Premium Essay

How Is Harrison Bergeron Different

Submitted By
Words 294
Pages 2
Today people are doing amazing things and are very talented, but what would happen if the world was all equal and the same. I am reading the book Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut explains in the story that no one is different, everyone is the same and ordinary. There is this one person, Harrison Bergeron, He tries to rebel against the government for making people ordinary. My family and Harrison’s family share lots of similarities and differences about communication, talents, speaking their minds. In the book, George and Harrison doesn't communicate that much because Harrison is locked up in prison. My family on the other hand; communicates with each other on everything. If one needs help, we help each other. When one falls to the ground,

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Harrison Bergeron: A Dystopian Society

...in another, they aren’t. Now, imagine how they would both focus on the term “equality”. Harrison Bergeron is about a dystopian society and a lone man who questions society. Anthem is about an anti-dystopian society and has a lone man who also questions society. Both Harrison Bergeron and Anthem have societies focused on equality, but a big difference between the two are the character names. The names of each character differs as to what the audience is reading. In Harrison Bergeron, the names are specifically stated and are normal, unlike in Anthem. Everywhere in the book can be proof of this, for example, George, Hazel, and Harrison Bergeron have...

Words: 505 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Comparing Old Glory And Harrison Bergeron

...The Hunger Games, the narrator does not feel like the setting is dystopian. In the future United States, people cannot say anything they want. If they speak out, they are killed. "Harrison Bergeron" is also dystopian and is a society where everyone must be equal. While reading the story, readers find out that equality in fact is not always right if used...

Words: 665 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Harrison Bergeron Literary Analysis

...short story “Harrison Bergeron” is about a dystopian society in the year 2084. The short story revolves around the lives of George Bergeron, his wife Hazel Bergeron, and their rebellious son, Harrison Bergeron. There are many literary lenses that one can use to interpret this short story, one in particular is the psychoanalytic lens. By reading a story through a psychoanalytic lens, a person uses the work of Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychology to interpret the text they are reading. Through the psychoanalytic lens, the reader is able to compare the characters of Harrison Bergeron to parts of a person’s personality, for example, Harrison Bergeron can be compared to the Id, George can be compared to the ego, and the Handicapper general can be compared to the Superego. The Id runs on the pleasure principle whose goal is to increase pleasure and decrease pain, like the Id, Harrison’s goal is to break free of the handicaps that he is forced to wear in order to increase the quality of his life. The Id is the basic storehouse for human’s basic needs and drives. Harrison contains such an incredibly strong drive that it causes him to make irrational decisions. One can say that Harrison even suffers from cathexis because of his obsession with rebellion. Similar to the Id, Harrison does not learn from its mistakes. When Harrison...

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Comparing Harrison Bergeron And Ayn Rand's Anthem

...“Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem- Similarities and Differences Two societies where everyone is finally equal. Sounds like the perfect utopia, right? These two societies were created in Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and in Ayn Rand’s Anthem. “Harrison Bergeron” takes place in a very strict and controlling society, while Anthem takes place in a collective society. Both stories take place in the future, after the society we know today has fallen. These societies are similar in that they both go to great lengths to make everyone equal. However, they are different because of how they are controlled. “Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are similar because they both strive for unrealistic equality. In the very first paragraph of “Harrison Bergeron,”...

Words: 576 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Harrison Bergeron, Liberty, And The Most Dangerous Game

...collection 1 In the stories Harrison Bergeron, Liberty, and The Most Dangerous Game they face many conflicts. These stories all are dealing with different situations but all have similar in different. Here’s how the stories compare and contrast. A difference between the stories is the character actions in the stories. In Harrison Bergeron it takes place in 2081. The two main characters are George and Hazel they have two different levels of intelligence and George has a handicap so it limits his train of thought. I’m comparing this to Liberty because they have to listen to Mister Victor cause without him something could happen to the girl’s family. The difference in the story is the location and the year they are in Harrison Bergeron is based off the future but Liberty is...

Words: 470 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Differences And Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And 2081

...“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and 2081 are similar because the character Harrison attempts to revolt against the government. However they are also different because different ways to threaten them. I highly suggest these two stories, so you can compare them and see how they are so beautifully different and similar. The government has completely taken over and you have no advantages or disadvantages over anybody. These two works are similar because they both feature Harrison attempting to revolt against the government. In the book Harrison bursts through the doors of a ballerina show and talks badly about the government and how he could run a better government (pg. 24). In the book and in the movie as well, Harrison stands on the stage...

