Harrison Bergeron Essay

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Essay on the short story ‘’Harrison Bergeron’’ by Kurt Vonnegut Harrison Bergeron is a short dystopian story written by Kurt Vonnegut in 1961 in which he writes about a future world (set in 2081) in which, due to Amendments 211, 212, and 213 to the Constitution, anyone that has better than average intelligence, physical beauty, or athletic ability is handicapped to create an artificial equality. In order to achieve this equality people who are above average looking must wear masks - the more beautiful they are, the more hideous masks they wear. People who can run faster, jump higher, have quicker reflexes, or have stronger muscles are encumbered by weights—different weights for different people are adjusted to make them all equal in physical capabilities. People who are more intelligent than others must wear headphones that generate piercing noises to prevent them from keeping their thoughts together. The plot of the story is that one day, a fourteen-year-old boy, Harrison Bergeron, is taken away from his parents, George and Hazel, by the government and put in prison. Later on in the story he escapes from the prison and storms into a TV studio from which a ballerinas‘ performance is being broadcast. This show is actually watched by Harrison‘s parents, therefore, in the end, they witness their own son’s death when he is shot live on the TV by the government’s Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers. The author suggests in this story that total equality among all people is not ideal, as many people throughout the history have dreamed about establishing racial, gender, and socio-economic equality. In fact, he implies that it is actually ridiculous and very dangerous because in order to achieve physical and mental equality the government is literally reduced to torturing its own citizens. The effect this has on the citizens is that they become dumb and they hide

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