Harrison Bergeron

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"Which is the best government?" asks Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and statesman,"That which teaches us to govern ourselves." One of the currently widespread themes of American history as well as American literature includes the varying relationship between citizens and their government. It is often overlooked that if one wishes to promote an overall independent population, one must first advocate the individual man's rights. M.T. Anderson illustrates a growing relationship between government and corporations through science fiction; Feed revolves around the constant struggle between individual independence and corporate power. In Feed, Anderson presents the concept of authority through consumer demands influenced by the feed's…show more content…
creates a society in which the gifted, strong, and beautiful are required to wear handicaps consisting of earphones, heavy weights, and hideous masks. With these constraints, the society is not only limited technologically, but also contains limits forced onto their unique personal attributes. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General" (Vonnegut Jr.). Equality is an exceptional philosophy that should be pursued, extended, and embraced, yet one wonders if absolute equality is achievable. The handicaps enforced onto the gifted individuals pose as an inequality when compared to those that are "average". In a society with absolute equality, each individual is never given the opportunity to show their capabilities and strengths; society is bland and pointless, stripped of its unique aspects. Through Harrison Bergeron's rebellion, Vonnegut symbolizes "two sides of the median", where one side represents absolute equality through individuals such as Diana Moon Glampers and the other represents inequality through Harrison's "caste system", composed of an emperor and those below
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