Item 1: Identify the central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron," the resolution of that conflict and the resulting main theme of the story.
Item 2: Explain how TWO of the elements of short fiction discussed during the unit are used by Kurt Vonnegut to reveal the theme you identified in Item 1.
The central conflict of the story is an external conflict, man vs society. Harrison is an intelligent, strong, and handsome man and realizes that what the H-G people are doing to them is wrong and tries to show that to people during the broadcast. The conflict is resolved when Diana Moon Glampers shoots Harrison and the ballerina with a gun. The main theme of the story is that equality eradicates the freedom, individual achievement and personal expression of people. In the story, everyone is equal, meaning that no one can be smarter, stronger, or more beautiful than others. This takes away people's freedom to be able to express themselves. They can't convey the unique traits about themselves because it could inflict jealously from others. Because of this there is no competition either. Competition between people drives them to work harder so they can surpass their competitor to win. Without this people aren't able to evolve.
ReplyDeleteThe author uses plot and character to reveal the theme. The author uses plot and character to show how controlled and brainwashed everyone has become. Throughout the story, the author uses third person so we can see everyone's actions, but we aren't able to see their inner thoughts. One main character that helps reveal plot is Hazel. She represent the "normal" or "average" people of the society because she has no handicaps. She has a low mental and physical ability. This show how the society has become mediocrity.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is the handicaps that make everybody equal as can be. Such as the hearing device in George's ear that makes him forget his thoughts since he is above average intelligence. When Harrison tries to break the equality in the society he gets shot by Dianna Moon Glampers. Which is the theme of the story which is that there is no such thing as true equality or inequality.
ReplyDeleteOne element of short fiction is character. The character of Harrison was outgoing and revolting towards authority, but only because he was sticking up for his opinion. Although the society that he lives in is against revolting and being outgoing so he is shot dead. Another element of short fiction setting. The setting in "Harrison Bergeron" is in a futuristic United States were everybody is equal the way that everybody wants it to be now. Kurt Vonnegut uses this to his advantage to show that equality doesn't exists because everybody is different. To show that the future that everybody dreams of is really a nightmare. His uses setting to show that equality and inequality can't exist.
The main conflict of Harrison Bergeron is Man vs. Society. The more specific conflict is whenever Harrison breaks out of jail and goes on live television. He took off all his handicap attire and starting claiming that he was the emperor and everyone must do what he says. The resolution of the story is whenever the handicapper general Diana Moon Glampers comes in and shoots him dead. The main theme of this story is that total equality is not as simple as it is thought to be. I believe this, because to all be the same they have to be handicapped and some of them have to deal with heavy weights and earplugs going off in their ears. One element Kurt Vonnegut uses in this story to identify the mood and tone. Now that everyone is handicapped it seems like a better life. So the mood and tone are upbeat almost. However actually it is depressing considering they all have to have things wrong with them. Another way the author uses an element to develop is through the characters, mainly George and Hazel. He uses this, because he shows how much pain and suffering they go through so that everyone is equal. Also he shows how confused and forgetful they are because their handicaps are ruining there lives.
ReplyDeleteThe main conflict is between Harrison Bergeron and the impact the government has on society. The government had such strong ties on society that had them afraid of Harrison because of his features and abilities. They were trying to lock him up with the strongest chains so that he would not interfere with the government wanted society to be. This ties in with theme. The theme of the story is that total equality hides what makes you unique. The government want everyone in society to be at the same intellectual levels, and everyone to look different so that nobody can be judged or be different in their own way.
ReplyDeleteKurt Vonnegut uses the characters and conflict to reveal the theme. The author creates the theme by the characters and how they react to the conflict.The characters in the story are used to show how the government wanted society to be completely equal. It caused conflict between the protagonist(Harrison Bergeron) and the antagonist(the government). The government wanted to control Harrison as much as they could. Through the conflict, you can discover the theme.
