Name:
Packet “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
Invitation to Learn: Do the following tasks.
1. Draw with your opposite hand
2. Draw with your eyes closed
3. Draw with your pencil in your teeth
4. Draw with the pencil between your knuckles
Building Vocabulary: Complete the graphic organizer.
1. Words From Text
vigilance
Meaning from
context
Root
Prefix
Suffix
vigilare (Latin) keep
-ance, denoting a state of
awake
All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the
Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States
Handicapper General.
Your Definition:
Create a new
sentence
2. Words From Text
wince
Meaning from
context
Root
Prefix
Suffix
Middle English – kick
restlessly from pain
George winced. So did two out of the eight ballerinas. Hazel saw him wince. Having
no mental handicap herself, she had to ask George what the latest sound had been.
Your Definition:
Create a new
sentence
3. Words From Text
envious
Meaning from
context
Root
Prefix
Suffix
envieus (Old French)
–ous, the nature of
jealous
"I'd think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds," said Hazel a
little envious. "All the things they think up."
Your Definition:
Create a new
sentence
4. Words From Text
Root
glimmer
glaem (Old English) bright
Meaning from
context
Create a new
sentence
Prefix
Suffix
-er, denoting a person or
thing
He began to think glimmeringly about his abnormal son who was now in jail,
about Harrison, but a twenty-one-gun salute in his head stopped that.
Your Definition:
5. Words From Text
luminous
Meaning from
context
Create a new
sentence
6. Words From Text
consternation
Meaning from
context
Create a new
sentence
7. Words From Text
synchronize
Meaning from
context
Root
Prefix
Suffix
–ous, the nature of
luminosus (Latin) shining
Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody.
Your Definition:
Root
Prefix
consternationem ( Latin)
confusion
Suffix
-ion, action, condition,
result or effect
Screams and barking cries of consternation came from the television set
Your Definition:
Root
Prefix
Suffix
synkhronos (Greek),
happening at the same
time
Harrison and his Empress merely listened to the music for a while-listened gravely, as
though synchronizing their heartbeats with it.
Your Definition:
Create a new
sentence
8. Words From Text
calibrated
Meaning from
context
Root
Prefix
kalib (Arab), mold
Suffix
-ate, extend the verb
The picture showed the full length of Harrison against a background calibrated
in feet and inches. He was exactly seven feet tall.
Your Definition:
Create a new
sentence
9. Words From Text
hindrances
Meaning from
context
Create a new
sentence
10. Words From
Text
symmetry
Meaning from
context
Create a new
sentence
Root
Prefix
hindrian (Old English) to
harm
Suffix
-ance, denoting a state of
-s, more than one
He had outgrown hindrances faster than the H-G men could think them up.
Your Definition:
Root
symmetria (Latin),
agreement in dimensions,
due proportion,
arrangement
Prefix
Suffix
-y, full of
Ordinarily, there was a certain symmetry, a military neatness to the handicaps
issued to strong people
Your Definition:
Making Meaning Through Annotations: Follow directions on the story text.
Identify-Analyze-Summarize: Complete this graphic organizer
thrh
Comprehension of Text (TDQ): Remember you must use “text evidence” to support your ideas.
1. In the first paragraph, Vonnegut uses
the words “unceasing vigilance.” What do
these words mean? What implications do
they have in the text?
2. Indirect characterization is when an
author develops the character through his
actions, dialogues, thoughts, appearance,
and other character reactions. How does
Vonnegut use indirect characterization to
create sympathy for George and Hazel?
Use textual support.
3. How does Harrison’s rebellion reveal
his character and his values? Support your
opinion with evidence from the text.
4. Vonnegut uses the term “neutralizing
gravity.” What does “neutralizing” mean?
Why does he use this term in this part of
the story, and how does this word choice
emphasize his point?
5. Identify some figurative language in the
description of the scene with Harrison and
the dancing Ballerina. How does the
language affect the tone of the piece, and
what does it reveal about what Vonnegut
values?
6. The entire narrative takes place as
George and Hazel sit in front of the
television. What is Vonnegut’s purpose in
having the television set as the primary
setting? Cite textual evidence for the
significance of the television.
7. Just after watching the televised murder
of his son, George hears “the sound of a
riveting gun in his head.” Why does
Vonnegut reference this particular kind of
tool? How might this multiple meaning
word enhance the themes in the story?
Thinking Critically: Analyze the movie version of the story with the original text.
Element that was
changed or kept the
same
Effect of this decision on the telling
of the story
Preference: Did this decision
increase your understanding
of the story
Most Important
Important
Somewhat Important
Not Very Important
Closing Out the Learning: Is it a good thing for people to believe that no one is better than
anyone else? Would it be a good thing if, in fact, no person were better than any other person?
Respond.