Words: 312 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Fiscal Policy

...“Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1922, and ten years later The Great Depression began. In this time, Vonnegut had to adapt to living in impoverished conditions because of his father’s lack of financial means. The Great Depression was a crucial period in his childhood development; Vonnegut’s literary pieces are a reflection of what he observed the world to be through his own life experiences. The majority of his works are science fiction used to “[help] lend form to the presentation of this world view without imposing a falsifying causality upon it (Reed),” as Peter Reed mentioned in an autobiography about Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut believed that science fiction offers a perception into an everyday society, rather than escaping it. The extraordinary events he experienced throughout his life served as motivation and influenced him to write stories about the world; as a result, Vonnegut showed an immense appreciation about life in his literary pieces. Kurt Vonnegut continued to pursue his goal of demonstrating to the world how wonderful life is through creations in the graphic arts. In 1950, Vonnegut published his first short story, “Report on the Barnhouse Effect” followed by “The Sirens of Titan” (1959), “Cat’s Cradle” (1963), “Slaughterhouse-Five” (1969), and “Breakfast of Champions” (1973). The society in which Kurt Vonnegut was a part of highly valued the ideal of equality; the short story “Harrison Bergeron” was written to foreshadow the...

Words: 1202 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Comparison-Contrast Essay

...pertain his attempted to come to the damage with his long disaffected Brother Sonny, Jazz musician. In this work Baldwin absorbed many of his own experiences to search the issuances of racial conflict, individuality and the complexity of human needs. Similar to Sonny, Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr is a fourteen year boy who rebels against his tyrannical government. Vonnegut used a satirical humoristic commentary of society and its leaders as James used the lightness and darkness symbols to describe his suffering characters. The question is how the author literacy styles differ or similar to one another in term of themes?   The Comparison-Contrast Essay Sonny’s Blues written by James is a story that addresses with very expression of the society and is done so through symbolism and imagery. Baldwin’s story is carefully written using lightness and darkness as typifies through out the entire story, he focuses of “Sonny’s Blues” on the character of sonny who eventually and endlessly fighting to find what makes him happy. Finally Sonny finds two breaks loose, one of them disastrous drug abuse and musician Baldwin’s story is centered on two brothers at different stage of their lives and different style of life. The main term of the story is focused on the making understanding between two brothers, Sonny and his brother. The narrator even through the story centered on Sonny’s life the reader hears his brother reactions to and about sonny actions. Baldwin used these...

Words: 790 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

2081 Essay

...the story. Another example that also portrays this is “Harrison Bergeron “and the short film “2081” because they both have similarities such as the characters and they both have differences such as in the short film “2081 they never talked about beauty handicaps. When Comparing the passage “Harrison Bergeron and the short film “2081” They have different details. In the passage Harrison scares the audience with his strength by spinning the people of the orchestra and flying as stated in the passage “snatched two musicians from there, chairs waved them like batons”. This made Harrison seem like a monster. However, in the film he just threatened the audience with a bomb which was a backup broadcaster the reason they might have done that is to make Harrison die with pride by showing the whole world the guy who spoke up about the handicaps and also showing the world even his dad himself and by showing how cruel the handicapper general is. When comparing and contrasting “Harrison Bergeron “and “2081” have similarities such as the ballerina dancing with Harrison at the end. As stated in the passage “Harrison placed his big hands on the girl’s tiny waist letting her sense the weightlessness” (Vonnegut, Jr.). This quote explained them getting ready to start dancing. Another similarity would be in the short film “2081” the handicapped general killed Harrison and the ballerina it also happened in the passage “Harrison Bergeron “. As stated in the passage “It was then handicapper general...

Words: 392 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Essay Comparing The Giver And Harrison Bergeron

...Receiver as his job, and him getting to know the world generations before him. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. talks about how the people handicapped are mentally disabled and Harrison tries to solve that problem in front of an audience. The theme of the Giver and Harrison Bergeron both show how it is better to be aware than to be ignorant of your surroundings. Our world needs to know what's going on outside the screens. The theme of the Giver is to be aware of the world around you. On page 97 it says, "'But I want them!'Jonas said angrily. 'It isn't fair that nothing has color'"(Lowry 97). As he does his job as the Receiver, he gets to know how the world actually worked before sameness happened. That is when he realized that the world right now, around him is all the same. There is no bright lively colors. As the other people don't care about whether the world is colorful, Jonas is aware about how different and boring his world is right now. On page 159-160 it says, "And anyway, everyone is so involved in the Ceremony that they probably won't notice that I'm not there"(Lowry 159). The people follow the same routine and gather at same places for ceremonies. They only pay attention to what's...

