Kurt Vonnegut Jr
Harrison Bergeron
Text prediction
• The year was 2081, and finally everyone was
equal. 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.
• How do you think the world has been made
‘equal’?
Harrison Bergeron
LET’S READ!
Plot questions
1) What is the main idea in this Dystopian society? What
happened to make society run like this? Why might people
want this type of society?
2) Who is in charge of enforcing this and how is this
enforced?
3) Why is Harrison taken away from his parents?
4) Describe Hazel’s level of intelligence. How does this make
her behave?
5) How is George different from Hazel?
6) What does Harrison attempt to do and why?
7) What happens to Harrison as a result of this?
8) How do George and Hazel respond?
Pair Discussion
1. What do we think the story is about?
Consider ideas such as ‘playing God’, is
equality always a good thing, how much
control is too much control, is equality
more valuable than freedom?
2. How do we feel about the charactersdo you have more sympathy for George or
Hazel? Why?
3. When Harrison frees himself his first
action is to declare himself in charge of
everything- as the emperor. How do you
feel about this?
Satire
Satire is any kind of writing or art that
ridicules or mocks some weakness in
individuals or in society.
The main weapon of the satirist is
laughter. The methods of satire are
mockery and exaggeration. When
something is presented to us as
ridiculous, its flaws comically
exaggerated, we have to laugh.
The satirist’s hope that this laughter is
the first step in bring about change.
Harrison Bergeron Satire
How does “Harrison Bergeron” fit the qualities of a
satire?
What attitudes is he mocking?
What kind of change do you think Vonnegut is trying to
bring about?
The satire Harrison Bergeron raises a serious
question concerning desirability of social equality
and the extent to which society is prepared to
achieve it.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr
• Vonnegut described himself
variously as a sceptic, freethinker,
humanist, Unitarian Universalist,
agnostic, and atheist. He
disbelieved in the supernatural,
considered religious doctrine to be
ridiculous and believed people
were motivated to join religions out
of loneliness. He rejected the
divinity of Jesus
• Vonnegut is influenced by
his early work as a
journalist in Harrison
Bergeron.
• His sentences are short and
easily understood so as to
be largely accessible.
• A dystopian setting
enhances his social and
political critique by
imagining a future world
founded on absolute
equality through handicaps
assigned to various aboveaverage people as
punishment for being a little
better than others.
Writing style
• Vonnegut also punctuates his dystopia with
humour. Even the most horrifying scenes are
underlined by jokes or absurdity.
• When the news announcer is supposed to
read a news bulletin he has to hand it to a
nearby ballerina because of his speech
impediment, and the ballerina then alters her
voice to a "grackle squawk" because it would
be "unfair" to use her natural voice,
described as a "warm, luminous, timeless
melody". This absurdity highlights the
madness of the world of "Harrison
Bergeron".
Character Profile Activity
• Each of you will be given instructions for
this activity.
• Glue these in your books.
• Do 2 character profiles (George & Hazel)
• Draw the profiles in your exercise books.
Theme
• Main idea/theme= the balance between
equality and freedom. Government control
over a society.
How do we see the theme through?
• Harrison Bergeron and his quest for freedom from his
handicaps?
• Diana Moon Glampers and her execution of Harrison?
• George Bergeron and his reaction to the death of Harrison?
• Hazel Bergeron and her reaction to the death of Harrison?
Writing your thoughts down
• What are some of the problems that arise
in a society in which people are made to
be “equal every which way”? Use
evidence from the text to support your
answer.
• In this society, we are typically taught that
equality is always the best option. What is
the difference between believing that all
people are equal under the law and
believing that all people are the same?
Use text evidence to support your answer.
Paragraph Responses
Students are to write two paragraphs on refill
about Harrison Bergeron to be submitted for
feedback.
Para 1: Describe and explain how one character
helped you to understand a theme in the story.
Hazel
Harrison
Diana Moon Glampers
George
Paragraph Responses
Students are to write two paragraphs on refill
about Harrison Bergeron to be submitted for
feedback.
Para 2: Describe and explain how one event
helped you to understand a theme in the story.
Hazel’s crying
Harrison’s escape from prison
Diana Moon Glampers executing Harrison
Reactions to Harrison’s death