Inequality In Kiel Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

In the story “Harrison Bergeron,” society would have been better off if Harrison had been in charge instead of Diana Moon Glampers. Harrison shows a glimpse of how society could be better if he were in charge when he took off the handicaps from the ballerinas and musicians. The ballerinas were able to dance more freely, “The reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun” (Vonnegut 40). When the ballerinas danced and the musicians played their instruments without the handicapped devices, there was such a big difference on how much better things could be when everyone isn’t equal. Because Harrison was the one who removed the handicapped devices and showed how much better it would be when everyone is unequal, proves the society

In "Harrison Bergeron" Vonnegut suggests that torturing your citizens is a dangerous method to use in order to achieve total equality within your country. The government tortures its citizens by making the beautiful wear hideous mask, the intelligent must listen to deafening noises that impede their ability to think, and the graceful and strong must wear weights around their necks at all hours of the day. George and Hazel Bergeron are trying to watch the ballerinas on TV. However, they are both having trouble concentrating. Hazel can't remember anything for more than a few minutes.

Mowery discusses the ongoing theme of forced equality in the story Harrison Bergeron. He explores the way

To be equal is to be the same in quantity, size, degree, or value. In the story “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut creates a satirical society where everyone and everything is “equal.” It is my understanding that race, beliefs, appearances, and abilities in American societies do not define equality. In fact, I would say that the American society is the most diverse out of any other. When I hear about equality, I often think of this quote by a man named Osho, “Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior, but nobody is equal either. People are simply unique, incomparable. You are you. I am I.”

Many Americans struggle to gain equality in the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is the document that holds the ideals of the American people. Equality is the core value in the document. Equality is being treated fairly and with dignity and be able to embrace the opportunities for education, economic success, political involvement, and a fulfilling life. African Americans struggled for Equality when they were being turned into slaves and not having the equal rights as a white man.

Equality can be interpreted in many ways, as we can see throughout the history such as racial, gender, and socio-economic equality. The Civil Rights emphasize that everybody should be treated equally and another view is the one represented in the story that everybody is equal. It is a completely out of reality to have a perfect society or no competition at all because how we could make advancements if the government was allowed to impose handicaps on the naturally gifted. The great thinkers would not be able to have new ideas because of the mental

Imagine living in a place where everyone is equal. No one is smarter or or faster, everyone is the same. This is what everyday life is described as in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. Throughout the story, Vonnegut tells the reader what society would be like if everyone was average. Also, Vonnegut exaggerates what people would have to do in order to be equal, including wearing “handicaps” which deprive people of showing their strengths. These include; having to wear bags of birdshot for the strong and the beautiful being forced to wear masks to hide their faces. The theme of “Harrison Bergeron” is that total equality can have a dangerous outcome to society.

To start off, the ideal of equality is an important section of the Declaration of Independence. In any democratically ruled country, as the United States, the equality among its citizens, is the key to success in building societies where everyone is issued their rights, opportunities, and status, regardless of their gender, race, and origins.

The idea of equality is one that has been entrenched into the hearts and minds of the citizens of the United States since the days of the founding fathers. The thought that one person is better than another is an ideal that as a nation, the founding fathers strove to overcome. They believed that each person should have the identical rights and opportunities of every other person in our society. This sentiment becomes grossly perverted in Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron”. In the tale, the American government has taken the idea of equality to an extreme that is not only inhumane, but in essence takes away our freedom and individuality, the very fabric of what we consider American.

Equality lacks an adjective to have meaning, otherwise, it is just a vague word that proves one thing of identical value as the other. In Jefferson’s inclusion of equality to the Declaration of Independence, it is open to interpretation given that it does not follow up with a thorough explanation of his definition of equality or who the “men” he refers to are. In document A we can analyze Diana Pham’s response, “...we appreciate the opportunity given to us to build our lives in the United States.” In this case, Pham describes the opportunity to be equal in the sense that her daughters, being children of parents who were once in refugee camps, have received the same opportunity as any American would because they are

One of the principles discussed in the Declaration of Independence is equality. In the very beginning of the document it states, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” This means that mankind is created equal and according to the law everyone is created equal by god. The significance of this is that all citizens have the right to enjoy equality of legal rights and opportunity. Everyone should be guaranteed social, economic, and political opportunities regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, and social status. The Declaration’s recognition of “equality” is not simply based off of

“What is equality?” one might ask. We all have different views on specific topics and can describe what something truly means to one’s self like in the 3 text, “I have a dream,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (published; 8/28/1963, genre; narrative and argumentative), “If we must die,” by Claude Mckay (published; 1919, genre; narrative and lyric), & “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (published; October 1961, genre; satirical & dystopian science-fiction short story). In all 3 texts the authors are giving their touch on equality. Equality can convey being treated the same when a colored and a white man/woman are next to each other as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr says. You can also see equality as Mckay who thinks it’s being on the same level of strength and worth as a white man being in the shoes of a colored man. Or equality can be being exactly the same in every way as anyone around you in every exact way in Vonnegut’s eyes. All these 3 authors have a particular view on how to answer “What is equality?” and we can compare their ideas.

Equality means to treat everyone the same. Everyone should have equal opportunities and access to resources and services regardless of their individual needs or differences. For example equal access to a building for wheelchair users.

Equality involves the perceived idea that everyone is created equal. Although this is a concept that is all over America, it is more ideal rather than a reality. Equality is the idea that individuals are treated the same, regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Since the founding of

The only thing preventing Harrison from success; was the only true thing that ensures equality - the firearm, which Diana Moon Glampers just happened to have. That is why it is nicknamed “the Great Equalizer;” because strength or speed are no match for a speeding bullet. The firearm does not enforce equality in the same way as enforced as in the society in “Harrison Bergeron,” it strengthens the individual rather than weakening them. Ironically, Glampers manipulates this, allowing a frail little woman (suggested by her odd name), to stand up to a strong, brolic man, proving this hindrance is inherently unequal.