Can true equality ever be achieved through strict governmental control? can people abolish their foolish hatred of differences in race, economic status, colors, religions, or sexual orientation? can utopia be attained if we put an end to all these hatreds? in the satire, harrison bergeron , kurt vonnegut expresses his theme of the dysfunctional government of utopia through his effective use of simile, irony, and symbolism. In the story, harrison’s father george was exceptionally intelligent and so he was forced to wear an earpiece that would interrupts his thoughts every twenty seconds. It shows his inability to concentrate and develop independent thoughts on a subject.

And it also helps the readers to realize how troublesome the handicap was because the story is also being interrupted every time the alarm buzzes. Vonnegut established irony when hazel thinks that it was interesting to be hearing all types of noises but instead george is hearing twenty one gun salute. For example, in the beginning of the story, when he tries to think how the pretty ballerinas’ face were concealed in hideous masks to prevent people from becoming jealous, the sound of a bottle smashed with a hammer rings in his ear. This proves that the government restricts individuality to make everyone feels equal. Vonnegut describes hazel bergeron, a helpless, kind woman who is not considered as a threat to the government, because she possesses an average intelligence, look, and strength. Again, the author demonstrates another example of an irony when she fails to recall the death of her own son after seeing it live television.

This shows that vonnegut’s future equality has brought what considered normal intelligence to the point where everyone becomes oblivious of his/her society. Throughout the story, vonnegut utilizes simile to describe harrison’s appearance for example, scrap metal was hung all.

harrison bergeron

harrison represents the part of the american people that still longs to try hard, flaunt their attributes, and outpace their peers. At age fourteen, harrison is a physical specimen: seven feet tall, immensely strong, and extremely handsome. The government does everything in its power to squelch harrison, forcing him to wear huge earphones to distort his thinking, glasses to damage his sight and give him headaches, three hundred pounds of metal to weigh him down, a ridiculous nose, and black caps for his teeth.

But none of the government rsquo s hindrances, including jail, can stop harrison. The government calls harrison a genius, but he is remarkable less for his brains than for his bravery and self confidence. When he escapes from jail, he is utterly convinced that he will succeed in overthrowing the government. In addition to his remarkable strength of body and will, harrison has an artistic, romantic soul. He instructs the musicians in their craft, showing them exactly how he wants them to play by singing to them. He dances so beautifully that he manages to defy gravity, springing thirty feet to the ceiling with his empress, where he kisses her.

Vonnegut hints that harrison is something of a sexual superman, and it is clear that if he succeeds in his plan to overthrow the government, he will father a line of superior children. But the murder of harrison and his empress shows that in the america of 2081, those who are brave enough to show off their gifts will not be allowed to live, much less procreate. Ldquo harrison bergeron, rdquo while full of dark themes, is also full of humor, which makes vonnegut rsquo s serious message both easier to digest and more bitter. Almost every grim event in ldquo harrison bergeron rdquo is accompanied by a sly joke or moment of melancholy comedy. For example, the narrator explains that ballerinas are weighed down and masked to hide their lightness and beauty.

This deeply sinister image is leavened when we learn that such measures are meant to save viewers from the pain of feeling that they themselves look like ldquo something the cat drug in rdquo in comparison to the dancing beauties on their television screens. Later, the fearful announcement about harrison rsquo s escape is accompanied by a mournful joke: the announcer has a speech impediment so bad that he must hand over the important news to a nearby ballerina so that she can read it. In a second joke, hazel says she thinks the incompetent announcer should get a raise simply for trying hard.

The pain of the ballerina turned announcer, who must hide the loveliness of her own voice, is mitigated by vonnegut rsquo s description of her disguised voice as a ldquo grackle squawk. Rdquo satire in harrison bergeron in the story harrison bergeron by kurt vonnegut there are many themes which are displayed such as freedom, in which the characters have none due to their oppressive government, and equality, which is an abused value the futuristic . Vonnegut uses extreme exaggeration of characters and story to portray a universe in which equality is stretched to the point where everyone is impaired.

In vonnegut's short story harrison bergeron, the author uses great amounts of satire to bring up the issue that too much of a so called 'good thing' like equality can sometimes lead to corrupt things like oppression and loss of personal freedom. He shows a main way of exaggeration by the description of his main character harrison who is described as . A genius and an athlete, who is under handicapped, and someone who should be regarded as extremely dangerous 136. By creating a perfect, young and strong character like harrison, vonnegut shows that there will always be an opposing force in any world, no matter how much the government tries to conform its citizens to its radical rules, and that there will always be someone to impose and execute those rules such as . 113 passed, vonnegut painted a picture of how easily the laws the people of america have struggled to protect and uphold can be changed. He uses his sharp and witty writing to point out to readers that if things like equality are taken too far it can lead to oppression, and the minimization of overall happiness for citizens. In the original constitution there are only ten amendments, but in vonnegut's futuristic story there are an extreme amount, which proves how much change has been made to the democratic american system.

In conclusion the world that vonnegut has built, he uses exaggeration to pull many main points across in such a short story, and to also strike up deep thoughts about the topic to discuss. Vonnegut uses satire to represent a great many things, but mainly to represent the value of equality which is a main theme in the story. It is always easy to compare a student to a fellow classmate and deem them as equal in life, but one cannot easily compare a student to an adult and say they are both equally experienced in life.

In the story of harrison bergeron, the government goes to major extremes to make it to where no matter how talented or knowledgeable a person is, one is no more better, or greater than the person next to them. By showing how easily a democratic government can be changed vonnegut uses his writing technique to show what can happen if values like equality are taken to the extreme and what can happen when people lose all original thought. Letter y acrostic poem tag line for real estate marketing activities for a 1st birthday party the buzz 5x strength key ti imobstersey ti imobsters gilbert clock company winsted conn king oak 215 coal stove intratec dc 9 field strip nov 21, 2009 . one of the major ironies within harrison bergeron is that in their society 39 s. Jan 22, 2013 . irony analyzation for harrison bergeron essay.

History of Photography Research Paper

The irony is the fact that you expect harrison to succeed in his 39 overthrow 39 , but instead h. The government thinks that it is reasonable/okay to handicap the smarter and the more athletic indi. 561 words the story is a satire, a parody of an ideological society divorced from common sense reality townsend. As townsend stated kurt vonnegut makes a satire about society in his fictional short story harrison bergeron, which in their society there has been attempt of conformity through the handicaps of the people, the similarity to an authoritarian government, and the technology, whereas the people will eventually overcome. The kind if government authority seen both mimics and satirizes the way americans came to see the enemy the soviet union during the cold war, which was near its height of distrust and fear in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As an attempt to make the economy better karl marx a philosopher thought up the philosophy of communism.