Sunday, May 5, 2013

In "Harrison Bergeron," when Harrison is shot, even though his parents don't remember him, would anyone in the audience remember his action against the government?

In the society of Harrison Bergeron, every person is made exactly equal through the forced restriction of talent or any other unevenly distributed positive traits. Handicaps such as thick, blurry glasses and headphones blaring static prevent those with any level of intellect or awareness from accessing these traits. Harrison's parents, whether through severe handicapping or natural intellectual disability, are unable to remember what happens to their son on television. Because everyone has been restricted to equally low levels of intelligence and perception, it logically follows that no one else within this society would have be any more able to remember the occurrence than Harrison's parents. Harrison and the dancer were the only two people in the room who had their handicaps removed, and they were shot dead almost immediately for this transgression. Thus, there is no reason to assume anyone in the world has the ability to retain the events of that day.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?

In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...