This short story is called Harrison Bergeron wrote by Kurt Vonnegut. The overall atmosphere of this story is like The Giver, The Hunger Games, Divergent and other well-known dystopian stories that describes the hardships of a corrupt and down falling society in which who survives to be the fittest but a different kind of mind tricking. My opinion on this core reading is that it shows a good example on how the world is currently is in dealing with war, racism, proudness, greed and hate. In which the author thought when he wrote this story if what would happen if all people were all equal but soon, he realizes that it brought terrible consequences.
62 years into the future, these consequences came to the lives of George and Hazel. The U.S Constitution amend amendments that equality can be achieve with average intelligence and implanting radio headphones to every person to erase consciousness that is produce making an aching buzz on their head and wearing handicap weights to discourage the peoples abilities they can do. All of this is organized and track by the United States Handicapper General whose main job is to maintain so call peace of an average life. Like any other day George and Hazel were watching ballerinas dance on tv until Hazel tears were coming out and George asks are you crying. All of she said was that she can’t recollect what happened neither George knew. In which it ends up as darker plot twist that Harrison Bergeron parents are George and Hazel. What they couldn’t recollect was the killing of their son on tv on trying to make a cause to remove equality. If that ever happened to you and couldn’t remember, then what’s the meaning of life? The overall meaning of this core reading is that by doing hard work coming from different aspects of life on earning your achievements is way better then government giving everything you want without your will.
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My overall response to this story seems realistic since it closely resembles to our present how the people are mind control but in a different process. I support this form of government not for personal use but to explain the authors message in his point of view. Since everyone want to be extra and be privilege dealing with racism in which the catalyst was Trump’s Administration and its supporters also other hardships we face in the US and the whole world. So, the author tries to taste their own medicine if they advocate to be equal such as talk the same, look the same and think the same. I alone won’t be like them so I can watch and be the awareness when they figure it out that something isn’t right.
Which makes this story intriguing on how the setting is describe and symbolism with it. It lets you envision as you were the character. When you think about the future the general thought would be technological advances, one government, expanding to other parts of the galaxy and living a happy life. But here in this story says on the contrary of the future. For instance, in the text it states that the month April made the people insane knowing spring hasn’t come assuming that weather was gloomy all year around even worst it could have been like for 62 years. Another aspect of symbolism is the earpiece that is behind every person’s ear. This apparatus is use by the U.S government to control the person’s will by inducing a high pitching noise follow by an electric shock in the head were the brain whenever the person becomes aware of an emotion to who they are talking with is completely wipe out of their and resume their daily lives like nothing ever happen.
It’s not just about the physical stuff but their inner self or the dialogue since their conversions sound like robots and constant hesitations. In this dystopian future the United States Handicapper General tends to control the population by spreading the idealism of equality stating that no one is better than anyone else not like communism but sometimes it tends to put a person in their place. For example, the announcer appears on tv but had trouble saying Ladies and Gentlemen and couldn’t say because he was so excited knowing that it wasn’t his spotlight so that’s when earpiece acts. He can’t stand the sharp pain in his head, so he gave the mic to the ballerina and said Ladies and Gentlemen with no problem since she had a beautiful voice. The people were upset that she uses her beautiful voice and try to make it worst after seeing the faces of the people. wore handicap weights so she couldn’t dance better like anyone else. Yes, it seems confusing making your mind trick itself but that’s the goal for being equal treated as cattle.
Also, another good example of dialogue come from Harrison. He stormed into the ballerina’s dance show, he took off his heavy handicaps weights and told the ballerina to do the same remove her mask. And told her “Should we show the people the meaning of dancing”. They dance till they were both killed by the General Handicapper, Diana Moon Clamper, in which it threatened her agenda because it demonstrated that people can be different like them since Harrison and the ballerina dance freely with joy. And wanted to feel that joyfulness they felt inside.
In conclusion, joyfulness can be achieved by being different no matter how long it takes because all that time spent shows lessons to be taught depending on the situation you are in. All the answers you earn from experiences is the meaning of life. Not some tyrant trying to give it to you involuntary with average mind like a wolf hiding in the skin of the sheep. All that Harrison did was trying to escape the madness from this undeveloped society, but his freedom was taken in the hands of General Handicapper. And his parents supposedly with a average mind couldn’t handle the killing of their son so the government made them forget the incident. But the question remains, what is something worst then wiping out their minds and how far can they go.