My Handicap

3. What would my Handicap be?

As I read through Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. many thoughts run through my head.  How disgusting the society is.  How hypocritical the government is.  How pitiful the characters are.  The story takes place in a futuristic society where equality has been declared in the future United States, where everyone wears handicaps to express this equality.  The main characters themselves suffer from such restrictions, such as to their intelligence or strength, because they have been deemed 'unfair'.  But of course I wondered what type of handicap I would have.  To know that I would have to know myself pretty well.  If I was overconfident of myself I would easily say that the amount of Handicaps I would have would be as extensive as Harrison Bergeron, the heavily handicapped rebel of the story.  But if I thought of myself as a lowly and stupid individual, I would say that I wouldn't have any handicaps.  But this all goes back to one question:  What truly makes a person talented or unique?  Every human being has something special about them and it doesn't necessarily have to be something to compete with.  But that is the whole point of the limitations of this dystopian society.  Those traits that you have that can be used to compete with are what they shunn, such as someone's ability to memorize quickly, or someone's attractive looks.  Everything that we take seriously in our society is taken away in this story.  No more chances for competitions like spelling bees, swim races, math contest, science bowl, or even the olympics.

If I were to follow that course of traits then I would have handicaps on my hands and brain mostly.  I believe that because I am mostly a silent person which  means I think a lot about life and many aspects that come across.  This has lead to my ability to analyze people and texts which may be used for enhancing my status, whether it be in grades or academic achievements.  The handicaps on my hands would mostly limit my love for drawing and painting.  Such arts are limited like the ballerinas in the story.