Words: 819 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Harrison Bergeron Movie And Book Comparison Essay

...author of a book called “Harrison Bergeron”. In the book, there is mainly four characters: Hazel- which is Harrisons mother, George-which is Harrisons father, Handicapper General or Diana Moon Glampers who seems to be almost a dictator, and Harrison Bergeron- which is the main character. The beginning is just an ordinary couple watching tv. Since it is in 2081 there is a thing called handicaps which make everything equal. George and Hazel have a son named Harrison, Harrison was very intelligent, strong, and handsome. He got taken to jail because he wanted to be independent. Six years later he escapes prison and breaks into this ballet show, goes onto stage with so many handicaps and takes off all his handicaps and asks for...

Words: 636 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Satire In Harrison Bergeron

...T. J. Rankl Mr. Beach ELA Block 3 20 December 2016 Trouble in Paradise: Vonnegut’s Use of Satire in “Harrison Bergeron” What would happen to the world if the people were literally equal in every aspect of their lives? "Harrison Bergeron," composed by Kurt Vonnegut, concentrates on equity physically and mentally unequivocally controlled by the administration in the year 2081; the wonderful are constrained to look monstrous, the physically gifted are required to wear weights. With these impediments making everyone so equivalent, the world turned out to be altogether different, odd, and normal. Be that as it may, the legislature has no right or motivation to push the entire world to be "… rise to each which way." To smother somebody's normal...

Words: 1706 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Compare And Contrast Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

...a great society. The societies in Anthem and "Harrison Bergeron" thought the same way as well, but later realized that it only led to their demise. Both Ayn Rand's novella, Anthem, and Kurt Vonnegut's story, "Harrison Bergeron," focus on the theme of equality, and it is apparent that the theme reveals that being different is wrong, that people are naturally different but are forced to be equal, and that equality is a barrier from individuality, which both suggests that everyone is naturally different; therefore, making the reader know that they should embrace rather than fear their differences among others....

Words: 613 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

A Reflection on Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut

...A Reflection on Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Introduction Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story, Harrison Bergeron, is about control. The setting is based in future America, where everyone is forced to be equal. Harrison, the main character, breaks the law as the country watches on TV. The story begins by mentioning Amendments 211 through 213, making the reader aware of limitations that could potentially be placed on their freedom. In this story of perception, government agents are the deciding factor of a person’s fate and they ensure that laws are enforced. Beautiful people must wear hideous masks to make them equal to the ugly, the brilliant wear ear devices that alter their thought process and make recollection near impossible and the strong wear weighted bags to make them equal to those who are weak (Vonnegut, 1961). Forced equality is questioned by the handicapped and the outcome is a controlled society. Harrison is used to represent the people who will protest against such laws and encourage others to support his cause. The central idea is that the government could never make a perfect world by enforcing total equality but they can place limitations on people. Discussion Vonnegut uses a satirical and humorous tone while presenting a serious topic to critique America in the 1960’s, both politically and socially. The political system in the story is egalitarianism; this is the belief that all people should be treated equally in every...

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Equality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

...Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” is based on equality. The story was written in 1961 but was based in the year of 2081. Equality is forced through amendments in the constitution, which states no one can be smarter than anyone else, no one can be stronger than anyone else, and no one can be better looking than anyone else. The story begins in the living room of the Bergeron’s, Hazel and George. George possesses an intelligence higher than the average person, so he is forced to have a handicap in his ear that scatters his thoughts every twenty seconds. George is also very strong, so he is forced to wear a forty-seven-pound bag of bird shot that consist of lead balls. His wife, Hazel, has an average intelligence in their society; however, in our generation she would be considered mentally slow. Diana Moon Glampers, also known as the United States Handicapper General, has placed their son Harrison Bergeron in jail for refusing to follow the equality laws. Harrison is a very strong, intellectual man and doesn’t believe in total equality. He escapes from prison, breaks into a ballet concert and manages to get on live television. Harrison rips off his restraints...

Words: 763 - Pages: 4