The future entails breakthrough technology and unknown leadership. The harsh rules of the government in, Harrison Bergeron, causes the protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, to come up with the dangerous idea to overthrow the government which leads to the violent behavior of the antagonist Diana Moon Glampers. The author, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., uses character development to show the theme of the harsh government through the eyes of the protagonist, antagonist, and the foil characters Hazel and George Bergeron in this futuristic society.
The protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, is not your average fourteen year old and ultimately proves what can go wrong when the rules are broken. This, futuristic society, heightened his sense of anger and due to his lack of
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Even though her violent antics became known towards the end of the story, she and her counterparts have been scheming behind closed doors to decide which vile idea they will introduce to this civilization next. As the handicapper General, Diana calls the shots, literally. Tired of Harrison’s impolite behavior, “the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and Empress were dead before they hit the floor.” (Vonnegut 230). After Harrison only had a few seconds to shine, Diana Glampers snatched that away from due to the fact that she did not want anyone to go against her and actually see people having a voice of their own. This civilization was not built on equality; it was built on mind control and Diana’s thirst for power. With power comes greed. Raging from Harrison’s disrespect, “Diana Moon Glampers loaded the gun again. She aimed it at the musicians and told them they had ten seconds to get their handicaps back on. It was then that the Bergerons’ television tube burned out.” (Vonnegut 230). Diana used Harrison as an example of what would happen if anyone decided to stick up for justice and the greater good for …show more content…
Their different personalities and mindsets created a nice balance between them. Their differences explained why, “Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she could think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter.” (Vonnegut 226). This proves how cruel this government is. They do not want the smartest individuals to defeat the government so they make it mentally and physically impractical for them to do so. For normal people, like Hazel, it does not matter what they think or say because it is not like they will follow up on their thoughts. That is how the government is keeping everyone in check without any backlash. The fact that George is wearing forty seven pounds of balls in a bag is worrying Hazel. She says, “’If you could just take a few out when you come home from work, said Hazel… ‘If I tried to get away with it, said George, ‘‘then other people’d get away with it-and pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn’t like that, would you?”’ (Vonnegut 228). This whole conversation is the reason why the government knew that this new futuristic society would benefit them. Hazel knew that what
One similarity between the text and the movie was that everyone was equal in every way. It was important that the filmmakers keep this in the movie because it’s the most important detail in the story. In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron”, it says, “They were equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than everyone else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than everybody else” (1). If the filmmakers had never kept the equality part in 2081, the storyline would not make any sense. In the movie, everyone that needed handicaps had them including George, Harrison, and the ballerinas.
Diana Moon Glampers is a Handicapper General government official, she made it possible for everyone to have equality by adding the “211th, 212th, and 213th amendment to the constitution” (“Harrison Bergeron”). Her definition of equality is by bringing the smart, strong, and good looking people down to the same level as the not so smart, strong and good looking people. The government wants George to have a handicap radio on his ear to stop him from thinking far ahead, this handicap radio makes different kind of sounds every twenty seconds. He is also wearing forty-seven pounds around his neck to weigh himself down because he is stronger than the average. Hazel is worried about George because he looks really tired from having to carry extra weigh
“Harrison Bergeron” starts with explaining the society within the story. It begins, “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,” (Vonnegut 158). With this startlingly different introduction, Vonnegut explains that everyone is equal but does not include how during this time. As the story progresses, the reader begins to see exactly how the citizens are “equal.”
... story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, it can be derived that that these societies have strict rules and regulations, citizens of the society have become so adapted that they are afraid of change, and there is a severe lack of freedom. Both environments displayed uncivilized and inappropriate behavior, with innocent people being killed in front of their loved ones. What appeared to be an innocent tradition and harmless government turned out to be the perfect recipe for disaster.
