“Harrison Bergeron” Study Questions

The opening sentence implies that the fact that everyone was equal in that manner was a good thing, something that we have been striving for. People were given handicaps so that no one would have an advantage over anyone else. Capitalism and democracy cannot prevail without competition so they must be gone. Totalitarianism has come with Diana Moon Glampers has found a way to control everyone and make them think it is for their own benefit. The elimination of advantages, difference, and competition suggests that these are the things that cause inequality.
These changes would be impossible under American capitalism because the people who have power, CEO’s, government officials, the wealthy, and the famous, would not allow anyone to make all people equal. They like being the best. The human tendencies of empathy and compassion could result in such a world. If middle class greed, envy, and pettiness spread, it could cause such a world because the middle class could over throw the people in power. The popularity of shows like Oprah hints that Americans enjoy watching compassionate people. Oprah is a role model because she gives to people and allows “ordinary people” on her shows and gives them advice along with physical things. Barbie dolls were redesigned to look more like “real” people in order to help young girls develop positive body images. Teachers inflate students’ grades when they show effort in order to make students feel good about themselves. Organized sports giving all members of the team playing time and giving trophies to every child on the team helps to give children self-esteem. These trends suggest that Americans want all people to feel like they are equal whether they have talent or intelligence or not.
The agents of “United States Handicapper General” makes sure that everyone is equal and that no one is smarter, more talented, or more beautiful that anyone else. Such agents are massive threats to society. They have power over everyone and can pretty much do whatever they want to. Political overthrow or revolution could cause such absurdities. Giving government way too much control could lead to this. These agents develop handicaps that people must use to make themselves equal with everyone else. They imprison or kill anyone who does not use proper handicaps.
Vonnegut might be parodying affirmative action, equal rights laws toward women, and civil rights laws. Conceptions that equality means everyone doing the same thing, that no one is better at anything than anyone else motivates radical mediocrity.
Equality related to commercial life means that everyone has the same buying power, everyone has the same quality of products and wage laborers have to pay everyone the same as what they are being paid. Yes, capitalism causes inequality but allows movements for equality. The tension of inequality is such an irresolvable force that no one short of an extreme radical could cause true equality.
Hruska statement reflects the American attitude that mediocrity is not good enough. Vonnegut seems to be saying that people will never be equal unless they are all willing to settle for mediocrity and never live out their true potential. He seems to be saying that competition is important.
George and Hazel Bergeron are described as an intelligent husband who is greatly handicapped and a “normal” wife. They lead a “normal” life just like everyone else. Vonnegut is parodying the average family and warning against believing everything you hear. Television, radio, and the mass media tell you only what they want you to know and then switch quickly to the next subject, which most often keeps you from thinking for yourself.
Harrison Bergeron is such a threat to society because he is incredibly talented, incredibly strong, and incredibly handsome. He also does not believe that he should have to be handicapped in order to make other people feel good about themselves. He is fourteen years old and has been handicapped by three hundred pounds of scrap metal, head phones, glasses, a red nose, and no eyebrows.
Harrison appearing where his escape was being reported made it so that the whole world could see him and what he had to say. He says that he is the Emperor because he is so superior to everyone else. I’m not sure Vonnegut is suggesting a return to feudalism and aristocratic political institutions, he was just saying that Harrison was superior.
Harrison is trying to show the world how could it can really be, instead of constantly being plain and normal. His actions can be compared to Sammy’s in that he was trying to be a hero and make a change and also he did pick an empress as Sammy did his queenie. Sammy’s actions were caused by this girl and his fascination with her. Harrison’s were caused by his talent and his frustration that he was not allowed to use it. The young strive for change and the old just see things the way they’ve always been. The damsel in distress motif translates to people needing a hero to come in and lead them to what’s best.
Harrison tells the musicians that he will make them barons and dukes and earls in order to motivate them to do what he wants them to do. Such noblemen would follow their emperor and obey him without question. By following his orders, the musicians obviously wish to become noblemen and therefore do not want to be equal with everyone else. They want to be better. Beauty and aesthetics play a big part in Harrison’s rebellion. He himself is extremely handsome and his empress is truly beautiful. Unveiling their beauty to the world makes the world know that everyone is not equal and allows for them to be followed.
Harrison and the ballerina’s dance and kissing represent beauty and talent and desire in a world where these things have been completely banished and hidden. Their dance was so beautiful and graceful it seemed as if they were defying all laws of gravity and motion and doing with their bodies only what they willed.
Diana Moon Glampers shooting down Harrison and the ballerina shows that she will go to any length to keep the world how she wishes it to be. Her name suggests that she is hard and cold as the dark side of the moon. Her character is similar to Lengel’s in that they both were extremely set on everyone following the rules just how they felt they should be followed. They’re also similar in that they both ended a fantasy for the protagonists in the stories.
Hazel Bergeron forgets what she is crying about because she is mentally handicapped, not by the general but just by life. The last line of the story signifies the monumental typre of day that has just occurred and been completely forgotten.
The appropriate limits to enforcing equality is making sure that everyone gets a fair shot but not limiting people from being the best that they can be and not stopping the better suited, more talented person from getting the job or winning the election or whatever. People should be given equal opportunities but actual results should depend on personal quality and talent because if you make laws saying that you have to hire a person just because they are a minority it limits the majority from having a shot and being the best that they can be.

