Welcome to the Monkey House, Harrison Bergeron, and...

Kurt Vonnegut was a man of disjointed ideas, as is expressed through the eccentric protagonists that dominate his works. Part cynic and part genius, Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliance as a satirist derives from the deranged nature of the atrocities he had witnessed in his life. The reason Vonnegut’s satire is so popular and works so well is because Vonnegut had personal ties to all the elements that he lambasted in his works. Vonnegut’s experience as a soldier in WWII during firebombing of Dresden corrupted his mind and enabled him to express the chaotic reality of war, violence, obsession, sex and government in a raw and personal manner. Through three works specifically, â€Å"Welcome to the Monkey House,† â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† and Slaughterhouse-five,†¦show more content†¦Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.† (Harrison Bergeron, 1.) The idea behind this opening paragraph is to show how ridiculous government powers have become, as well as warn people that governments are increasingly taking over the freedom and personal attributes of the individual. The same argument and ridicule can be found expressed in the short story â€Å"Welcome to the Monkey House.† Vonnegut introduces the absurd control the government has over the individual in the fictitious society by stating â€Å"So the world government was making a two-pronged attack on overpopulation. One pronging was the encouragement of ethical suicide, which consisted of going to the nearest Suicide Parlor and asking the Hostess to kill you painlessly while you lay on a Barcalounger. The other pronging was compulsory ethical birth control.† (Welcome to the Monkey House, 30.) As a satirist, Vonnegut goes where others don’t dare; he satirizes the future in a cauti onary manner to express concern for the possibility of future government power. Sex is another element Vonnegut satirizes. Perhaps not to caution, but to reveal the twisted ways in which our current society treats sex. No doubt seen in every form of media and in every war, this theme can be found in Slaughterhouse-five andShow MoreRelated`` Harrison Bergeron `` By Kurt Vonnegut1875 Words   |  8 Pagesequal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else† (Vonnegut 864). In the futuristic short story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. illustrates a government implemented law of equality forced upon a society. Vonnegut a social commentator utilizes satirical events in the story to illustrate irrational thoughts and ideas from society. Satire is a special form of literature that