" Harrison Bergeron " is a short story of science-satirical and dystopian science written by Kurt Vonnegut and first published in October 1961. Originally published in Fantasy and Scientific Fiction , the story it was re-published in the author's collection Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968.
Video Harrison Bergeron
Plot
By 2081, the 211, 212 and 213 changes to the Constitution state that all Americans are fully equal and are not allowed to be smarter, better-looking or physically more capable than others. The General Handicapper Agent enforces the law of equality, forcing citizens to wear "defects": masks for those who are too beautiful, loud radios that interfere with the minds of intelligent people, and heavy burdens for strong or athletic.
One April, the 14-year-old Harrison Bergeron, an intelligent and athletic teenager, was taken away from his parents, George and Hazel Bergeron, by the government. They are barely aware of the tragedy, because Hazel has "average" intelligence (euphemism for ignorance), and George has a flawed radio set up by the government to set his intelligence above average.
Hazel and George watch ballet on television. They commented on the dancers, who were burdened to ward off their elegance and masks to hide their charm. George's thoughts were constantly distracted by the different voices emitted by his flawed radio, which caught Hazel's curiosity and imagination about defects. Recognizing his exhaustion, Hazel urged George to lie down and rest his "handicap bag", weighing 47 pounds (21 kg) locked in George's neck. He suggests taking some weight off the bag, but George refuses, realizing the illegality of such an act.
On television, a news reporter struggled to read the bulletin and handed it to a ballerina that wore the most terrible mask and the heaviest burden. She started reading in a beautiful natural voice, then apologized before switching to a more unpleasant voice. Harrison's escape from the prison was announced, and Harrison's entire photo was shown, showing that he was seven feet (2.1 m) tall and weighed down by three hundred pounds (140 kg) of defects.
George recognized his son for a moment, before his mind was omitted by his radio. Harrison himself then storms television studios in an attempt to overthrow the government. He calls himself Emperor and tears out all his defects, along with the defects of the ballerina, which he declares his "Empress". He ordered the musicians to play, promising them nobles if they did their best. Unhappy with their initial efforts, Harrison took control for a while, and his music improved. After listening and being moved by music, Harrison and his Empress dance as they flew to the ceiling, then stopped in midair to kiss.
Here, Vonnegut was influenced by his early work as a journalist. The sentences are short and easy to understand so that most are accessible. Dystopian arrangements increase their social and political criticism by imagining a future world established in absolute equality through barriers afforded to above-average people to counter their natural benefits. Similar subjects can be found in the novel dystopian L. P. Hartley Face Justice from the previous year 1960.
However Vonnegut also emphasizes dystopia with humor. Even the most horrific scenes were underlined by jokes or absurdities. When the newscaster should read the news bulletin he must hand it to the nearest ballerina because of the difficulty of his speech, and the ballerina then turns his voice into "grackle squawk" because it would be "unfair" to use his nature. sound, described as "a warm, radiant, timeless melody". This absurdity highlights the madness of the world "Harrison Bergeron".
Maps Harrison Bergeron
Parallel with The Sirens of Titan
A dystopian society similar to "Harrison Bergeron" appears in the 1954 Vonnegut novel The Sirens of Titan. When Space Wanderer returns to Earth, he finds a society where defects are used to make everyone equal, removing effects that allegedly damage blind luck in human society. The narrator claims that now "the weakest and the meek must surely admit, in the end, that the race of life is just."
The strong are burdened with "defects" (consisting of "pockets of lead shot" hanging from different parts of the body) and the beautiful ones hide their beneficial appearance through "shabby clothes, bad posture, chewing gum and horrible cosmetic use". Unlike in "Harrison Bergeron", citizens at The Sirens of Titan chose to use this handicap voluntarily as an act of faith against a truly indifferent Church of God , though it is recommended not to do so would invite social condemnation. There is no disability for above-average intelligence mentioned in The Sirens of Titan . The community of Harrison Bergeron discusses the differences in intellectual and cognitive abilities and the benefits they have.
Adaptations
The story has been adapted for the screen at least four times.
- The PBS adapted several stories, including "Harrison Bergeron", in Between Time and Timbuktu (1972), with Avind Haerum in the title role.
- In 1995, Showtime produced an adaptation made for television entitled Harrison Bergeron , starring Sean Astin as the title character and Christopher Plummer as John Klaxon. The adaptation deviates far from its plot, featuring Harrison recruited by the National Administration Center, a genius of geniuses within the government that ensures that the American function is flawed. Working for the television division, Harrison became dissatisfied with the status quo and tried to start another American revolution by taking over the national television broadcast. He broadcasts unfettered old movies and music, while encouraging people to remove the "bands" that bother the brain in their heads.
- In 2006, a short film titled Harrison Bergeron was released.
- In 2009, another short film called 2081 was based on the original story and starring Armie Hammer as the title character. Joe Crowe, managing editor of the online magazine Revolution Science Fiction, described the film as "stirring and dramatic" and said it "straight to the core, and nailed its adaptation in 25 minutes."/li>
In real world
In 2005, the story was quoted by lawyers briefly before the Kansas Supreme Court. Vonnegut was quoted as saying that while he did not object to the story used in the lawsuit, he disagreed with the interpretation of the lawyers. US Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia, quoted the story on PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin .
See also
- Crab mentality
- Redirecting
- Jante's Law
- Procrustes
- High poppy syndrome
- Starlit Corridor
References
Further reading
- Klinkowitz, Jerome (1998): Vonnegut in Fact. Public spokesperson of personal fiction . Columbia: University of South Carolina Press
- Leeds, Marc (1995): The Vonnegut Encyclopedia. Official Compendium . Westport, London: Greenwood Press
- Leeds, Marc; Reed, Peter J. (1996): The Vonnegut Chronicles. Interviews and Essays . Westport, London: Greenwood Press
- Petterson, Bo (1994): World by Kurt Vonnegut. Paradox Morals and Form Narration . ÃÆ'â € | bo: ÃÆ'â € | bo University.
External links
- Harrison Bergeron on IMDb
- 2081 on IMDb
- Harrison Bergeron list titles on the Internet Internet speculative Fiction
- The Politics of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut - Critical Essay (Autumn 1998) by Darryl Hattenhauer
- Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron, and Introduction to Deviance and Social Control Teaching-related Teachings by Kenneth Mentor
- Analysis of Harrison Bergeron about Lit React
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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