There are many freedoms and rights that we enjoy in this time. We are able to be ourselves, and that is something we take for granted. These privileges come as a matter of course. The short story is called “Harrison Bergeron”. Life is not the same. Everyone is equal. Weights are given to those who have an advantage or who have more education. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote Harrison Bergeron. The story illustrated how being consistent can impact our lives, actions, and words.
I wasn’t aware of how fortunate I was when this story first came to my attention. While I knew I was lucky to live here, I didn’t really think about how it felt to not be free. It was a great story that made me feel different. The story has affected me personally because I realized that people are different. We should all accept this and not try to be like one another. Because of how it affected me personally, I have learned to be grateful for the differences in others. This story is not in line with my worldview. My biggest disagreement is with the idea of everyone being equally. We lose our uniqueness when everyone is equal. “They weren’t all equal before God or law. They were all equal in every way. There was no one smarter than the other. No one was more beautiful than anyone else. Nobody was faster or stronger than anyone else. All of this equality was due the 211th,212th and 213th Amendments of the Constitution and to the unceasing surveillance of agents of United States Handicapper general.” This is a quote from the story that explains how the world works in 2081. It was hard to believe that anyone would consider us equal humans when I read it. We already have enough participation awards. To make everyone equally, it will lose people’s drive and motivation. I’m not a fan of setting rules that would lead to a society-wide disaster.
My views didn’t change when I read this story. I don’t agree with equalizing everyone because it makes us a weak society. But I agreed with Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is the rebel who understands that we all should be different in the story. I loved that Harrison was the only one with common sense. Harrison exclaimed, “I am Emperor!” ‘Do you hear? I am Emperor! Everyone must do as I say. The studio shook. 4 He bellowed, “Even though I stand here,” and the studio shook. Now, you can watch me do what I want to do. Harrison cut the straps on his handicap harness like tissue paper. It was guaranteed that they could hold five thousand lbs. Harrison’s scrap iron handicaps fell to the floor.” I found this quote very powerful. It showed that no matter what rules were put in place Harrison was not going to listen. This is why I strongly agreed with it.
This story covers many of the things I consider important. The story’s main theme was removing everyone’s freedom and diversity. It is important to me that things such as my faith, freedom to be different and freedom to speak are protected. I think this story was written well because it creates a new world. We don’t like being told what should be done. This story shows that every person can make their own decisions. They also discussed the restrictions such as the weights and hearing aids. These are examples of people being restricted from having their beliefs. This is a problem for me because I can’t express my faith and my Catholic religion. This is why I loved the story. It really helped me to think about what it would look like if my beliefs were not allowed.
This story was very entertaining. The story opened with a catchy hook. “THE YEAR WAS 2081. Everyone was finally equal.” Vonnegut did an amazing job in making the story interesting. He was very interested in the future and I was intrigued when he started talking about it. He was very creative, which I liked. It also fits in well with the current state of equality talk. Equal pay for men and women, as well equality for races, was the theme of this story. Vonnegut’s writing style was brilliant. It was amazing to see how he was capable of imposing restrictions on everyone. This story really came together because of his creativity. These stories are rare. These two aspects are what made this story so special. First, it’s entertaining. It’s simple enough for anyone of any intelligence level to read. This book’s next great aspect is its lessons. The lessons were more than just entertainment. There was deeper meaning to this book. Vonnegut mentioned equality, a huge topic. He didn’t just bring up equality in a boring manner. He thought about how he could attract readers and make us think about the future. This is what I believe made this story so compelling and why many others enjoyed it. Also, Vonnegut did an amazing job writing it.
Overall, I found this story to be very unique. This story was a combination of many elements that made it a unique, entertaining, and educational story. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short stories are something I will continue to read. If I had to choose one story from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. to recommend, it would be the short story about futuristic things. People who want something lighthearted and entertaining will enjoy this story. If they are interested in equality, this story might be worth reading. Here’s what I thought about “Harrison Bergeron”, the story and what I thought of it.
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