Liew

Section 1106

Harrison Bergeron

Theme seed: ​Dictatorship

Theme: ​The government control people by using propaganda, law, and violence.

Literary Device:

“Equality” means the state of being equal, but wouldn’t it be nice if every citizen

is completely equal in every aspect of their life? “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut

Jr is the story about a Dystopian future in which the government creates equality between its

citizens due to the 211th, 211th, and 213th amendments to the Constitution. The American

citizens who are beautiful, strong, and intelligent are forced to wear physical and mental

handicap devices to ensure equality. Vonnegut wrote “Harrison Bergeron” in the 1960s during

WWII to show his position. During the story, he represents how the dictatorship government

controls the citizens by using propaganda, law, and violence.

**​Throughout the story, Vonnegut reveals the uses of propaganda of the government.

The government convinces its citizens by using the word “Equality” to make them give their

uniqueness and also human rights. As the government define the word “Equality” as everybody

“were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else…” (line 2-3) instead of

giving the citizens to be equal in opportunity, status, and rights. However, the citizens do not

question anything about the constitution but willing to follow. The government is also able to

disturb and control its citizens' thoughts which means they are fully controlled by the

government. Vonnegut shows that in this story the characters that questioning or being different
will be punished by death. Like Harrison Bergeron who is "regarded as extremely dangerous"

(125) even, he is just a fourteen-year-old boy, but the government is still afraid of him. This

shows that the government really takes an effort to control the people who will be dangerous for

their power. Not only that, the polity is able to control how the news is spreading, they can

control TV station, all announcers, even the television program that is​“suddenly interrupted for a

news bulletin” ​(103-104). As TV stations and announcers are independent and reliable sources of

the news, people do not question anything even they are fictitious.

“Violence” by definition is not only ​behavior involving physical force intended to hurt,

damage, or kill someone or something but also involves emotional, mental, or psychological

abuse. In this story, ​as the citizens do not give the importance of their freedom of thought and

freedom of expression when people are not questioning or speaking up, the government is even

more powerful that make the right to kill someone is acceptable. Harrison Bergeron and ballerina

were killed because of their dancing, this is just the basic right that was lost from society. Even

the musician, Diana Moon Glamper “​aimed it [the gun] at the musicians and told them they had

ten seconds to get their handicaps back on.​” (228-230). They have been deprived of their rights,

the rights to play which is very common rights that every human being deserves to have. Is it

ordinary that every people who were naturally born gifted have to handicap themselves? The

appearance of Harrison Bergeron “​wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with

thick wavy lenses to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides”

(136-139) and “carried three hundred pounds” ​(143) show us how suffered he has to face. He is

remembered as the image of a person who is harmful to society, had been imprisoned even he

did not do anything wrong and is deprived of almost every basic right. This action of the
government contradicts to its constitution, as previously mentioned​, ​they ensure that everyone

will be equal.

Lastly, the totalitarian government in Harrison Bergeron uses the “Law” to control their

citizens and make everything seem to be ordinary.

● “ ‘Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball [he] took’ said

George.”​ (83-84) : The government can take the people to go to jails or impose a fine if

they took the handicapped tools off. To ensure that every citizen is under their control,

they have to force and even use the law to make everyone obey.

● “ It was then that DianaMoon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio

with a double-barreled ten gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the

Empress were dead before they hit the floor.”​(224-227) : The government will kill a

person who is beyond their control without any reasonable cause. This action is a very

successful way to control its citizens, thus, none of the citizens would dare to go against

or question the government.

To summarize, the uses of law, violence, and propaganda are how the dictated

government uses to control the citizens. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s idea of making everyone to be equal

in every way shows us how the world would be if the government convinces its citizens to give

up on their ability, uniqueness, and thoughts. With this in mind, the society would be better if the

government and citizens know their role in society, the citizens can ask for their own rights and

the government can not be deprived of its citizen’s rights.