“Harrison Bergeron” Questions
Answer the following on a separate sheet of paper:
1.
What is the meaning of the title? How does this affect the reader’s initial response to the work? Why would the author choose this as the title instead of something else which would tell a reader more about the work?
2.
Describe the setting. Address time, place, climate (weather or political), etc.
What can a reader infer about the time in which it was written? Could this be a response to some event/movement/government?
3.
Identify the main characters. Could these characters represent something larger than their simple personas? Could this work be allegorical?
A: Who is the protagonist? How does the action surround this character?
B: Who is the antagonist? How does he/she spur the protagonist into action?
C: Are the characters main, major, minor, or catalysts? What puts them into these
categories?
D: Are the characters flat/round? Static/dynamic? If they are dynamic, have they
experienced an epiphany?
4.
Describe the plot. What is the major turning point? How can a reader come to understand the work’s theme by analyzing the plot?
5.
What is the point of view? Is the narrator naïve? Does a reader miss out on any major information because of the narrator? Does the reader gain more info than needed because of this narrator?
6.
Look at DIDLS and give examples:
D: Diction- Are the names significant? Is there any repetition? Any unusual or
nonsensical words? Any unknown words which may affect understanding of
meaning? Is any of this an allusion? Does it make it seem satirical in any
way? Can a reader tell anything about the genre based on the diction.
I: Imagery- Does the author use any symbolism? Metaphors? Similes? What
emotions does the author attempt to convey through his/her use of imagery?
What mood does this create?
D: Denotation/Connotation- Does the author use certain words to mean more than
their definition? Does this express the author’s tone?
L: Language- Look at the author’s style. Does he/she use complex language,
simple language? Does he/she employ the use of sarcasm? What is the tone
like? Happy, sad, ecstatic, melancholy, morose, monotone, sarcastic, cynical,
melodramatic, etc? Does this tone affect the reader? Does it change mood?
Are there shifts in tone anywhere throughout the work? If so, why
would the writer do this?
S: Syntax- What are the paragraphs and sentences like in this work? Are they
short and choppy, long and eloquent, are there—perhaps—a great deal of
sentence fragments? Do any of the sentences begin with coordinating
conjunctions? What about the use of dashes, parentheses, punctuation? Do
any of these draw the reader into any particular quotes? Are these important?
If so, what function do they serve?
7. What theme does the author attempt to express? Does he/she succeed?