Questions on "Where are you Going, Where have you Been?"

You would think that the main character would be Connie, however, in a lot of ways, you could see the main character being Arnold since is the main symbol. In so many ways, he was represented as the devil. Just as Connie had been out enjoying herself, the "devil" came along and presented himself as a friend in order to get what he wanted.The house serves as a metaphor for Connie's identity because the mother had been trying to paint the house for years. I think this symbolizes the mother's desire to change her daughter into a responsible young lady. The numbers 33 19 17 are often thought to be representative of the Bible story in Judges. In the story a man's concubine runs away from him. The man eventually gets her back, but treats her badly. In the end, the man kills her. The moral of the story being that you should always speak your mind or you could end up in a situation that you did not want. This clearly relates to the story as Connie definitely ended up in a bad situation. I think the biggest image in the story was that of Arnold Friend. I believe that he was supposed to create the image of the devil. Many things such as his stance but especially the way he came across makes me think this way. Much like the devil, Arnold comes to Connie like he's "an old friend" (take out the first r), but as the conversation goes on, the reader quickly realizes that he's nothing but "an old fiend" (take out both r's). This is also how the devil acts.

Essay 9/22

Every day, people do crazy things. It seems like they are getting more and more bold. I think a lot of these problems are coming from our increasing lack of morals. The articles that were posted on the blog this week inspired the movie and short story "Where are you Going, Where Have you Been" by Sharon Oates. Both of the articles were about how teenagers back in the sixties had a stupid lapse in judgement. It seemed like all the kids were interested in was their own personal pleasure. In the movie "Where are you Going, Where Have you Been", two girls run around trying to find guys. There is nothing wrong with trying to meet new people. Unfortunately, these girls were obsessed with it. They sought only their own pleasure. This in turn caused both of the girls to have a lapse in judment and cost them both dearly. Because they put themselves out there like they did, one girl ended up getting pregnant while the other ended up getting stalked by a guy who eventually ends up raping her. If both of the girls had just cared about anything other than themselves, the situation would have been different.

The three stories, “A & P”, “The One Girl at the Boys’ Party”, and “Rites of Passage” all are somewhat abstract stories and all have hidden meanings and themes behind them. They are all made up of pieces, that if broken down, it can sometimes help you see the greater meaning behind them.
In class, we did an exercise for all the stories. First, we took all the pieces that make up the short story or poem and organize them. Then, we took all of these pieces and looked at the way that the author used them or put them together. After looking at the way the pieces are put together, we can sometimes get a better view of the puzzle that the author laid out in their work.
This process helped me see the stories in a different way and see a better moral and theme than what I had initially made. First, we take apart “A & P” and begin to see that Updike was not just trying to tell a story, but trying to display a feeling of empty heroism or vanity. I think that Updike was just trying to show people in a story that a lot of times, heroism and good deeds go overlooked or completely unnoticed. Second, in “The One Girl at the Boys’ Party”, Olds appears to be using a play on words by using math to describe something in a beautiful way, but after taking this poem apart, we begin to see that she may actually be trying to show how the girl stands her own amongst the boys and how she is not the little girl that Olds wants to be. In other words, the Olds was trying to show how the girl was growing up. In the last story, “Rites of Passage”, Olds might seem like she’s just describing her son’s birthday party, but upon a closer look, we will see that she uses many similes and metaphors to describe the boys that would normally be used to describe men and vice versa. I think that she is trying to show that boys often act like men and men often act like boys, or even perhaps she is just saying that boys never really grow up.

