Harrison Bergeron Essay

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Dystopian fiction is one of the most popular genres amongst young adults. These stories describe an unpleasant place that is usually controlled by a totalitarian government that oppresses people and takes away their freedom. A dystopian society is usually the result of an attempt to create an ideal society. Dystopian works show that people believe today's society is corrupt, oppressive, and full of inequality. They fear it's heading toward the extremely grim conditions showcased in these works. People fear the government is too controlling, oppressive, and dehumanizing. This can be seen in Kurt Vonnegut's dystopian story Harrison Bergeron. In the story, the government requires people to wear mental and physical handicaps in order to keep everyone equal. The government's complete control over people oppresses them and takes away their free will. People today feel the government is corrupt and places restrictions on them and that takes away their rights, like in this story. The handicaps dehumanized people too. Harrison had "scrap metal... hung all over him" and he "looked like a walking junkyard." This shows a corrupt government that treated and presented Harrison as less than human and his handicaps took away his dignity and humanity. Some people believe they are dehumanized, which oppresses them and keeps them unequal…show more content…
Dystopian works generally focus more on white people than people of color, which shows inequality in today's society. In the persuasive article The Topics Dystopian Films Won't Touch Imran Siddiquee argues that Hollywood does not produce dystopian films that address racism. These films continue the "old sci-fi tradition of imagining the subjugation of white people." They focus on the struggles of white people, not people of color, who are actually oppressed in the real world. The lack of perspective from a person of color highlights the issue of racial

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