Preview

Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
324 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut
The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut is about what life would be like in a dystopian society in the year of 2081. In this short story everyone is finally equal, not only before God and the law, but in every way, shape, or form. Nobody is better than somebody else, nobody is smarter than anyone else, nobody is better looking than someone else, no one was even stronger or quicker than anyone else. People who were different than others were forced to wear handicaps and others things to make them the same as everyone else. This story is about a husband and wife, who had their fourteen year old son taken away from them and put in jail.
George and Hazel are a married couple who have a son(Harrison). This story is about what happened
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

    Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut can be described as a novel that is interesting, creative, and well-written. Kurt Vonnegut writes this novel with a satiric voice but also expresses many other emotions as well. The first chapter is very unique because of the way Vonnegut tells the story of how he came about writing this novel and introduces his wartime friend Bernhard O’Hare. Although it seems like it might not belong at all, this chapter gives an introduction that might be needed for a character like Billy Pilgrim. Many times you can see how important Vonnegut is in the story and how important the story is for him.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rebellion In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page

    Rebellion In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    In the story, Harrison Bergeron the main character becomes enraged at the fact that everyone in his world is the same no one individual can be different the government enforces this identicality, by strict laws with outrageous contraptions and heavy weights that counter act some one human being different than another. For example it even states in the story “. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else”. This quote says a lot about the year 2081 in future america.The author of the narrative Kurt Vonnegut uses Harrison the main character as a symbol of rebellion and a symbol of differences being adequate even in modern day society.…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dystopian In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dystopian In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    Kurt Vonnegut Jrs.dystopian story, “ Harrison Bergeron,” takes place in the year 2081 a society in which the government believes that everyone should be equal. One of the characters Harrison was born being very smart, athletic, handsome, which the government did not approve of so like all of the other humans that were above all he had have handicaps which kept people from being the person that they were supposed to be.But Harrison was born to be perfect so that made him have the most handicaps out of everyone.But since this happened to him he was sent to jail.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What The Future Could Hold In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What The Future Could Hold In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    Hazel and George Bergeron are the parents of Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is a 14-year-old boy who is exactly seven feet tall. He intelligent and has abnormal strength and athleticism. Vonnegut has made Harrison a flat character, and states his traits very directly. Harrison is very stubborn. “’Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen,” she said in a…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Satire In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Satire In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    In "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, the author creates a short story about a Dystopian society where any form of "unequal advantage" is frowned upon and dealt with by a method known as “Handicapping” a person. Handicapping was given based off the “advantage” that a person had, a few examples being the ballerinas forced to cover their faces to keep their beauty hidden or an overly intelligent person being forced to wear a mental radio within his/her own ear.…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dystopian Society In Anthem And Harrison Bergeron
    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dystopian Society In Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

    Have you ever wondered what living in a dystopian society is like? Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” both take place in a society built off equality. Everyone is expected to be the same as the next person. Rand’s Anthem and Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” are different in technology but similar in equality.…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    "Harrison Bergeron" is a dystopian science fiction short story written by Kurt Vonnegut and first published in 1961. It deals with egalitarianism. The theme is set by the first line: "The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal." Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (October 1961), the story is available in the author's collection, Welcome to the Monkey House.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Conformity In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Conformity In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    In short story “Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut uses symbols and hyperbole to show how conformity isn’t better. Their society's solution to equality is to change the people who have unique attributes and make them the same as the average person. Vonnegut uses the handicaps to show how equality isn’t better and how their government fails to make everyone equal. They try to force individuals to change so they are conforming and no one will compete against each other. If you are above average you have a handicap, so it is obvious you are superior in some way. Vonnegut shows the characters are aware of this when George thinks “the ballerina… must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous”(Vonnegut, Kurt “Harrison…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Harrison Bergeron: A Hero Or Danger?
    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Harrison Bergeron: A Hero Or Danger?

