"Harrison Bergeron"

Picture the world where everybody is the same, and no I don’t mean where everybody looks the same; I mean how the world would be if everybody was equal and there was no right of individualism. Yes I know you might think we are all equal but this is a whole other level of equality. The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut brings up the war of equality vs. individualism, and is an Irony.

To begin with for the battle of equality vs. Individualism I believe that individualism should be allowed for several reasons. First off we were all born with same rights, despite the fact that there are poor people as there rich people. Obviously they have their differences between each other, but as I said before they were all born with the same rights; what I’m trying to say that individualism is should be allowed because everybody had the same rights and that maybe that rich person worked harder in school to get a job so he/she could have a more outgoing life/enhanced life than the average person. Where maybe as the poor person didn’t take advantage of school and decided it didn’t matter, and later on regretted it, because now they don’t live that outgoing life with a lot more joy in it. The message is to understand that individualism is not granted, and realize if you work for it, it pays off and if you don’t it doesn’t. All and all we will always be equal and have the same rights. Dreadfully in “Harrison Bergeron” a world of chaos, it is appalling to see what an irony they live in; In other words a very bad life where everybody is equal and individualism is not a word.

This story is an Irony because it fits in with the key components of an irony. First off the main factor is that this short story is truly unrealistic as any irony. As an irony is it is in a nightmare version, as “Harrison Bergeron” is, trust me; From everybody being handcuffed all the way to having to have weights on shoulder, it’s definitely in a nightmare version. Harrison is not weak like a main character in tragedy, but he is beyond stupid as the main character is in an irony; he tried to take over the world where he is simply outnumbered by H.G ( squat team). Living in a life of torture,which creates great amounts of stress causes Harrison to make bad decisions which is the choice of main characters in an irony. Despite Harrison, in an irony the evil is strong which is the H.G. and the good is weak which is people like Harrison’s parents, ballerinas, or even musicians. Although “Harrison Bergeron” does not have the complete plotline, it does have some of points in a plot line such as it is a sense of chaos, as it is easy to tell. From there the major conflict is that people do want to live in this outrageous life style. Last but not least it has the purpose of an irony which I believe you will like, and it is simply that my life isn’t as bad as that which is completely true.

“Harrison Bergeron” is definitely a story of its own category from it being completely ironic all the way to the topic discussion of equality vs individualism. Hopefully someday everybody aside from being equal will have individualism. Hopefully everybody will realize that they are equal. Hopefully people realize that working hard pays of and leads to individualism. Hopefully someday we can all be equal along with individualism, and not have to live in a world like Harrison Bergeron where being equal is more like living in jail cell.