Equality is something that many people have had to fight for. Imagine a dystopian United States in 2081, where everyone is equal. Above average people have disabilities and are therefore equal to normal people. A powerful symbol in this story is the television that Harrison's parents watch. In this story, lost authority, the impact of television, and forced equality are all visible. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Television is a very important symbol in this story. The television in George and Hazel Bergeron's living room is showing the story. Television is an immensely powerful force that sedates, governs and terrorizes the characters of “Harrison Bergeron”. To emphasize the primary importance of television in society, Vonnegut makes it a constant presence in his story. The whole story takes place while George and Hazel are sitting in front of the television. Television primarily serves to keep citizens sedated. Hazel cries, but as she is distracted by the ballerinas on the screen, she cannot remember why she is crying. The government also uses television to enforce its laws. When talented people like Harrison are on the loose, the government issues warnings about them. The government shows the photo of Harrison with his mutilated beauty and his strength dissipated by disabilities that were "300 pounds of metal, a red rubber nose, headphones and glasses." The photo is a way to find the supposedly dangerous escapee even if the citizens don't remember him, but it is also a way to intimidate viewers. This gives them a visual example of what happens when a disabled person escapes: "Harrison is killed and his parents who had just seen him die and forget about him seconds later." Television further transforms into a means of terrorizing citizens when Diana Moon Glampers shoots Harrison with her double-barreled shotgun. Live execution is an effective way to show viewers what will happen to those who disobey the law. The government also uses television for propaganda purposes. The lost authority is visible in the brief moments when Harrison proclaims himself emperor, destroys his state-imposed disabilities, and dances magnificently on state television, the power of government is lost. Although this moment is short-lived (a government agent shoots Harrison dead while he is dancing), his dissent nevertheless shows that individuals might still have power under totalitarianism. Harrison's exceptional existence proves that equality is not absolute (otherwise he could not have achieved such an extraordinary feat), and therefore that state power is not omnipotent. However, even though Harrison Bergeron is an extraordinary individual whose very existence poses a serious threat to Vonnegut's totalitarian government, the story of his execution by the government and the subsequent inability of his parents to remember being Witnesses to his assassination ultimately suggest that once the government has consolidated enough power, individual dissent has little effect. Vonnegut writes that as Harrison danced, "not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but also the laws of gravity and the laws of motion." The language and imagery of weightlessness (the destruction of physical disabilities; the "physical neutralization of gravity through love and pure will" as Harrison and the ballerina float to the ceiling) surrounding the..