    Equality isn’t always the best thing; sometimes it can be worse than you think. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Harrison was considered an extreme danger to society “He is a genius and an athlete, is under handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous” (pg. 2). At just age fourteen he was taken away from his home. He is a danger, because of what they did.…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut
    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut

    Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is a futuristic short story set in 2081 where new constitutional amendments made everyone equal. Attractive people are forced to wear ugly masks, the strong have to wear weights around their necks and the intelligent people have to listen to an annoying noise from their ears which stop them from thinking. George and Hazel are married, but George is very smart so has to dealt with the deafening noise whenever he thinks too much. They have a son together who got arrested for trying to overthrow the government. The whole story takes place in front of a tv that Hazel and George are watching dancers. Suddenly Harrison takes over the camera from the dancers and tries to show the world the great beauty of human…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron
    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of Harrison Bergeron

    The story, Harrison Bergeron, was written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and published in October, 1961. Harrison Bergeron was written in 3rd person omniscient, but the narrator does not know everything about anybody. The author states, “ “Yup,” said George. He tried to think a little about the ballerinas.” This quote is saying what George is thinking. Another example is after Harrison and the ballerina got shot by Diana Moon Glampers and then the television tube burned out. Kurt says “Hazel turned to comment about the blackout to George. But George had gone out into the kitchen for a can of beer.” This means that the narrator knows what Hazel was going to do, but decided not to. The last example is when George started thinking about his 14 year old…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Themes Of Harrison Bergeron
    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page

    Themes Of Harrison Bergeron

    The major theme in “Harrison Bergeron” is true equality is not achievable. In the story all the talented characters with an above average intelligence have to put handicaps on in order to make them function in a similar way to the average characters. The intent of this is to make all the characters equal, however, it only makes them stronger and rebel or makes them weaker than average. One instance where the character is made stronger is with Harrison. A prime example of his strength is when “Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper” (Vonnegut, 4). After he rips the harness of he continues to rip the rest of his handicaps off. Even before he does this, he puts himself above all other characters. When the tv announcer…

    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Harrison Bergeron Character Analysis
    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Harrison Bergeron Character Analysis

    “Everybody was finally equal.” This is what all people aspire to have, but true equality should never be attained. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the year is 2081 and the government has finally constructed their perfect world and made all its people equal. The government forcefully administers handicaps on those who are stronger and smarter than the average person. The character Harrison Bergeron passionately disagrees with this. With Harrison’s rebellious and forceful ways, he tries to overthrow the government because he feels this is unjust.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron
    • 697 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron

    The short stories "Examination Day" by Henry Seslar and "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, both examine the idea of a world where governments have total control over its citizens. The main characters in the stories are Dickie Jordan and Harrison Bergeron. In "Examination Day" discrimination against intelligence is portrayed through Dickie who is eliminated because his "intelligence quotient [was] above the Government regulation." This quote depicts the governments authority in its society and how the government eradicated the people who questioned them through an intelligence exam. The irony of this examination is that success was seen as negative. Whereas, "Harrison Bergeron" explores the theme of forced equality in American society in the not so distant future. Right in the introduction, the three main issues concerned throughout the story are given, " Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution." Thus, absolute equality in intelligence, physical beauty, and athleticism have been ratified into law by the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, respectively. Both stories share a conflict in regards to person versus society and both the protagonists die at the end. In "Examination Day" Dickie is on his own when it comes to the test given by the government. Before the test when Dickie asks his father what the test is for, his father tells him"the Government wants to know how smart [Dickie] is." Later on, the story ends with an automated message from the government with the reason for his death and preferred funeral arrangements. In "Harrison Bergeron" Harrison knew better than to follow government regulations and tried to make a difference. In the end, he was killed as "Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper…

    • 697 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And Today's Society
    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And Today's Society

    Although the comparisons are well hidden both today’s society and the story ‘Harrison Bergeron’ share a good amount of similarities. They both have to deal with equality, which leads to problems and consequences. Secondly having to deal with competition and trying to prevent it from occurring, which also leads to problems. Lastly both struggle with normality, and it’s hard to accept that different is okay now.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics