What The Future Could Hold In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
Ryan Johnson
Nunley
24 April 2014
English 102
What the Future Could Hold Many advancements have happened in the United States. Most of them have had positive effects; some have had negative effects. Government intervention has strongly increased as our demographics grows in age and population. Depending on a citizen’s political views, this increased government intervention could be good for the United States, or it could be just the opposite. Few have been living with the same government their whole life, so they wouldn’t know what is legal or illegal. In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, the future consists of a more strict United States government, strongly overpowering the citizens. 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 …show more content…
He has just escaped from jail, after being held there for plotting to overthrow the government. Harrison runs into the studio and declares that he is the emperor, in need of his Empress. He takes off all of his handicaps and reveals his true self. “He flung away his rubber-ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder” (Vonnegut Jr. 203). A ballerina stands up, and Harrison removes all of her handicaps also. Harrison also removes the handicaps off of the musicians so Harrison and his Empress could dance. They began dancing and eventually kiss the thirty-foot high ceiling. All of a sudden, the Handicapper General comes in with a loaded shotgun, and shoots Harrison and the Empress dead. She then reloads, and aims the gun at the musicians telling them they have ten seconds to put their handicaps back
Nunley
24 April 2014
English 102
What the Future Could Hold Many advancements have happened in the United States. Most of them have had positive effects; some have had negative effects. Government intervention has strongly increased as our demographics grows in age and population. Depending on a citizen’s political views, this increased government intervention could be good for the United States, or it could be just the opposite. Few have been living with the same government their whole life, so they wouldn’t know what is legal or illegal. In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, the future consists of a more strict United States government, strongly overpowering the citizens. 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 …show more content…
He has just escaped from jail, after being held there for plotting to overthrow the government. Harrison runs into the studio and declares that he is the emperor, in need of his Empress. He takes off all of his handicaps and reveals his true self. “He flung away his rubber-ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder” (Vonnegut Jr. 203). A ballerina stands up, and Harrison removes all of her handicaps also. Harrison also removes the handicaps off of the musicians so Harrison and his Empress could dance. They began dancing and eventually kiss the thirty-foot high ceiling. All of a sudden, the Handicapper General comes in with a loaded shotgun, and shoots Harrison and the Empress dead. She then reloads, and aims the gun at the musicians telling them they have ten seconds to put their handicaps back