REFLECTION OF HARRISON BERGERON

By Kurt Vonnegaut Jr.

21ST Century

The story of Harrison Bergeron given the society he lived was undeniably cruel and

inhumane. I couldn’t imagine myself to live in the society where justice and freedom never

prevails. People are restricted to showcase their natural assets and it punishes them from being

born too good compare to average people by wearing handicaps. I want to admit the brilliancy of

this story written by Kurt Vonnegaut Jr. where he created a world of ‘what if we lived in this kind

of society?’ It made me distinguished the essence and the weight of equality against from being

fair.

As a human being within my society, I grew up having people to compliment me as

beautiful. I and my siblings inherit my parents’ attributes on their well-being and appearances. I

may not be so smart, but I admired smart people and sometimes I envy them. I have an

academically smart and consistent siblings, and there were times I am belittled by being compared

to them. I really hate it and I cried about it many times. I hated myself and the world from not

being born like they are. There are lot of times where I wished to God to be smart like my siblings.

As I grew up I realized that being smart is not equal to being intelligent that hones your abilities

from experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. So I thrive to excel and be intelligent, and I still do. I

want to be recognize by being not just a pretty girl.

That is how our reality works. It pains you from realizing that you aren’t good enough. We

envy those things we haven’t, and if we saw someone who have what it takes from the things we
lack, we usually say, “how lucky they are”. Sometimes competitiveness ignites in ourselves to

thrive on those attributes we lack and it pushes us in an aptitude higher than where we are. No

matter how painful the reality seems like, it inspires us. We can freely move up and express

ourselves without restrictions.

If I were to live as one of the citizens in the society where Harrison Bergeron lived, I

probably need to cover my face with a mask. I probably wouldn’t feel the compliments of people

who adore my beauty, I can’t probably find someone who may love me while my face is covered,

I should probably change my voice into ugly like the ballerina, and I will probably curse the world

from being born having such a good face.

I also don’t need to envy my siblings or others for being smart, and experience comparison

from them. Instead I will rather say, “Thank God I am not born smart like them so I don’t have to

cover my ears with headphones and suffer on the noises”. All the people that can inspire us to be

great and excel are probably assassinated. I wouldn’t have a chance to see an angle of life where

world is full of possibilities that anyone can be anyone. If I were to live in the society where only

equality exist, there will be no rooms for me to thrive on something I lack, or there will be no

rooms for progress and self- development.

I will feel like a robot or a puppet under a Handicap General. I think I will be numb by not

having any certain motivation or inspiration because society is already fixed with equality. Life

will lose essence and meaning, I’m certainly going to be depressed while I don’t know I’m feeling

that way. I will feel no justice for the beauty of others that hinders to be seen, for the strength of

people that can save, and for the intelligent people that made them suffer from the extreme sound

of noises. Life wouldn’t be fair for them. Life wouldn’t be fair to those I Idolized in the real world,

and I will always be sad about it if that’s the case.

 If I’m going to think for myself only, I will feel bad for my face that is being covered, but

I will feel great that I don’t have other attributes that can make me suffer more. If I’m going to

think for others as well, I will certainly sympathize those who’re born above average than anyone,

and I will envy those who got nothing special on their well-being. This society is paradox in our

reality but I can still feel envy and pride in either way. Something that makes this society really

worst compare to our reality is having no field of justice for the great and the weak individuals.

Great people are restricted which is bad, and weak people doesn’t have a field to excel which is

also bad. There is no fairness in this equality, and it’s nothing but a barbaric society. We are lucky

that we don’t have handicaps for us to wear, and we can freely perceived the world within the

control of our mindsets. No matter how painful our society seems like, we are free to compete, to

thrive, and to change. Something that the citizens of Harrison Bergeron unable to do.