Harrison Bergeron Comparison

      The story Harrison Bergeron is about the year 2081 when everyone was finally equal. No one was smarter, better looking, stronger or quicker than anyone else. This was caused by the 211th, 212th and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General Diana Moon Glampers. In April, where it drove people crazy by not being springtime George and Hazel Bergeron's son Harrison was taken away by the H-G men, it was a tragic event but Hazel having perfectly average intelligence could only think in short bursts, while George had an above normal intelligence which forced him to wear a small little handicap radio in his ear, that would send out a sharp noise every twenty seconds or so to make sure George doesn't take an unfair advantage of his brain, making it almost impossible for both of them to think about that day. George also has to wear forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag. One day Hazel saw that George looked quite tired and she wanted him to take out some of the lead balls but George refused and said " two years in prison and two thousand dollars for every ball I take out, I don't call that bargain." George also said that if he had tried to get away with it, everyone else would also get away with it and then the dark ages would be upon them again with everyone competing against each other. While their conversation was going on a news bulletin had appeared on screen, it was not clear at the start of what the news bulletin was about because of the announcers speech impediment but a ballerina had came on the set to say the news bulletin and she read with a warm, luminous and timeless melody that she quickly apologized for, and read in a uncompetitive voice: " Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen, has escaped from jail where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, who is under handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous. If you see this boy do not- I repeat do not- try to reason with him." As she finished a shriek of a door being torn from its hinges was heard as screams and barking cries followed. George watched the television and had identified this person to be his son Harrison, shortly after George's metal handicapped had went off making George's realization completely forgotten. Back at the studio Harrison Bergeron stood in the middle of the floor, with the studio's door knob still in his hand. Harrison cried "I am the emperor, the greatest ruler than any other man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!" Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, his scrap-iron handicaps crashed to the floor, he snapped his head harness like celery, smashed his headphones and spectacles against the wall and flung away his rubber-ball nose, revealing a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder. Harrison then selected his Empress and the danced, then started to jump, they jumped higher and higher and higher! After a few moments it was obvious that they wanted to kiss the ceiling which they did and they kissed each other inches below the ceiling for a long, long time. Suddenly the handicapper general Diana Moon Glampers came into the studio holding a double barrelled shot gun and fired twice, the Emperor and Empress died before they hit the ground. The Bergeron's television tube burned out shortly after and George winced as there was a sound of a riveting gun in his head.

      Similarities
      - They had the right date.
      - Handicapper General was named Diana Moon Glampers.
      - There was George and Hazel.
      - There were earpieces used.
      - There were H-G men.
      - There were Ballerinas.
      - There were handicaps.
      - Hazel saying " that one was a doozy."
      - Hazel wanting George to take out some of his lead balls.
      - There was a news bulletin.
      - Announcer had a speech impediment.
      - Harrison escaped from jail.
      - Harrison is a genius, athlete, under handicapped and extremely dangerous.
      - There was a double barrelled shot gun.
      - Hazel said " If she was Handicapper General, she would put on chimes on Sunday."

      Differences
      - The ballerina did not say the bulletin in the movie.
      - Harrison's eyebrows were not shaved off in the movie.
      - Ballerina did not sway like a willow when she got up to become Empress in the movie.
      - Ballerina takes off her own handicaps herself in the movie.
      - One musician did not play all by himself in book.
      - There were no headphones on Harrison in the movie.
      - Harrison did not have wavy glasses in the movie.
      - Harrison did not have a rubber nose in the movie.
      - The book said nothing about transmitters.
      - Did not say in book that Diana Moon Glampers did not wear her handicaps.
      - In the book they never defuse any transmitter.
      - In the book it never says that people's television were turned off.
      - In movie Harrison did not jump with the ballerina.
      - Never kissed the ceiling in the movie.
      - Harrison never kissed the ballerina in the movie.

      Overall I preferred the book instead of the movie because the movie did leave some things that the book had like the wavy glasses and rubber-ball nose. In the book I could better understand what was going on as it was in more detail. I could also read at my own pace and can go back and reread as long as I would like to get a better understanding of what was happening. The last thing is because if there is a word I do not know I can see how to word is spelt on text and look in the dictionary or internet instead of trying to listen to how to word is pronounced then try to spell it my self.

      My favorite moment was in the movie when you could see Harrison have a button that looked like a bomb detonator, then you see underground what looks to be a bomb that the H-G men just defused. Thinking that it was over for Harrison  you see him push the button and see another machine that looked like a bomb, its light lit up and I thought BOOM, but instead I saw the television at the Bergeron's come back on and it surpised me as I thought it was a bomb all along which was very clever of Harrison and kept me enthralled until the end.

From,

Jake Leung 8B