Harrison Bergeron Essay

Jasmine Wesson Equality is something people want to achieve but seems too difficult. Equality seems difficult because it’s such a complex and high goal for everyone to reach. In “Harrison Burgeon” a fictional short story by Kurt Evensong, total equality has been achieved. The small home of George and Hazel Burgeon, equality had been reached in 2081 but doesn’t seem quite right. Throughout Kurt Evensong’s short story, and the teaching of total equality he demonstrates how too much of a good thing could go terribly wrong.

In “Harrison Burgeon” total equality Is clearly demonstrated throughout the entire short story but it isn’t truly equal. The “Handicapper General” (Para. 1) helped achieve equality. The equality wasn’t true equality though, if someone was smarter than the average person they were required by law to wear a metal radio in their ear that way If you started thinking about something above average they would send a sound to cut off your talking.

(Para. ) Everyone was also required to wear a bag full of lead balls around their neck but not everyone carries the same weight as other people. The dancers on television had to wear masks so no one would know how pretty or ugly you were and the prettier you were the more ugly of a mask you were required to wear. The television announcers also had to change the way their voices sounded so their voices wouldn’t be attractive. (Para. 39-40) Even though It may seem as if there Is equality in the town there isn’t.

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Literary Analysis Harrison Bergeron

Hazel, George’s wife doesn’t have to wear a metal handicap In her ear, the ballerina had to wear weights that were worn by 200 pound men, and the Handicap General Is higher than anyone else, which makes the “equality” Not even truly exist. In Harrison Burgeon the handicap general represents the fairness of society and demonstrates how the view of total fairness is in control by only one person and everyone counts on them regardless of what they themselves think about something. (election. Due/faculty/ Suddenly/sample_essays. Tm) Throughout the start of the short story the message of strength and weakness shines through. When everyone Is equal there Is strength because no one Is In constant compound with anyone else. (Para. 1) Among that strength there is also weakness because not everyone is full equal, not everyone aeries the same weight, wears a metal radio in their ear, and not everyone can become a handicap general. There is also weakness shown when Harrison- George and Hazel’s son, takes off all his handicaps and the pretty ballerina dancer takes off her mask.

The weakness Is shown because they then become UN-equal and Harrison who represents the Individuality of the world, destroys the societies ” total equally “The year was 2081 and everyone was finally equal” When Harrison and the dancer become unequal on national television then the weakness comes through more than the strength of the city does. When strength and weakness is shown throughout the fictional short story there is also the presence of knowledge and ignorance. The knowledge In the story comes when the society found a solution to the total equality problem and everyone was equal to one another.

There Is also Ignorance there due having the same weight as Harrison or one another, not everyone wearing metal radios in their ears, etc.. The real ignorance in the story is within the dangers of governmental controls. If the government could easily control how we look, what we see, what we hear then the government is ignorant to think that that is the solution to total equality because then there is no knowledge about equality it’s Just more rules and governmental control.

If there is more ignorance than knowledge then the utopia becomes nothing but a living hell. (redwoods. Due/instruct/Johnston/English B) Even though everyone searches for total equality, it could lead to nothing more but no true equality and even more governmental control; causing everything to crumble before it could really even begin. Works Cited: elation. Due/faculty/suddenly/sample_essays. HTML redwoods. Due/instruct/Johnston/English B “Harrison Burgeon” by Kurt Evensong