Discussion Topic

Idioms and similes in "Harrison Bergeron"

Summary:

In "Harrison Bergeron," idioms and similes enhance the narrative by providing vivid imagery and deeper meaning. For example, the phrase "swaying like a willow" is used to describe the graceful movement of the dancers, illustrating their struggle against the oppressive handicaps. Such literary devices help readers visualize the dystopian world and the characters' experiences more clearly.

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What are some simile examples in "Harrison Bergeron"?

A simile is a phrase which uses "like" or "as" to figuratively compare two similar ideas, things, people, images, etc. There are a great many smilies used in Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron," which explores a world in which all people are rendered "equal" through the use of various intellectual and physical handicaps.

For example, George, the father of Harrison, is an extremely intelligent man who is forced to wear a transmitter that emits a sharp noise every twenty seconds, thus, preventing him from thinking too clearly. When the buzzer goes off, George's "thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm."

When Harrison arrives at the studio where the ballet performance is being held, he is intent upon overthrowing the government. He tears "the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper," and uses his thumbs to break his head harness "like celery." 

The ballerina who agrees to dance with him and become his Empress "arose, swaying like a willow, and the two listen to the music seriously, "as though synchronizing their heartbeats with it." 

Before Diana Moon Glampers shoots the pair down, they dance and leap "like deer on the moon."

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What are some simile examples in "Harrison Bergeron"?

eNotes has an impressive study guide that I have linked to below that provides in-depth review material of Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron".

Your question specifically requests an example of a simile in this story.

Similes are a form of figurative language used by authors to compare two unlike things using like or as. A good way of remembering the meaning of simile is to think of the word "similar". Sometimes students confuse similes with metaphors. Remember a metaphor does not use like or as. It compares two things directly.

Simile Example 1: "Ordinarily, there was a certain symmetry, a military neatness to the handicaps issued to strong people, but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard."

Simile Example 2:"They leaped like deer on the moon."

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What idioms are present in "Harrison Bergeron"?

An idiom is an expression that has a meaning which cannot be derived from the combined meaning of its words. To put it somewhat differently, the words's literal meanings do not seem to come together to mean whatever the idiom does.

Idioms are particular to a language and culture and are, therefore, often difficult for non-native speakers to understand. In this story, Hazel says to her husband, George, "'You been so tired lately—kind of wore out," and the expression that one can be "worn out" is idiomatic because the combination of these words does not add up to mean very tired or exhausted.

When George tells Hazel that he'd be afraid to try "to get away with" taking some of the weights out of his handicap bag, he uses another idiom. He's not trying to physically move away from something with something else; he'd be attempting to do something illegal without being found out.

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What idioms are present in "Harrison Bergeron"?

An idiom is a non-literal phrase which has come to be accepted in a language as having a particular figurative meaning. An example of this might be that somebody has "missed the boat"—this person has not literally missed a boat, and indeed no boats were involved, but they have missed an opportunity. Interestingly, different languages often have completely different idioms for similar ideas: in English, something that happened a long time ago and no longer matters is "water under the bridge," whereas in German it's "cold coffee."

In this story, then, we can see some examples—George notes that the ballerinas are not very good because they don't want anyone watching to "feel like something the cat drug in"—that is, feel inadequate. We could also argue that the description of Harrison's appearance as being "Halloween" is idiomatic, as it requires us to have a working understanding of what Halloween represents in American culture.

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What idioms are present in "Harrison Bergeron"?

As a previous answer notes, Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is not particularly rich in idiom, partly because an idiom is a well-established pattern of language and Vonnegut is continually emphasizing the strangeness of his dystopia by disrupting such patterns to produce striking images. There are, however, at least two more noteworthy idioms besides those already mentioned.

The ballerinas on television are masked, so that no one seeing a pretty face or a graceful gesture "would feel like something the cat drug in." This suggests how the culture of equality could have arisen from widespread self-absorption. Instead of admiring talent or beauty, people immediately compare themselves to the talented or beautiful person and feel inadequate. This idiom provides a very clear image of the shabbiness and humiliation they would feel.

At the end of the story, George says "You can say that again." This is an idiom expressing agreement. Hazel takes it literally and repeats her comment word for word, underscoring the difference in intelligence between George and his wife, despite his handicap.

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What idioms are present in "Harrison Bergeron"?

Let's take a quick moment to define the literary device in question. 

What is an idiom? An idiom is a phrase or saying whose meaning is unrelated to the individual words within itself but instead is hinged upon some sort of cultural meaning. 

What idioms are in Harrison BergeronTo be honest, there are very few idioms within Kurt Vonnegut's short story. It is mostly composed of metaphors and deep visual imagery. However, here are two idioms: 

"Equal before God and the law" - This saying relates to sentiments within the Old Testament and the Declaration of Independence (USA). It's meaning is not necessarily related to the words directly within it but is a statement of overarching clarity and severity. There is no exception to such a rule. 

"right back to the dark ages again" - Unless the reader has cultural knowledge of what the "dark ages" are, this saying is nonsensical. This era, often referred to as the Medieval time period, developed this nickname as a means to contrast it to the period of enlightenment, or the Renaissance. The dark ages were not literally dark but were meant to be ignorant and violent. 

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