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.

 

  1. 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?"

 

  1. This story uses dialogue to shape characters. How is each of the main characters shaped by what he/ she says?

 

  1. Is this story about Harrison, or is it about the "other people of his world?" Explain.

 

  1. What is the tone of this story?

 

  1. What does it mean to be equal? What do you feel is Vonnegut's view on equality? Does being equal mean conformity?

 

  1. 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?

 

  1. 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?

 

  1. Is competition good, bad, or a little of both? Why do you feel that way?

 

  1. Imagine you are the Handicapper General. How would you hinder the talents of the following individuals: Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Will Smith, and Pablo Picasso.

 

  1. What ideas or programs do you think Vonnegut might be ridiculing in "Harrison Bergeron?" Should we take Vonnegut's tale to heart? What message or THEME does Vonnegut's tale have for us?

 

 

 

Your handout has a number written on it.  The Handicapper General has selected this number. 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 can only write in large, curly letters.
  2. You have a spelling deficiency.
  3. You are an excellent discussion leader.
  4. You can’t speak above a whisper
  5. You are nearly blind, but hear well.
  6. You have trouble sitting very long and must stand every five minutes.
  7. You have no problems and are agreeable.
  8. You need to act out things because you are unable to speak.
  9. You have a simple vocabulary, that of a 3rd or 4th grader.
  10. You must lie on the floor when you have to think hard.
  11. You are physically uncomfortable for some reason—you can invent the location and severity of the pain.
  12. You have trouble reading unless you read silently.
  13. You only do well if you can hear what you read.
  14. You need drawings to help you understand.
  15. You are excellent at making cartoons, which is good because you can't write.
  16. You must use a color of ink other than blue or black.
  17. You are allergic to pencils.
  18. You read with great expression and volume
  19. You work best if you can rhyme words in your answers.
  20. You are an expert at using alliteration (repeating beginning consonants)