“Harrison
Bergeron”
by
Kurt
Vonnegut
Pre‐thinking:
1. Do
you
believe
in
equality
for
all?
2. When
are
things
not
equal,
or,
rather,
when
is
it
okay
for
things
(skills,
financial
assets,
talents,
opportunities,
appearance,
etc.)
to
be
imbalanced.
Post‐reading:
1. What
is
Vonnegut
saying
about
human
potential?
2. What
is
the
difference
between
fairness
and
equality?
3. Are
people
the
same?
Should
they
be?
4. What
are
the
individuals
in
this
story
missing
out
on?
5. Can
you
think
of
any
areas
of
life
in
which
mediocrity
is
preferable
is
excellence?
6. Does
our
society
encourage
or
discourage
mediocrity?
How
about
schools?
In
athletics?
7. Does
our
society
encourage
or
suppress
individuality?
8. Which
government
characteristic
from
the
story
is
the
most
repressive
(e.g.,
tries
to
make
all
people
thoughtless;
can
shoot
people
who
don’t
obey
laws;
doesn’t
allow
artistic
free
expression;
can
take
people
from
their
homes)?
Movie
and
short
story:
The
movie
Harrison
Bergeron
differs
considerably
in
plot
from
Vonnegut’s
short
story.
However,
do
they
differ
from
each
other
thematically?
The
following
are
some
theme
subjects
in
“Harrison
Bergeron,”
the
short
story.
1. Oppressive
government
2. Freedom
3. Civil
rights
4. Ignorance
vs.
knowledge
5. Media
influence
6. “American
Dream”
7. Individuality
vs.
conformity
8. Fear
of
Competition
ESSAY
QUESTION:
Compare
Vonnegut’s
satirical
intent
in
his
short
story
“Harrison
Bergeron”
with
that
of
the
film
by
the
same
name.
Discuss
the
differences
in
plot
from
the
perspective
of
how
those
differences
convey
effectively
(or
not)
Vonnegut’s
theme.
Is
the
story
or
the
movie
more
effective
in
conveying
satire?
Explain.
Essay
must
be
typed
(12‐font),
double‐spaced,
and
two
–
three
pages.
Rough
Draft
due:
_______
Final
Draft
due:
_______