaggeration we come across is the three amendments that ensure equality. “Al l this equality is due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments to the constitution”. This is a hyperbole because in 2016 we only have twenty-seven amendments and they haven 't changed for a very long time. They are suggesting that by 2081 we will have at least 2112 amendments. This is an example of inequality because although they enacted those three amendments they just force the above average people to put up with painful handicappers. Another example of of hyperbole is when Harrison was forced to have three-hundred pounds of buckshot shackled to his neck. As a fourteen year old boy, he would never have been able to stand, let alone “peel them off like wet tissue paper”. No fourteen year old should have to endure such treatments simply because he is stronger than the average joe. It is
Never would I thought that we have a dystopian-like society in our world. Don’t know what a dystopia is? It is a society set in the future, typically portrayed in movies and books in, which everything is unpleasant. The novel Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is a dystopian story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Harrison who grows up in a society that limits people’s individuality. When he is taken away from his parents, because of his strong idiosyncrasy, his parents do not even recall his presence because of the “mental handicaps” that the government forces onto them. Harrison eventually escapes from his imprisonment and tries to show others that they can get rid of the handicaps and be free. Though the government official, or Handicapper
In the story, the Handicapper Generals have manipulated people into thinking that the handicaps are absolutely necessary (hence the name). However, they do not have to wear them and they are allowed to take people away who do not wear them/who want to be different. These examples make them unequal because normal citizens cannot do that. In the film, the Handicapper Generals are seen in the ballerina scene, but are not mentioned as much as they could have been. I do like the movie and I love seeing all of the scenes come to life. However, if you want to really see the theme, the story would be the better pick
The text quotes,“She must have been extraordinarily beautiful because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by 200-pound men.” “ He is a genius and an athlete is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous,” The ballerina and Harrison both were extraordinarily talented and should be recognized for their talents. The ballerina shouldn't be ashamed of her voice nor her abilities. However, because Harrison is considered be “dangerous,” due to his pride in his abilities and his protest of keeping skills to make everyone have their own identity. Harrison knows that one world needs to be put together correctly, it isn't right for everyone to be treated the wrong way and in the wrong
For example, if a person was more intelligent, stronger, or better looking than a set standard established by the Handicapper General, that person would be required to wear hindrances. If a person tried to remove his or her handicaps, a punishment would immediately follow; therefore all the people went through their lives unable to reach their full potential. However, Harrison Bergeron, a remarkably intelligent, strong, handsome person, would not stand for such equality. He was taken from his parents at the age of 14. He deviated by breaking out of prison, shortly after being put in. Soon he found his way into a studio where, on live television, he shattered all the rules and took off all of his handicaps. Vonnegut wrote, “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds” (198). This point in the story is the central area of all deviance and defying of rules. Then he announced that he was the emperor, he said, “do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!” (Vonnegut
writes, “‘Harrison Bergeron, age 14,’ she said in a grackle squawk, ‘has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.’” In the story, Harrison wears all of the top handicaps that the government can give him, and Harrison got sick of his handicaps and planned to overthrow the government and then escaped from jail. Harrison probably wouldn’t have resorted to something like this without handicaps, and he could have lived out his life helping society. The story also reads, “George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts.” this statement shows that many handicapped people believe that handicaps are not fair. If enough people thought this then there could be a revolution against the government--which would cause chaos throughout the entire
The society that Vonnegut has created takes equality to a level most of us cannot comprehend. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren 't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." Equality is a great thing that the world should embrace; complete equality though is another issue. In a world of absolute equality, every human would be looked upon nothing more or less than the person beside him or her. Vonnegut highlights these issues of how equality can be taken to the extreme with the handicaps. The handicaps are brutal and seem almost primitive or medieval. Bags filled with lead balls that are attached around Georges neck, or the masks that the ballerinas are forced to wear. The goal is to try and manipulate the population in such way that humans will produce children that are all relativity average and the
Being unique is a necessary part of life. People are told starting as children that they need to be themselves. They are told to do what they love and love what they do. What if the world didn’t allow this? Kurt Vonnegut ponders the idea of a life in which the government enforces complete equality. “Harrison Bergeron” takes place in a future society that hinders people with skills to make everyone equal. This society makes everyone worse instead of better. Complete equality has too many issues for it to be viable. Equality should be for all in the eyes of the law. However, complete equality should not be pursued because taking away the differences between people is a clear mistake.
In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut we are introduced to a dystopian society in the year 2081 that imposes equality on all citizens through mental and physical handicaps. In short, a couple, George and Hazel Bergeron, are sitting in their living room watching the dance of ballerinas. Towards the end of the story, the audience is presented to George and Hazel’s son, Harrison, who has been taken away for rebelling against a government led by the United States Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers. When reading the short story, one can recognize the pitfalls Vonnegut aims to impress on the readers through the development in the characters, George, Hazel, and Harrison Bergeron.Vonnegut crafts the characters in a purposeful