When individuals consider the meaning of equality, they usually envision everyone possessing the same liberties and opportunities, regardless of any personal differences. Therefore, people often think of equality in a positive manner; what they do not realize is that equality can also refer to everyone living together under miserable conditions, including a lack of freedom or individuality. “Harrison Bergeron,” a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, and “The Unknown Citizen,” a poem by W.H. Auden, describe societies that reflect the latter. In “Harrison Bergeron,” the Handicapper General, an official in the American government, controls the thoughts and actions of every citizen through mental and physical handicaps. However, a young man named Harrison
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The speaker of this poem adopts the viewpoint of a government official who is examining the file of this particular citizen. The information within this file describes all his habits, qualities, and organizations that he is affiliated with. A shared theme between “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Unknown Citizen” is a false image of equality; in both societies, the thoughts and actions of all individuals are identical. Both works implement social commentary and irony to express this message, but they differ in whether the characters voluntarily fit in or are forced to think and behave a certain way.
In both “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Unknown Citizen,” members of society think and live in nearly the same manner, which is a misinterpretation of equality. In “Harrison Bergeron,” the introduction immediately establishes the premise for the rest of the plot, which is that “…everybody [is] finally equal,” and “Nobody …show more content…
Furthermore, both works make use of social commentary and irony. Social commentary is present in “Harrison Bergeron” since the author forecasts the future of the United States by the year 2081 as shown by the text, “The year was 2081 and everybody was finally equal…” Kurt Vonnegut Jr. believes that American citizens are too focused on achieving social equality by conforming to the lifestyle of others. This creates a culture of consumerism, represented by the Handicapper General in the text, in which all citizens possess the same products so they do not feel inferior by being different. Generally, in the United States, whenever an individual hopes to transcend social expectations by seeking to “…strip themselves of their handicap,” as Harrison Bergeron does, a ‘mental handicap,’ specifically a desire to fit in, ultimately controls his/her decisions. If a person continues to defy the standards set by the community, he/she faces the ultimate consequence, social exclusion and intolerance, which many feel is a second form of death. This displays fault on the part of the citizens, who trap themselves in this situation in the first place, as well as the government, which advocates this overall culture. The social commentary found in “The Unknown Citizen” mainly discusses the effects of World War II on human society, such as inciting fear about acting differently
The speaker of this poem adopts the viewpoint of a government official who is examining the file of this particular citizen. The information within this file describes all his habits, qualities, and organizations that he is affiliated with. A shared theme between “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Unknown Citizen” is a false image of equality; in both societies, the thoughts and actions of all individuals are identical. Both works implement social commentary and irony to express this message, but they differ in whether the characters voluntarily fit in or are forced to think and behave a certain way.
In both “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Unknown Citizen,” members of society think and live in nearly the same manner, which is a misinterpretation of equality. In “Harrison Bergeron,” the introduction immediately establishes the premise for the rest of the plot, which is that “…everybody [is] finally equal,” and “Nobody …show more content…
Furthermore, both works make use of social commentary and irony. Social commentary is present in “Harrison Bergeron” since the author forecasts the future of the United States by the year 2081 as shown by the text, “The year was 2081 and everybody was finally equal…” Kurt Vonnegut Jr. believes that American citizens are too focused on achieving social equality by conforming to the lifestyle of others. This creates a culture of consumerism, represented by the Handicapper General in the text, in which all citizens possess the same products so they do not feel inferior by being different. Generally, in the United States, whenever an individual hopes to transcend social expectations by seeking to “…strip themselves of their handicap,” as Harrison Bergeron does, a ‘mental handicap,’ specifically a desire to fit in, ultimately controls his/her decisions. If a person continues to defy the standards set by the community, he/she faces the ultimate consequence, social exclusion and intolerance, which many feel is a second form of death. This displays fault on the part of the citizens, who trap themselves in this situation in the first place, as well as the government, which advocates this overall culture. The social commentary found in “The Unknown Citizen” mainly discusses the effects of World War II on human society, such as inciting fear about acting differently