Harrison Bergeron: The Life Of George And Harrison Bergeron

Improved Essays
It was the year 2081. Because of 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, every person has to be equal in every way. No one could look better than anybody else. No one is stronger than anybody else. Especially no one can be smarter than others. The ones who have higher intelligence than normal had to wear a mental handicap radio in his ear, to prevent taking advantage of their brains. Even beautiful ones had to cover their faces to avoid looking better than others. All these were enforced by agents of the United States Handicapper General.
One April, fourteen year old son Harrison was taken away from their parents, George and Hazel Bergeron, by the handicapper general men. Even though the tragedy happened in their family, they
…show more content…
Suddenly, Harrison enters the studio, making an earth to shake with his movement. He wears handicaps that no one ever worn before, and he has to wear about three hundred pounds of scrap metal. He also wears huge earphones instead of radio and spectacles with thick lenses. Also, he wears a red rubber ball for his nose, shave his eyebrows and caps for his teeth.
He tears off his handicaps and announces that everyone must obey him. Also he announces that first woman to volunteer will become his Empress. One of the ballerinas volunteers and joins him. Harrison removes handicaps from her, and also from musicians so he and her Empress can dance to music. They dance beautifully, leaping so high that they kiss the ceiling.
Suddenly, Diana Moon Glampers enters the studio and shoots Harrison and the Empress with a shotgun and kills them. And warns the musicians to wear their handicaps back, before she kills them too.
George has missed his son’s death on the television, because he was getting a beer in the kitchen. When he returned Hazel was crying and TV was burned out. But Hazel could not remember again why she was crying. George suggests to forget sad things. Hazel answered “I always

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Benjelloun, Zakary Mrs. Salas English II Pre-AP, Pd.2 20 October 2014 Depiction Of The Flaws In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the author, portrays society as a flawed system where people are reprimanded for their strengths. The government thinks that conformity is the answer to equality, but in reality it only makes matters worse. Limiting potential only hurts the growth of a certain society because making everyone equal will not generate the hardship required for a society to seek a better lifestyle.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harrison was not one to conform with the control the government put onto all members of the society, the government took this as a treat; therefore Harrison was taken from his parents and was sent to jail. Hazel having average intelligence couldn 't remember very well about her son, and since George was given the “handicap” device because of his above average intelligence he was unable to think very hard about anything let alone his son for more than a short time. These factor play a great deal as the story moves along. One day as George and Hazel were watching tv a special news broadcast comes up about an escaped prisoner, the news reporter stumbles over his words causing a ballerina (from…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This concept was run and controlled by Diana Moon Glampers, who appeared to be of average intelligence, but because everyone else was now below average, due to handicaps, she was more powerful. Her character for the most represented the laws themselves. While some were inspired by Harrison’s actions, when the general, Diana Moon Glampers, shot him, the people were scared back to their previous, below average, mental state, and felt under control of the government. What I found interesting is that it appeared no one in the government had handicaps, yet they enforced handicaps very strictly on the citizens. “…the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shot gun……

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harrison and his Empress literally danced on air and remained suspended just below the studio’s thirty-foot ceiling as they shared a long kiss. It was at that time Diana Moon Glampers came into the studio with a double-barrelled ten-gauge shotgun and fired twice. Both Harrison and his Empress were dead before they hit the floor. On page 19, line 280…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (4) The language/syntax Vonnegut uses when having Harrison speak sets a condescending tone for Harrison. Harrison repeatedly refers to himself as ‘Emperor’, and even later says, “I am a greater ruler than any man who has ever lived!” (4) Harrison most definitely sees himself as an unstoppable and almighty figure near a Godly status due to his undeniable strength and intelligence. Vonnegut uses Harrison in a way to rebut his own theme in the story, a theme of everyone being equal to each other on levels of intelligence, beauty and strength. Harrison is used to show that not everyone is the same and never will be, there just simply are people that are better than others and far more fit for certain roles.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is also emotionally barren, urging his wife to forget her sadness and reacting to his son’s televised adventure by going to the kitchen for a beer. George is a smart and sensitive man. He has been crippled by the government’s handicapping program because of his smartness. He makes intelligent remarks and thinks analytically about society, but his mind is stunted. Every twenty seconds, noises broadcast by the government interrupt his thoughts, preventing sustained concentration.…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How will our future be affected by the rapid growth of technology? Well the two short stories, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr and “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benét. both deal with this topic. The story “By the Waters of Babylon” was written by Stephen Vincent Benét around the time of WWII. With “By the Waters of Babylon” by Benét being written at this time makes a very ominous tone.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In recent decades, dystopian society has become an exceedingly common fear in society. Two literary works that forebode of a coming time where freedoms are taken away are 1984 and “Harrison Bergeron”. These two dystopian plots convey warnings to society to pay attention to those in power. In 1984, George Orwell uses an ironic and haunting tone which communicates heavily through propaganda as well as literary devices. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. also uses irony and propaganda to promote a satirical as well as sarcastic tone.…

    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine a world wanting to go forward, but only going backwards. A world where the government regulates its citizens to make sure that they are “equal” and of average standard, where if anyone dares to be above average, handicaps are forced upon them. This is the world of Harrison Bergeron, a world of dystopia, but in the meantime, will this also be the fate of America? Equality is the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. Although equality is strived for everywhere in society, it does not lead to a utopia.…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the story “Harrison Bergeron” the year is 2081. Everyone is finally equal and at peace, but one person by the name of Harrison Bergeron becomes a threat to that peace. Being a threat to that peace he is considered a danger to society. Harrison is considered a danger to society not a hero because he is ruining the peace and equality everyone has finally achieved.…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Do you have what it takes? What it takes to step up against an opposing crowd of people? Thousands of people? It takes real strength to question what has always been. It takes bravery to speak up about the changes you want to happen.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    They begin to dance and proceed to jump and stay far up in the air, almost as if touching the ceiling. If Harrison wanted to take advantage of his talents he could go into a job requiring intelligence, or he could have become an amazing athlete. If he still wanted to become “Emperor” he could have run for…

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Story Revision of Harrison Bergeron. It was the year 2081. Everyone is equal and no one is different. The story takes place in a house and in a cathedral.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    An ancient Roman warrior. A modern-day antique dealer. One salacious bargain. After Lucy Brady inherits an ancient locket containing a mysterious crystal and an ominous warning, she ignores superstition and inadvertently calls forth a living, breathing ancient Roman, who demands his freedom from her tyrannous bloodline. Thinking his appearance an elaborate prank, Lucy agrees with one shocking condition—he becomes her sex slave.…

    • 83 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” the main plot of the storyline begins when a young man named Hero falls in love with a courtesan named Philia. The only problem is Philia lives in the house of Lycus; a dealer of courtesans. Soon after Hero entrusts the slave Pseudolus to handle the manner of bringing Philia to him in exchange for Pseudolus’ freedom. This becomes problematic in the play due to the girl being promised to a general, thus unfolding countless of moments in humor and laughter which include role reversals and dressing in drag.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays