Harrison Bergeron  by Kurt Vonnegut

Your “handicap” is #_________________________(see attached sheet)

Groups must work together to create equality within the group. “Handicaps” must be considered and individuals within the group must work to provide equality. Complete the questions based on the abilities of your collective group members. Groups must have a recorder(s) and turn in one copy of the responses to your “Handicapper General”  (me). 

When your group completes the questions, you may drop the handicap, but I would like your group to write a paragraph about what problems you encountered in your group, what you did to accommodate all handicaps, and what you learned.  Address the question “Do equality and sameness mean the same thing?”

 

  1. Is this story plot dominant or character dominant? Explain.
  2. Vonnegut has been lauded for his ability to blend satire and serious insights into human nature. What is the social issue behind the story? Is it resolved? What are the various "insights?"
  3. This story uses dialogue to shape characters. How is each shaped by what he/ she says?
  4. Is this story about Harrison, or is it about the "other people of his world?"
  5. What is the tone of this story?.
  6. What does it mean to be equal? What do you feel is Vonnegut's view on equality? Does being equal mean conformity?
  7. When Harrison Bergeron is completely free from his handicaps, he defies the laws of gravity and motion. What might Vonnegut be suggesting about the potential of free human beings?
  8. In traditional stories, the hero is a superhuman figure, superior to ordinary people. Usually the hero "saves" people from an enemy. In what passages is Harrison superhuman? How are the results of Harrison's efforts an ironic reversal of what happens in the traditional heroic stories.
  9. Is competition good, bad, or a little of both? Why do you feel that way?
  10. Imagine you are the Handicapper General. How would you hinder the talents of the following individuals: Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Meg Ryan and Pablo Picasso.
  11. Rewrite the ending of this story. Imagine that Harrison is NOT killed and he becomes Emperor. What changes would he make?
  12. What ideas or programs do you think Vonnegut might be ridiculing in "Harrison Bergeron?" Should we take Vonnegut's tale to heart? What message does Vonnegut's tale have for us?

13. Suppose the characters in "Harrison Bergeron" each represent someone or something. Make a list of the characters and who/what they may represent or symbolize?

14. Are there any truly heroic or great people in "Harrison Bergeron"--Why or why not? If you found any, who were they and why?

15. Do you think there is a "moral to the story"--Why or why not? If your group found one (or more) what is it (or what are they)?

16. What is the experienced truth of "Harrison Bergeron"?--what kind of real experience(s) does it express?

17. Why do you think Vonnegut wrote this story?

 

Your handout has a number written on it.  This has been selected by the Handicapper General. Find the corresponding handicap and assume the persona indicated as you join your group to complete the class assignment. In your group, make every effort to understand that each person is working to the best of his or her ability.

 

  1. You are an excellent writer.
  2. You have a spelling deficiency
  3. You are an excellent discussion leader.
  4. You can’t speak above a whisper
  5. You have trouble writing anything except simple sentences; s-v-o
  6. You are an expert in Vonnegut’s style of writing
  7. You don’t understand what satire is, but can learn if taught
  8. You understand movies and visual media, but struggle with reading.
  9. You are nearly blind, but hear well.
  10. You have trouble sitting very long and must stand every five minutes.
  11. You have no problems and are agreeable.
  12. You need to act out parts of the story if you can’t understand them.
  13. You have a simple vocabulary; that of a 3rd or 4th grader.
  14. You have an extensive vocabulary and like to write in complex sentences
  15. You must lay on the floor when you have to think hard.
  16. You are physically uncomfortable for some reason—you can invent the location and severity of the pain.
  17. You are physically perfect.
  18. You have trouble reading unless you read silently
  19. You only do well if you can hear what you read.
  20. You need drawings to help you understand
  21. You are excellent at making cartoons
  22. You must use a color of ink other than blue or black.
  23. You are allergic to pencils.
  24. You read with great expression and volume
  25. You work best if you can rhyme words in your answers.
  26. You are an expert at using alliteration (repeating beginning consonants)
  27. The only way you can concentrate for more than five minutes is to take a stretch break.
  28. You have to say “I Love English!” every ten minutes (Tourette’s symptom)