English 10
Inside Stories II / Irony & Symbol
"Harrison
Bergeron"
Commentary:
"Harrison
Bergeron" is a satire that follows a recognized story pattern: like many other works, it presents a vision
of a utopia that is flawed. Before reading this story most readers would
likely agree that our society values the idea that all people are equal,
particularly in the eyes of the law.
Kurt Vonnegut has taken the idea of equality to the extreme and created
a story about a society in which everyone has been made equal in every
way. Such an equality is possible, of
course, only if handicaps are given to people born with extra beauty, grace,
strength, talent or intelligence. The resulting
world is a sad one in which clownish figures live lives of mediocrity.
Pre-reading:
1. Research the concept of utopia as
presented in literature.
2. Is everyone in our society equal? Explain.
Should everyone be made equal in every
way? Why, or why not?
3. Is it possible to create a perfect society? Comment.
Questions:
1. Find three examples of similies
from the story and explain how each example
contributes
to the story's tone. 6
marks.
2. How does the story's opening
paragraph contribute to what happens later
in
the story. 4
marks.
3. Create a poster designed to
encourage people to treat others as equals.
or
Create
a poster advertising one of the views of utopia you found from
literature.
or
Create
a poster of your view of utopia.
10 marks.
Total 20 marks.
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