Devon Nicholson

English 10

Mr. Barazzuol

25 September 2016

 

The 13 Additional Amendments of the United States of America

After reading the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, one may wonder the regulations of living in their society. An individual may consider the laws of being detained by the government, wearing handicaps in public, and the procedure of deciding who is considered average. Firstly, as stated in amendment 204, the government has the right to arrest or detain any individual that violates the laws set by the government. The detainee will be denied bail if deemed necessary, not be informed of the reason of arrest, and to be presumed guilty. The author demonstrated this amendment when Harrison Bergeron was abducted from his home. Harrison was not provided the opportunity of bail and was immediately found guilty of being overly powerful. The boy was not informed why he was in jail and was abused by officers. Secondly, amendment 210 declares that the government has the right to punish any individual who removes their handicaps in a public area. The removal of any handicap will result in a fine, detention time, or persecution. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. displayed this during the rebellion in the music hall. Harrison removed his handicaps, as well as the ballerinas and musicians. As a consequence, he and his empress were shot dead, while the musicians were forced to reapply their handicaps or face punishments. Thirdly, amendment 212 claims that any physical or mental enhancement including makeup, Botox, narcotics, or natural superior attributes are illegal and will be degraded down to societies level. These punishments could include extra handicaps or the complete removal from society. Every person in the short story has limitations on what could be worn or thought. Any individual who used enhancements or was born with above average features were forced to wear handicaps to return them to standards. This short story confirms that living in an equal society is dangerous as well as impossible due to laws created by the government, for instance, the rules of being imprisoned, wearing handicaps in the community, and deciding who is average.