Dalton Anderson
Mr. Neuburger
Eng. 102
21 September 2011
Doom
The society in “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is one of seemingly perfect equality. It is also a society that is doomed to failure. “In the year 2081 everybody was finally equal… due to the 211th, 212th and 213th Amendments to the constitution” (293). This means that the people of this society (assuming this is America) have been barraged with several amendments over just a few years. The people would not have stood for this many changes all at once, especially because many of these were obviously new laws. The citizens would have retaliated and, given the way people acted, silenced or brainwashed. The only thing that keeps the people in line is their own fear of this new regime. “ If people tried to get away with it, then other people’d get away with it-and pretty soon we’d be right back in the dark ages again, with everybody competing with everybody else” (295). Competition between people is natural, we need it in order to grow. The only thing standing between the people and their freedom is the right leader in the perfect time and place.
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