The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut was about the year 2081 where everyone was equal in every aspect. Those who were brighter, talented or with advantages were provided with handicaps that prevented them from being greater than anyone and equal to everyone. Although that was the literal text there were infinite messages in the story that were not direct, but had a meaning behind the literal text. Some could have understood this text differently based on the information known from the author or whether or not they thought this story was satirical. From what i understood it was satirical, it was full of exaggeration and irony. Furthermore one of the main ideas that caught my attention was beauty because it had a powerful connection
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The ballerinas faces were covered in hideous masks, covering up what must have been extreme beauty. I think this was very significant because it truly shows how there was no freedom to be unique or show your true colors in any way. Outer beauty has influenced many throughout generations, and setting expectations for a person to be considered beautiful. Throughout the 1950s till today people have gone out of there why to reach these expectations and stereotypes, by getting plastic surgery. In the 1950s it started with liquid silicon injections that were used to restore breast contour and ever since the rates on plastic surgery increased, 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2012 (Surgeons). I believe kurt Vonnegut related media and beauty both together in a sean because it shows how media was starting to play a role in aesthetics and what was considered to be beautiful. As people were watching the ballerinas on Tv and in person they knew who were beautiful and talented because of their masks and heavy weights. Currently in 2016 media has impacted the way people think of beauty and what is expected. Social media, TV, and celebrities have an impact on viewers- Wanting to be just like those they see that are considered beautiful, which leads many to undergo cosmetic "enhancements" to make themselves look alike. In the future this can lead to …show more content…
Most if not all people in society value change, improvement and relevance. Constantly wanting to improve the way they look and wanting to be better than each other. As it is now people can genetically modify their babies, the first case was seen in the year 2013 (Genetically Modified Babies). I think this is why standards are so high in today’s society and so much is expected because we want to be better than each other instead of working together to make the world a better place. Currently this is not a problem but i think in the future it can get out of control and can lead to something similar to Harrison Bergeron- so no one is better, everyone can just be equal. I believe that one of Vonnegut’s reasons to for this short story was to help his audience realize that being completely equal isn’t going to make anything better. Ultimately i think we are still reading his work because it helps us analyze and think deeply about situations that we don’t usually take in mind. Such as his book “SlaughterHouse five” that talks about his experiences and journeys throughout World War Two. All together Vonnegut’s books and stories give us more knowledge upon topics that are significant to our
The ballerinas faces were covered in hideous masks, covering up what must have been extreme beauty. I think this was very significant because it truly shows how there was no freedom to be unique or show your true colors in any way. Outer beauty has influenced many throughout generations, and setting expectations for a person to be considered beautiful. Throughout the 1950s till today people have gone out of there why to reach these expectations and stereotypes, by getting plastic surgery. In the 1950s it started with liquid silicon injections that were used to restore breast contour and ever since the rates on plastic surgery increased, 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2012 (Surgeons). I believe kurt Vonnegut related media and beauty both together in a sean because it shows how media was starting to play a role in aesthetics and what was considered to be beautiful. As people were watching the ballerinas on Tv and in person they knew who were beautiful and talented because of their masks and heavy weights. Currently in 2016 media has impacted the way people think of beauty and what is expected. Social media, TV, and celebrities have an impact on viewers- Wanting to be just like those they see that are considered beautiful, which leads many to undergo cosmetic "enhancements" to make themselves look alike. In the future this can lead to …show more content…
Most if not all people in society value change, improvement and relevance. Constantly wanting to improve the way they look and wanting to be better than each other. As it is now people can genetically modify their babies, the first case was seen in the year 2013 (Genetically Modified Babies). I think this is why standards are so high in today’s society and so much is expected because we want to be better than each other instead of working together to make the world a better place. Currently this is not a problem but i think in the future it can get out of control and can lead to something similar to Harrison Bergeron- so no one is better, everyone can just be equal. I believe that one of Vonnegut’s reasons to for this short story was to help his audience realize that being completely equal isn’t going to make anything better. Ultimately i think we are still reading his work because it helps us analyze and think deeply about situations that we don’t usually take in mind. Such as his book “SlaughterHouse five” that talks about his experiences and journeys throughout World War Two. All together Vonnegut’s books and stories give us more knowledge upon topics that are significant to our