In your opinion, what does it mean to be equal? Does being equal mean that everyone must be the same? What do you feel is Vonnegut's view on equality?

For the most part, when we talk about equality, we really mean equal opportunity. There's this idea, particularly by those who have never had to fight for equality, that any discussion of making things equal automatically means that those at the top are automatically going to get hurt. For example, these folks believe that affirmative action policies automatically mean that white males will face reverse discrimination in college admissions. In reality, most of these policies,...

For the most part, when we talk about equality, we really mean equal opportunity. There's this idea, particularly by those who have never had to fight for equality, that any discussion of making things equal automatically means that those at the top are automatically going to get hurt. For example, these folks believe that affirmative action policies automatically mean that white males will face reverse discrimination in college admissions. In reality, most of these policies, particularly their goals, is to ensure equal opportunity for minorities who might not have had the same chances as their white counterparts.

Kurt Vonnegut explores this idea of equality in "Harrison Bergeron" when all Americans are "equal" by law. But this doesn't mean that everyone has equal opportunities. Instead, this means the following:

"Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else."

In other words, Vonnegut's idea of equality means that society, even the physically and intellectually superior members of it, has been reduced to a lowest common denominator. There is no chance at excelling, which contradicts my definition of equality.

Those in Vonnegut's dystopian society welcome this version of equality, however. They see this form of equality as one that removes much of the conflict that inequality created in the years before. George Bergeron says this when his wife tells him to remove some of the handicaps that make him "equal" to her:

"If I tried to get away with it [...] then other people'd get away with it—and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

Overall, Vonnegut plays on the ideas of equality to create his world in "Harrison Bergeron." He is able to use our preconceived ideas of equality to create a world that no one would want to be part of.