Authoritarian Government in Literature Research Paper

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Rebelling against Government AuthorityIn the dystopian future presented by Kurt Vonnegut in “Harrison Bergeron,” the author sardonically tells the reader that “everybody was finally equal” (1). The equality they all enjoy is mediocrity. Everyone is of the same dull, closed-mindedness: people sit and watch TV passively or perform the arts without any feeling of inspiration or grandeur. Only Harrison, the title character, breaks free from this mold of the mundane to rise up to his potential heights and glory. Indeed, he inspires a female dancer, and together “they leaped like deer on the moon,” in spite of all prohibitions by the government against such expressions of life (Vonnegut 5). Yet in the end it is all for naught: their rebellion, momentary as it is, is put down by violent government troops, and all the viewers at home who saw it on TV lapse back into their closed-mindedness, and all they can remember is that they saw “something real sad on television” (Vonnegut 6). Rebelling against government authority is symbolized by Harrison, who rejects the constraints placed on his greatness by the government—but the brutal ending represents the force that governments still hold over everyone and everything.

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Today, one can see that the government’s response to the Covid crisis is similar to the world in which Harrison…

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…to momentarily soar and express his innate greatness and potential as a free human being with God-given talents. Unfortunately, in our society, government and government-backed engines of power are shackling everyone left, right and center. As Raicu states, “we are, in fact, already hanging weights and otherwise hampering people in our society.”Harrison dares to break free from these shackles—but he is promptly put down by the powers that be. The story may be read as a wistful reminder of what it once meant to be a rebel with a cause. But in our sad times, rebels are few and far between. Government authoritarianism has turned everyone into shackled, mediocre….....

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