Sharon Olds

“Rites of Passage”

Like “A & P”, Sharon Olds has a somewhat abstract way of writing. In her poem, “Rites of Passage”, she uses the setting of a boy’s birthday party to connect the show of man’s desire to be the strongest. With the six and seven year olds, she pits them against each. With the men, she displays them as war generals. I think that this shows the connection between men and boys by linking them together and showing that men, in some ways, never grow up; she is comparing a scuffle of a six and seven year old to the wars of men.

“The One Girl at the Boys’ Party”

This poem, “The One Girl at the Boys’ Party”, like “Rites of Passage”, is also an abstract poem, but in a different sort of way. In this poem, Sharon uses mathematical personifications to explain the outcome of a little girl at a boys’ party. I think Sharon uses a strange, yet very creative form in this passage. She relates the world in all numbers. Like in “A & P”, it makes you have to think about what you’re reading than what you would have had otherwise.

In Reflection to John Updike's Interview

In the interview, John Updike was asked many interesting questions, many of which helped shed light on what made him want to write the story. The interview did help me understand why he wrote the story and where he was going with it, but I do not think that it changed my opinion on Sammie’s status as a hero. Many of the questions asked were about why the story went the way it did. These questions did make me see a little subtle view on Sammie as far as a hero, but I still think that it is not enough to call Sammie a hero.

What is a Hero?

Since the beginning of time, heroes and heroines have been a part of history and folklore. The dictionary's definition of a hero says that a hero is someone who "in the face of danger" displays "great courage and self-sacrifice". That is a pretty good definition of a hero, but it does not exactly explain it specifically. What exactly is a hero? What makes up a hero? Is it just the qualities from a dictionary or does it mean having a certain mindset? I believe that a hero is a little bit different than what is stated by the dictionary. I believe that a hero is someone who takes the difficult road just because it is the right thing to do. A hero is someone who puts themselves last when it comes to the well-being of others. This means that a hero not only displays a feat of courage and self-sacrifice, but also he/she does not just do this for the publicity or to look good. A hero does it because he/she wants to out of the goodness in his/her heart and out of knowing that it is the right thing to do. In "A & P", Sammie displays what he thinks is heroism. In one way it was heroic, and in another way, it was not. Sammie did have the right intentions by standing up for the girls. Unfortunately, Sammie's desire for their attention led him to defend them a little drastically and in the end, he lost his job for something rather stupid. Overall, Sammie may be considered a hero had he had the right intentions in mind. Instead, he acted out of desire and personal interest. This stupidity and selfishness backfired on him and instead of looking like a hero, he ended up looking like a fool.

Assignment for 9/8/09

pg. 6

1. The sun tended to use persuasion to control the man instead of force like the Wind.


2. The harder he blew, the tighter he held it to him.


3. The sun made somewhat of a compromise with the man instead of forcing him to do his willing like the North Wind attempted to.


4. To serve as a model to show that persuasion is better than force.


5. Often times it is better to get what you want by dealing with someone rather than trying to make them do what you want.

pg. 8

1. The beginning; 2 (the part when Chuang Tzu is describing the tortoise)
2. He does it to make a point; he wanted to give the officers the picture that he would much rather be fishing than being cooped a palace.
3. He is into the simple things of life.

pg. 19

1. Just an average guy working in a supermarket; detail is important here in order to give the reader the most vivid picture of what is going on.
2. The author does a good job in portraying Sammy's image. Although standing up for the girls was heroic, what he did was a little outlandish just so the girls would notice him. This is much like the doctor in "Godfather Death" who would tempt death just to get a beautiful princess to notice him.
3. When the employees are being introduced; to give the reader a good view on why Sammy is acting the way he is.
4. He seems to be becoming more and more infatuated with the girls.
5. When Sammy really wants the girls to notice him; when the manager confronts the girls; when Sammy says that he quits.
6. So the girls will notice him; he wants them to look at him as a hero.
7. He seems to be obsessed with the girls and doesn't seem to like his manager too much.
8. That Sammy knows that his actions were about to make life much harder.
9. You have to abide by the rules in order work in that kind of business.