Question

THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. There were tears on Hazel's cheeks, but she'd forgotten for the moment what they were about. George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn't be handicapped. But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. "If I tried to get away with it," said George, "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."

1. Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
2. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
3. Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
4. Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
5. The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Answer 1

1. Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.

2. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.

3. Citizens have a fear of the outside world.

4. Citizens live in a dehumanized state.

5. The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage in the question is from the very first paragraph of the text of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron", a novel about a dystopian world. This excerpt shows the perceived "perfect utopian world' whereas the citizens still seem to be under the constant threat of being 'punished'.

The passage is also an example of the characteristics of a dystopic world that is the setting of the story. Here, propaganda is used as a means to control the citizens, with the restriction of the information and various other independent thoughts. This led to the fear and reluctance of the citizens in associating with the outside world, and the dehumanization of the perceived perfect society. All these is an illusion that the society they are living is the perfect utopian world.