gb1708
Junior Member
Posts: 85
|
Post by gb1708 on Jan 8, 2013 7:23:05 GMT -5
I have just looked over the story "Harrison Bergeron" and I had a question that in the end of the story, HB got shot and died. What does this closing represent??? Does it represent that fighting against the government is bad? or they want to say about the power of the government???
|
|
|
Post by lukejoo1092 on Jan 8, 2013 9:58:59 GMT -5
I think the author wanted to say that how powerful a government can be and how it can be willing to use that power. The government of Harrison Bergeron is one that believes that everyone must be equal. So in order to keep it that way, the government would be willing to do anything in their power, even if it means killing one of their people. It's more a demonstration of the government's power I believe.
|
|
|
Post by esther on Jan 9, 2013 7:32:41 GMT -5
I think the society in the story is just trying to get rid of rebellions to prevent the society from changing. I don't know for sure what it represents but i think it represents the revolution of some kind of rules hehe..
|
|
|
Post by mirim002 on Jan 10, 2013 8:30:03 GMT -5
i think it represents the power of the government. i mean, they want to show who is in charge and that the people must follow their rules. and just like luke said, the gov could use that power for anything...if it means the people will follow the gov rules.
|
|
jisu25
Junior Member
Posts: 95
|
Post by jisu25 on Jan 11, 2013 1:49:32 GMT -5
Fighting against the government is not bad, but a foolish choice because you are going up against a powerful force that you can't imagine. The government isn't a symbol of power. It is power itself.
|
|
|
Post by elisalee on Jan 11, 2013 4:19:08 GMT -5
I think the killing part in this story represents how strong the government can be when they don't obey the rules that the country have. In this story, Harrison Bergeron went against the rule by taking off the earphones and heavy clothes. This went against the rule because the government thought that everyone has to be equal no matter how smart, good looking they are. Therefore, the general killed him.
|
|
|
Post by JustinK. on Jan 12, 2013 2:00:00 GMT -5
I think the author used that ending to tell the audience that even though these desire to rebel exist, but it is no use. With the military power and the strict laws about rebellion, any sort of rebellion can't work. This also shows how much the government wants the society to stay equal. If the General didn't kill harrison bergeron, then a larger scale revolution might occur.
|
|
|
Post by nadiraamalina on Jan 12, 2013 3:32:05 GMT -5
I think that the Handicapper General represents the government's power, and how quickly, efficiently and brutally a government can act towards something that might threaten the 'balance' that the government's created and make the government look stupid.
|
|
|
Post by jungholee on Jan 12, 2013 6:24:59 GMT -5
I think it represents even if it's good and right thinking when you think, if it's not a common sense that many people can agree, the other people will make you shut down about the thinking and to live the normal way in the world. They don't want the revolution and the change for keep getting more profit(not only money, anything that's good to the high class people) safely.
|
|
|
Post by brandonina on Jan 12, 2013 6:51:20 GMT -5
The closing represents the government's capability to destroy anything that goes against the society that it made. It basically represents government's power and authority. I don't think the author is saying that revolution is bad. He criticizes the society depicted in the story. So yeah..
|
|
|
Post by yeajinchoi on Jan 12, 2013 8:34:39 GMT -5
I think it represents the brutality inside the government. It represents, like Nadira said, how quickly an idea can be shot down and killed.
|
|
|
Post by sazad100 on Jan 12, 2013 21:32:38 GMT -5
I agree with Yeajin and Nadira. I think it represents a government's butality and also how an idea can be shot down.
|
|
|
Post by munisa on Jan 12, 2013 22:34:18 GMT -5
I think that the ending could mean anything, I think that the author wanted the readers to guess whats gonna happen next, or he was just not creative enough to think of whats gonna happen next
|
|
|
Post by sergeyfen on Jan 13, 2013 5:30:51 GMT -5
I think it shows the power of government, cuz government would do anything to keep it stable and would make sure nothing threatens it. Harrison Bergeron was a threat and eventually got shot and killed at the end of the story.
|
|
|
Post by KevinW on Jan 13, 2013 5:46:43 GMT -5
I think it was just there for the punch. I mean, you could interpret it to mean brutality of government or something like that, but the quick and brutal ending made the story more powerful. The climax of the story was at the dance, and suddenly BAM HB and his empress dies. Swift and brutal endings like that one tends to leave readers in shock. It's so sad, but more importantly, it's so empty. Like you know something more should have happened, but nothing did. Makes it stick in people's heads, and it makes George and his wife's inability to remember the freedom they just witnessed on telly all the more saddening and powerful.
|
|