The Importance Of Equality In Harrison Bergeron - 888 Words

It’s the year 2081, everyone with above average abilities are wearing handicaps to make everyone’s abilities equal. However, human equality isn’t always necessarily having the same abilities or limits. To be equal to everyone is also being treated and thought about the same as every person. It also means that you have the same power as everyone. It is impossible for everyone to have the same capabilities, even with devices created to put a limit to your abilities. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† Diana Moon Glampers attempted to create equality by making gifted people wear devices called handicaps to stop them from performing their talent. They didn’t really work because they made some above average people incapable of doing what an average†¦show more content†¦For instance, George is still smarter than Hazel with his handicap on. In addition, Harrison is stronger than the average people even with handicaps on. In the text, it states tha t Hazel could only think and remember in short bursts, while George could remember things and think longer than she can. Hazel doesn’t have any handicaps, but still has less common sense than George. Harrison is clearly strong without his handicaps, but is still very strong with them on. He can rip metal guaranteed to support 5,000 pounds. No ordinary person could rip metal even without handicaps. Some handicaps do prevent people from performing their ability too well, but other handicaps aren’t very effective meaning there is inequality both ways. Therefore, not everyone was truly equal in Harrison Bergeron. Opposing views may also claim the handicaps kept people from performing their best, however the handicaps helped some people to become better at their ability. Harrison wears many handicaps and some help him get stronger. His handicaps over time made him grow stronger and they are like a part of him. He grew so strong he ripped metal guaranteed to hold 5, 000 pounds. The ballerina wasn’t very good with her weights on, but they helped her grow stronger andShow MoreRelatedHarrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut707 Words   |  3 PagesHarrison Bergeron by â€Å"Kurt Vonnegut† is set in the year 2081, where all the people have been made equal through mental and physical handicaps. No one is slower, weaker, or smarter than anyone else. Harrison Bergeron who is taken from is family when he was fourteen years old has escaped. He takes off is handicaps, declares himself emperor and chooses one of the ballerinas to become his empress. After dancing and flying, Handicap General Diana Moon Glampers shoots them both dead. The theme of thisRead MoreHarrison Bergeon795 Words   |  4 Pages ENC 1102 29 September 2013 Harrison Bergeron: The Danger of Total Equality Individuality is a person’s most precious virtue. Many would say that one’s individuality is the most unique of footprints to leave on this earth. A human being’s natural attributes are what the world thrives upon. The Declaration of Independence states, â€Å"All men are created equal† and Kurt Vonnegut’s story Harrison Bergeron, explores and executes this notion with such brutality that it causes reasonable apprehensionRead MoreHarrison Bergeron Essay: Compare the Epic War or Socialism vs. Capitalism.1054 Words   |  5 PagesVonneguts story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† discusses the theme equality of results, but through his satirical circumstances there is an ambiguous theme targeting Socialism and Capitalism that shines through. In the story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, both Socialism and Capitalism are made fun of through extended satirical references. In the story, Vonneguts future predicts a rise of Socialism in America. However this Socialism relates to the equality of results as appose to equality of results. Vonnegut paintsRead MoreTotal Violence In Harrison Bergeron, By Kurt Vonnegut1172 Words   |  5 PagesThe story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, written by Kurt Vonnegut, is a scientific fiction story that is set in 2081. Within this setting, the United States had added 213 amendments, some making the total population completely equal. This equality was not just in a sense of the legality and government, but every person was also physically and mentally equal as well. This total equality was established through things like weight bags, that go around one’s neck to weigh down the physically strong, a mask toRead MoreHarrison Bergeron Essay992 Words   |  4 PagesHarrison Bergeron Imagine a world where an oppressive government captures what many call diversity. Where ugly is known as beauty and intelligence is insignificant. â€Å"They werent 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) This is the future that Harrison experiences, in the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† by Kurt Vonnegut. ItRead MoreThemes Of `` The Lottery `` By Shirley Jackson And The Ones Who Walk Away From 1861-18651553 Words   |  7 Pagestheme of attempted but failed equality in my final paper. The theme of equality is present throughout many of the dystopian short stories, novels, poems and films we have studied in class. The three stories I feel this theme is most present in are â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut and â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas† by Ursula Le Guin. In these stories society tries to make everything orderly and just. Their methods to promote equality are flawed. The goal in theseRead MoreComparing The Station Twelve And Brave New World By Aldous Huxley1112 Words   |  5 PagesIn my report I have chosen to examine the four texts of ‘Station Eleven’ by Emily Mandel, ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley, ‘1984’ by George Orwell and ‘Harrison Bergeron’ by Kurt Vonnegut from the dystopian genre. Throughout these texts, I studied the two connections: the use of Shakespeare and the setting of a totalitarian government. The texts Station Eleven and Brave New World both use Shakespeare as a symbol of art and culture. In Station Eleven, Mandel uses this symbol to tell us how importantRead MoreAnalysis Of Shirley Jackson And Kurt Vonneguts The Lottery1788 Words   |  8 Pagestime, each addressed the existing struggle between the individual and society. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† and Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† are two stories that depict the oppression an individual faces when pitted to society. Jackson’s piece in particular points to the danger of blind following, while Vonnegut’s work addresses the danger in total equality. Through a number of means, both authors illustrate the danger in submissively following an oppressive authoritarian. Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreIf We Must Die By Claude Mckay1161 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"What is equality?† one might ask. We all have different views on specific topics and can describ e what something truly means to one’s self like in the 3 text, â€Å"I have a dream,† by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (published; 8/28/1963, genre; narrative and argumentative), â€Å"If we must die,† by Claude Mckay (published; 1919, genre; narrative and lyric), â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (published; October 1961, genre; satirical dystopian science-fiction short story). In all 3 texts the authorsRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 2407 Words   |  10 Pagespursuit of equality in relation to the American creed. But the way of life he depicts also invites us to think anew about the meaning and importance of the â€Å"American Dream,† and about whether technology helps or hinders the American character and our prospects for happiness. This paper will explore the relevance of two motifs from the text in order to reach a better understanding of the underlying meaning. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote about a dystopian fiction world in his 1961 short story Harrison Bergeron