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Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
KURT VONNEGUT
- Born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Studied at Cornell University from 1940 to 1942
- After studying at Cornell, he enlisted in the U.S army
- He served in Europe and became a prisoner of war
- After war he married Jane Marie Cox
KURT VONNEGUT
- He also adopted his sisters 3 children after her death
- Didn't start writing until his first novel ""Player Piano"" in 1952
- Attempted suicide in 1984 while dealing with depression
- Died in 2007 at the age of 84, due to a severe head injuries
SUMMARY
Harrison Bergeron is a story based in the year 2081. It's about how everyone became equal. No one was smarter, better looking , stronger, or quicker than anybody else. If you were smart, then you received a chip that would make dumber. If were pretty, you wore an extremely ugly mask. Society was equal yet Harrison Bergeron had other plans . He was in prison but he broke out and terrorized a ballerina show because he was trying to show that he was above everyone. Yet the handicapper general, which is the person in charge of the society, came in a shot Harrison dead with a shotgun. And no one knew the wiser because of the equality
put forth by the handicapper general. It's a story that emphasizes communism.
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Themes
Equality isn't always for the better; ""they weren't only equal before God and the law, they were equal every which way."" Being equal in every way destroys people. If there's no unique aspects about people, life is boring and often pointless. Communism creates rebellions; "" Do you hear, I am the emperor, everybody must do what I say at once."" Communism tries to make everyone equal yet it causes people to want something more. This is the case here, everyone is the same but Harrison sees that he wants to be above everyone. To me that proves how dis functional communism is.
Photo by Kenny Jeffery (KLJ3)
Characters & Point of View
The protagonist of the story is Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is the protagonist of the story because he tries to invoke change with his society. He should have gone about changing his society in a much different way, maybe a peaceful protest, not trying to make himself emperor. The antagonist is the handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers because she is the one who created the equality for everyone. She disabled the uniqueness of each individual person and caused this communism society. The dynamic characters are George and Hazel because they are the examples that display how equality and communism don't work. The story is told in the 1st person point of view and it's important because the narrator gives details that play an important role. The narrator gives a lot of the background information on the society and what the character are thinking.
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Plot Diagram
The exposition of the story is when the narrator explains the equality of the story. Also when George and Hazel display how equality is shown in their society. The rising action is when George and Hazel are watching the ballerina show on their TV. The climax is when Harrison barges in an terrorizes everyone. The falling action is when the handicapper general comes in and shoots Harrison and his empress dead. The resolution of the story is when George and Hazel's TV goes out and they completely forget what had happened to their son on TV.
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Tone & Mood
""Even as I stand here crippled, hobbled, sickened, I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived!"" This quote emphasizes the harsh attitude put forth by the author. It shows the dislike of world equality. "" Reckon it'd all fall apart, society? Wasn't that what you said? Who knows?"" This is the author displaying humor, showing that having an equal intelligence causes confusion and between people and loss of memory. "" Diana Moon Glampers loaded the gun again, she aimed it at the musician and told them they had ten seconds to get their handicaps back on."" This is where the author displays the seriousness behind a society based on having equality.
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Setting
"" The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal.""The setting is important to the story, in my opinion because it shows what life can be like in the future. I think the story tells us what we need to do in order to avoid a life of complete equality and what life would be like if everyone were equal. It shows how important being different truly is.
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Foreshadows
""If you see this boy do not- I repeat do not try to reason with him."" This is a foreshadow because it expresses the suspense behind the character Harrison and how it makes it seem as if he is a terrible person. When in fact he's trying to expand on the idea of change and being different. ""Screams and barking cries of consternation came from the television set."" This quote exemplifies what the characters , George and Hazel, are seeing on their TV.
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Conflicts
A conflict in the story is equality. In the story the characters George and Hazel say that if people don't follow the laws they have on equality society would fall apart. ""Reckon it'd all fall apart. What would? Society? Wasn't that what you just said? Who knows? The illusion is equality itself. That if your equal then there will be no issues. When in fact that's not the case. The reality is society is falling apart by people following the law on equality. By people being the same, it allows no difference between people which causes people to rebel against the unjust law.
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Literary terms
"" I am emperor, do you hear, I am emperor, everybody must do what I say at once."" This symbolizes how having equality will cause people to rebel against it. That telling everyone to be the same will cause someone to be different. "" The realization was blasted from his mind instantly by the sound of an automobile collision in his head."" This is imagery, which shows how George was feeling at the moment. That the realization of his son being on TV was really an eye opener. "" Scrap metal was hung all over him."" This is a metaphor for how everyone being equal put pressure on Harrison to be different. That he was carrying weight on his shoulders for not stepping up and making a change.
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