Harrison Bergeron takes place in a future where everything is supposedly equal. I say supposedly because there are so those who are still in power over everyone else. The society is taken over by these handicaps that are weighing them down and also not allowing them to think for themselves, therefore, control over them is present. In Harrison Bergeron, many themes are present ranging from the equality to people’s free will to be who they are. A major theme that Is present is that the equality can be achieved but at a great cost and risk.
To become equal one must Not be smarter, better looking, more athletic, or even more graceful than anyone else. In order to make this happen, the handicapper general, Diana Moon Glampers, attanches anything from weights to radio frequencies in the heads of the people in order to keep control. These handicaps are attached to the people and cannot be tampered with. If tampered with, excessive fines and jail time is given. At times people such as Harrison Bergeron will rebel and will exceed and surpassed certain strengths that handicaps can no longer detain them and an outbreak of somewhat of a revolution can take place such as in the story.
In case of a Revolution, action must take place, in the case of Harrison Bergeron, the handicapper general blasted him in half with a double barrel shotgun. Violence and fear have to be used in order to keep equality. We can see in history that the people will fight back such as in the struggle between between India and the British, it only took one person to change everything and in the end, the British lost a lot more than had to be lost. The people were equal. Weight opressed the people, made them slower, and took away their emotion.
The Essay on Harrison Bergeron Story Explain Satire
1. Define 'satire' and provide one example of personal or social satire that you have encountered. You may use any source for your example: TV, media, news editorials, movies, comedy, etc. Satire can be defined as any work in which a human vice or folly is attacked with irony or sarcasm. An example of satire can be found in the song 'When the President Talks to God' by Bright Eyes. In this song, ...
Dancers, musicians, they all played and danced so poorly because of the fact that one might be better than the other. No joy; was that really worth giving up? What’s the point of being equal if we can’t enjoy it? So in the end the cost of equality is the beauty of life itself. We could see, as the readers, that through the expressions, actions, and settings that the quality is there, but it is not enjoyed. The people were also taught to believe the past let’s say our present is a dark time because there is no equality, so change is harder to accomplish because the people were taught the opposite of what they really want.
It’s a sad life, really. We’re also given the that we should stand up and speak out loud. It isn’t always pleasant but when we decide to take that stand, we can compare ourselves to Harrison Bergeron himself; no handicap can contain us, no fear can overthrow us, we are powerful beings. Even though he lost his life in the end, he stood up for what he believed in. One sacrifice could spark a great revolution in which everyone takes part of. Even if it seems no one is paying attention or it won’t do any good, there are those such as Hazel and George who listened and were brought confusion.
Any action is never untold. Another theme I found this story was that dictators sneak their way into becoming what they are. Dictators make it seem that they are doing something good when in reality they want to rise up in power and control everyone else. We can see that the handicapper General is the dictator. Nowhere in this story do we hear of her having handicaps of her own. Another way we can tell is that she carries not just some plain old shotgun, but a double barrel shotgun. One shot from that and you’ll be dead before you hit the floor.
The Essay on The Story of an Hour-Theme and Narrative Elements
When considering short stories, it is very important to realize that the little things make a big difference in how a piece is perceived. Each piece must be in sync to really help convey the short story in the way that was meant. Different literary elements are integrated in different short stories. For Kate Chopin, her piece The Story of an Hour, symbolism and point of view play very strongly ...
I don’t think a friend to society would be carrying such a weapon. Always think before you decide to listen to someone because it could be the worst decision We ever make. We have to know the pros and cons of a proposal that a person is providing. This story is putting it out there that a great thing could not be such a great thing in the end. Be careful what wish for. Through this science-fiction we can find many themes that could be possible for the near future. The main themes of Harrison Bergeron revolved around equality, dictatorship, and free will.
