What literary devices are used in "Harrison Bergeron"?
There are many literary devices used in "Harrison Bergeron." The story begins with exposition— the revelation of background information that can help the reader to understand the characters, setting, and conflict—in which the narrator explains when this story takes place, as well as the changes which have...
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resulted in an ultimate kind of "equality" among people.
George Bergeron is compelled to wear a "mental handicap radio" that sits in his ear, and it emits a horrible sound every twenty seconds so that he cannot maintain a train of thought. When the buzzer sounds, his thoughts flee "in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm." This description constitutes both personification and a simile. George's thoughts are described as feeling panic and are compared to thieves, who would run as soon as they hear the sound of a house alarm.
The story also relies on some pretty intense irony, which is created when expectation differs significantly from reality. We typically think of "equality" as a really wonderful thing, but, in "Harrison Bergeron," the reality of equality is actually repressive and counterintuitive. George cannot even carry on a conversation with his wife because of the horrifying sounds going off in his ears every twenty seconds. Ballerinas are weighted down with heavy bags so that they are no more graceful than the average person. No one is allowed to exercise or appreciate their strengths, as those strengths are negated by devices meant to equalize them. Instead of making life better for all, it actually makes life worse for many.
How does the author use language techniques to evoke feelings in "Harrison Bergeron"?
You might want to think about a specific part of this great short story to analyse rather than the story as a whole. For example the use of language towards the end of the novel when Harrison Bergeron makes his sudden appearance as the "Emperor" is designed to create a hopeful, happy mood as we see somebody successfully rebelling against the rules and restrictions imposed on this society of equality. Consider the following use of language:
Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well.
They reeled, whirled, swivelled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and span.
They leaped like deer on the moon.
Note how language here is used to emphasise their grace and beauty as they dance. The simile at the end compares them to deer who are able to leap uninhibited (in sharp contrast to the rest of the dancers with their hindrances) and the beauty of their motions enables them to defy the laws of motion and gravity. Consider the list of verbs that describe their movements, highlighting their skill and grace.
Unfortunately, however, this hopeful mood is brought to a sudden stop when both the Emperor and the Empress meet an untimely demise at the hand of Diana Moon Glampers.