Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut Jrs Harrison Bergeron - 1112 Words

John. C. Maxwell, a writer, and a priest, once said â€Å"There are two kinds of pride, ‘good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad’ pride is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance† (Quotefancy). Just as there are two sides to pride there are two sides to every human trait, each trait has an advantage and a disadvantage. Being stubborn could mean working towards goals until they have been achieved, or it could mean closing one’s mind so much so they miss out on opportunities they are not looking for. John Maxwell’s paradox of traits is shown through the idea of equality in Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†. In this story the society is led to believe everyone is equal because of handicaps, but†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœMy God-’ said George, ‘that must be Harrison!’ The realization was blasted from his mind instantly by the sound of an automob ile collision in his head† (Vonnegut 3). George’s epiphany helped him recognize the sound of his sons footsteps. When Harrison was still home George heard this noise all the time. Almost as soon as he made this realization his handicap goes off, producing a terrible, loud noise, causing him to forget his train of thought. The author uses the words â€Å"blasted† and â€Å"instantly† to help the readers understand the severity of the handicaps. He only has the epiphany that it is, in fact, his son on the TV because he was born with a very high IQ, in contrast to George’s wife who does not have a high intelligence and did not realize it was Harrison until George said so. Unfortunately, because of George’s elevated IQ, he has to have the radio handicap, which goes off and causes him to forget that he realized it was his son in the first place. The society deems these handicaps as important, because it stops people from having their own opinion w hich could lead to retaliation or an uprising. The epiphany that quickly faded from George’s mind demonstrates Vonnegut’s idea that one’s mental attributes will both benefit and fail them. To emphasize his message that both failures and benefits will result from one’s physical attributes Kurt Vonnegut Jr uses imagery throughout his short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron. In the society that George and Hazel live in, there are