Harrison+Bergeron


 * Humanity Power Point Assignment - see bottom of this page

Harrison Bergeron – Response Questions**

1. What has guaranteed equality in the story?

The handicaps guarantee equality. The good-looking people have to wear masks, the big and strong have to carry around tons of weight to slow them down, and the intelligent are not allowed to have intellectual thoughts.

2. How old is Harrison?

Harrison is fourteen years old.

3. What has happened to Harrison and why?

Harrison was taken away and put into prison because he was on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.

4. How has the government made George and Hazel equal? What does George have to wear? And what does this do?

The government has made George and Hazel equal be giving them handicaps. George was given a tiny mental handicap radio and it would transmit sharp noises every twenty seconds or so to prevent him from having an intelligent thought.

5. What does Hazel say she would do if she were Handicap General?

Hazel says that she would use chimes as a sound for the mental handicap on Sundays to honor religion.

6. What is the name of the Handicap General?

The Handicap Generals name is Diana Moon Glampers.

7. What is the consequence for taking lessening the weight of the handicap bag?

The consequence is two years in prison and a two-thousand dollar fine for every ball taken out.

8. What reason does George give for not trying to cheat?

If one person were to get away with cheating, then others will too. This would change society and make it back into the Dark Ages where everybody was competing against each other.

· Because of this reason, what can we infer about George’s opinion of the current laws?

George supports the current laws and does not want the society of the Dark Ages.

9. Why wasn’t the news bulletin clear at first to George and Hazel and other viewers?

The news bulletin was not clear to the viewers because the announcer had a serious speech impediment.

10. Why did the ballerina apologize about her voice?

The ballerina had to apologize about her voice was because her voice was "warm, luminous, timeless melody." She then had to make her voice sound ugly so then she is not different from everybody else.

11. What is the news bulletin?

Harrison has escaped from jail. He is under-handicapped, an athlete, and a genius, making him very dangerous.

12. Describe Harrison Bergeron with all of his handicaps?

He had a tremendously large pair of earphones rather than a small ear radio because he was too smart. He also wore glasses with think, wavy lenses with the intent of not only making him half-blind, but to give him headaches as well. There was scrap metal all over Harrison, equal to about three hundred pounds. This handicap was given to Harrison because he was so strong. Harrison also had to wear a red rubber ball for a nose, has to shave his eyebrows, and put black caps on his white teeth.

13. What does Harrison declare on television?

"I am the Emperor! ... Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once! ... I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I //can// become!"

14. What happens to Harrison? Be specific.

After he gets his Empress, he demands music for dancing. He then removes all of his and the ballerina's handicaps, and they begin to gracefully dance to the music. They leaped as high as they could, and "kissed the ceiling." While in mid-air, the Handicapper General stomped into the studio with a double-barrelled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired it twice. Harrison and his Empress were immediately dead.

15. What does this story suggest about human nature?

When Harrison demands for music and trashes all of his handicaps, he is clearly making a stand for what he believes in. He clearly believes that the world should not be handicapped and should have more freedom. In our world, humans are allowed to have freedom and choice. We are not handicapped, and we are allowed to show off our strengths. Competition is not forbidden, it is encouraged (to a limit). In our world, we are also allowed to stand up for what we believe in. We do not get shot for protesting. Standing up for what we believe for is a strength of ours, it would not be handicapped like Harrison was.

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title:__

Point of View: 3rd person

Protagonist: Harrison.

What type of character is the Protagonist? Round, static

Antagonist: Handicaps

Describe the setting The story is set in 2081, where everybody is equal to the point where they are the exact same. "They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else."

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Society

Describe the main conflict:

The conflict is that the law requires people to wear handicaps to make everybody equal.

Describe the Climax of the Story:

The climax of the story is when the news bulletin reports than Harrison has escaped from prison and is reported to be highly dangerous without handicaps. Harrison then comes into the studio and removes his handicaps, as well as a ballerinas.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?

Harrison went to prison for suspicion to overthrow the government, and still believed that the government was wrong at the end of the story. He still believed that the laws were unfair and wrong.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.

"Harrison Bergeron" relates to the theme because the title is the protagonist, and it tells us that he is the main character that we should focus on. What Harrison did was protest for what he believed in by taking off his handicaps, and the theme is to stand up for what one believes in.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?

No matter how big the problem, we must always stay true to what we believe in and take a stand if it does not feel right. The handicaps are the roadblocks in his protest. In some cases, others are not even allowed to think without the Handicapper General interfering. Harrison does not let these handicaps get in the way of his beliefs.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?

Harrison took off his and the ballerinas handicaps to show that people should not need handicaps. He believes that people should not be forced to hide their good qualities, but rather, show them off.

Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile:

"...their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in."

Metaphor:

"The rest of Harrison's appearance was Halloween and hardware."

Personification:

"His thoughts fled in panic..."

Symbol: Foreshadowing (give both elements):

(Beginning of story) "Individuality and intelligence are not only illegal, but dangerous to those who dare defy the Handicapper General."

Harrison broke the laws, and the Handicapper General shot him.

Irony: "...since the announcer, like all announcers, had a serious speech impediment...'That's all right--', Hazel said of the announcer, '...he tried to do the best he could with what God gave him.'"

The irony is that the government gives them the speech problems, so God did not really actually give him that voice. Imagery: "She was referring to the forty-seen pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag, which was padlocked around George's neck." Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. Humans are allowed to have individuality, and are allowed to show off their emotions and their special traits. Nobody is the same, because if people were the same, there would not be any competition or fun in this world.