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It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn’t think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. –“Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut

What makes this an example of irony?

Characters are forced to limit intelligence, which is normally a positive attribute.

George is forced to limit his own intelligence, but he does not know it.

Government officials mistakenly think that they are using radios to limit people’s intelligence.

This passage is an irony since characters are forced to limit intelligence, which is normally a positive attribute. Hazel is given freedom to think hard but couldn't do it since she had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts while George who has way above average intelligence could not use his mind since he is controlled. It is totally ironic and disadvantageous to both characters of the passage.

rachmaniaputr rachmaniaputr · Answer 2 · 2019-10-08T13:09:44+02:00

The answer is A. Characters are forced to limit intelligence, which is normally a positive attribute.

EXPLANATION

The excerpt about is from the book titled Harrison Bergeron. Harrison Bergeron is a short story that was created by Kurt Vonnegut. This dystopian science-fiction short story was published the first time in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Harrison Bergeron was publicized in the year 1968. Harrison Bergeron also achieved the 2019 Hall of Fame Award, from the Libertarian Futurist Society.

The main character of this story is named Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is a teenager with a lot of talent. He is a fourteen years old boy with an athletic body, intelligent mind, and good-looking face. Harrison was forced to be taken away from his parents, George and Hazel. In the era, everyone was forced to be equal. No one should be more intelligent, more athletic, or more good-looking than the others.

To make sure of equality, the government forces everyone to wear handicaps. These handicaps are designed differently for each person. If the person is good-looking, then they have to wear masks. If the person is athletic and has a good body, they will be forced to wear heavyweights. An intelligent person is also forced to wear loud radios, so they can’t think clearly.

The plot of the story is focusing on George and Hazel watching their son, Harrison Bergeron escapes from prison. In the end, Harrison dies, while Hazel and George live their life without knowing that their son had died.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

Forced uniformity in Harrison Bergeron: https://brainly.com/question/7048651

Excerpt from “A Modest Proposal”: brainly.com/question/8607857

KEYWORD: Harrison Bergeron, handicaps, government

Subject: Social Studies

Class: 7-9

Subchapter: Harrison Bergeron