The handicaps are to people as the cage is to the bird. This simile describes how Caged Bird and Harrison Bergeron are alike. Harrison Bergeron and Caged Bird are very alike in many reasons. They both reference limitations on freedom. In Caged Bird the limitation is that the bird is in the cage and cannot fly or go wherever it pleases. In Harrison Bergeron the limitations are all the handicaps. In Harrison Bergeron there are limitations to the citizens. These are called handicaps. When you are more capable at something then other people are then you receive handicaps that limit your abilities so that everyone is equal. Some handicaps are earpieces that stop you from thinking with a ringing sound, masks for those that have superior beauty, and
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
Ever since the beginning of time, Americans have been struggling to obtain equality. The main goal is to have a country where everyone can be considered equal, and no one is judged or discriminated against because of things out of their control. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Plays with this idea of total equality in his futuristic short story, Harrison Bergeron. The setting is in 2081, where everyone is equal. No one is allowed to be better than anybody else. The government makes anyone who would be considered above average wear a transmitting device to limit their thoughts to twenty seconds at a time, which is considered average in this day. They also must wear bags of buckshot shackled to their necks to ensure no one can be stronger than anybody
First off, the government had no signs of having handicaps themselves. For example, when the narrator states “Diana Moon Glampers burst
Harrison Bergeron is George and Hazel Bergeron 's fourteen-year-old child. He is the main special case in the general public - he exceeds every one of his impairments, and figures out how to figure out how to overcome them each time they are put on him. He is 'solid, keen, articulate, effortless ' and good looking - to put it plainly, "a virtuoso and a competitor". He is detained toward the start of the story however figures out how to get away.
As humans every individual on planet earth was created to be equal .Meaning despite race, colour, gender, sexuality, appearance or ability to perform a task everybody is the same.In the present society and generation its very difficult for everybody to be seen in the same way or treated equally. Harrison Bergeron takes place in 2081 and the government has been modified due to the government affirming laws in attempt to achieve total equality amongst everyone in society.Individuality is not supported by the government in fear of the idea of equality not being successful .Throughout the story characters such as Harrison, George ,and Hazel Bergeron encounter overwhelming events.In the short story Harrison Bergeron the author Kurt Vonnegut develops the idea of the dangers associated with total equality and the absence of individuality resulting in disastrous consequences.The outcome of the laws lead to lack of individualism and absence of freedom .Vonnegut also brings forward the actions the government takes in attempt to eliminate any threating forces.
……………“The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal…They were equal every which way” (1224). Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, is the guardian of this equality. She represents the symbol of fairness in the society, the one that prevent the society to fall back into” the dark age”. Although the story only mention her in a few sentences, it is obvious that she is the one who is running the show. Her job is clear and she is tough in accomplishing it. She shot to death Harrison Bergeron, the self proclaimed emperor and his empress the ballerina, with double barrel shut gun, and ordered the orchestra musician to put their handicaps back on immediately. Far to say that this lady is dumb and ugly, because we don’t have enough evidence in the story to confirm so, we can assume that she is the personification of the lowest mediocrity in this futuristic society. The story never mentioned her “handicaps” and that makes us apprehend that maybe the society assumed that she has already enough of natural
“Harrison Bergeron” is a story about Big Government forcing equality on citizens by the use of handicaps; in doing so they hold everyone back from their fullest potential. The year 2081 is oppressive to say the least; people are punished for being above average in intelligence, beauty, physical abilities or any variety of capabilities. No one is supposed to be more attractive, stronger, more intelligent or quicker than anyone else. The quest for egalitarianism is faulty; people who are born gifted are hindered by ridiculous weight bags, glasses to cause blindness and headaches, ear radios that send nerve racking noises every twenty seconds courtesy of a government transmitter and hideous masks are a few objects implemented to make everyone equal. The government, in trying to even the playing field to give everyone the same, fair chance, handicapped the gifted far beyond the point of making them equal to the average citizen. In the story “Harrson Burgeron,” Hazel is developed primarily through her average intelligence, limited imagination, and empathy toward her husband as well as others to suggest the central idea that a totalitarianism government leads to the degradation of one’s humanity.
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
The people in a society are often a product of the presiding government’s policy. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, many of the citizens are artificially made and act like robots. However, in a reservation next to the new world, there exists a boy named John who was born and raised like a human. John is excited to go the new world because he believes that life will be better there. When John enters the new world, he sees many abnormalities that go against his beliefs, and the citizens call him a savage because he is not one of them. By juxtaposing John, the so-called savage, against the “refined” society, Huxley demonstrates the extreme extent of humankind 's atypical actions under the subjugation of a totalitarian government.
In both Harrison Bergeron and today’s society, people struggle with equality. As shown in Harrison Bergeron the pushing of equality causes consequences. Equality is being pushed onto everyone by having handicaps to make them sure that no one person is better than another. Equality can also cause any type of hurt, both physical and mental. Physical hurt is what occurs with George. George is