The central conflict is between Harrison Bergeron and the society in which he lives in. He creates a conflict with society by challenging the government's system and attempting to break free of the rules and laws. The resolution of this conflict is when Diana Moon Glampers shoots Harrison. This resolution creates the theme of forced equality. Everyone in the society is forced to the act and think the same, no one has an advantage in any field. The setting helps reveal the theme. The setting allows the reader to understand where the characters were in an equal world. This creates a visual to really represent the way all individuals have the same opportunities, and only the same opportunities. This is all also expressed through characters. Hazel and George are able to be evaluated for ways the government makes sure all are equal. George hears loud noises in his ear to cut off his train of though and Hazel could only think in short bursts. The setting and characters tie into the role of theme.
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict in "Harrison Bergeron" is Harrison against the society he lives in because in the story Harrison does not agree with the handicaps given to him or others by the United States Handicapper General. Since he doesn't agree, he rebels against the government and decides to make himself the emperor. Harrison, in this conflict, represents individuality while society represents equality. The main conflict is resolved when his parents go back to life because they do not remember the murder of their own son. Ultimately society wins, Harrison's father continues to be impaired and his mother remains in ignorant bliss. The resulting main theme is excessive equality, when it eliminates individuality, can be dangerous. The theme is equality can have a downside because in the story no one can be better than anyone else. Therefore, individuality is lost and those who have greater abilities are impaired. Equality of this kind has a downside because those who are greater are living in an unjust life.
ReplyDeleteVonnegut uses the plot of "Harrison Bergeron" to reveal the theme. In the story, exposition informs the reader of the state of the U.S. 2081 and introduces the narrative hook. The hook of "Harrison Bergeron" is how people are handicapped so no one is better than anyone else which causes the prevailing conflict. The rising action intensifies the story because this is where the news of Harrison's escape and his declaration of being the emperor occur. The climax begins with Diana Moon Glampers entering the ballet and ends when she kills the Harrison and the ballerina and threatens the musicians. The falling action brings the reader back to the Bergeron home where they continue to talk about their trains of thought. The resolution occurs when Hazel repeats her description of his handicapper sound and everything is the same. All of these elements equate to the theme. Each section leads further into the how excessive equality can be dangerous. The reader is able to understand the dangers of equality through the actions of the characters and the plot.
Vonnegut uses mood and tone as a way to convey the theme. In the story, the mood is very dark when describing the handicaps and society as a whole. The reader is able to tell that the author does not favor this kind of equality and his tone is almost ironic. Once Harrison frees himself the story takes on a more pleasant mood. The couples dancing is described in a light and happy manner. Ultimately though, the mood returns to a dark mood and ironic tone because the so called equality withstands the story. The mood and tone assist in the revealing of the theme because the reader is able to see how the author feels and understand the darkness and irony that comes with the futuristic equality.
The central conflict in Harrison Bergeron is Harrison vs the society that he lives in. The resolution to that conflict is that him and his empress are killed by gun shot by the Handicapper General. The main theme in the story is the danger of equality in society. This is shown by people having to wear things to make them equal and people like Harrison getting in the way but then dying. Two elements of short story fiction are characters and the setting. The characters are used in the theme because it shows that not all the characters are equal and some have to wear handicaps so that now everyone is equal. The setting is also used in the theme because it shows in the setting that even in the future not everyone will be equal and this helps the theme be what it is.
ReplyDelete1. The central conflict of Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is how the government and Harrison did not get along. Harrison was an excellent person and the government wanted for him to have average intelligence. The conflict is resolved when Harrison gets shot by Diana Moon Glampers. When he gets shot the government proves their point that no one can be different. I believe that the main theme of the story is that freedom can be taken away from you. In the story the government is taking advantage of everybody by making them wear a handicap. This impedes with citizens minds.an example of this limited freedom is when it says," George's intelligence was way above normal, but he had to wear a mental handicap radio it is here." This is showing that the radio is limiting all mental thought processes in the citizens minds. This is not fair for any of them.
ReplyDelete2. The two short story elements I used were character and conflict. Kurt Vonnegut used characters to get the theme across. He did this by developing different characters that were involved in both sides, the government and Harrison. Kurt gave two sides on this predicament. The government, what did everyone to be equal. Harrison, wanted everyone to be different. Kurt also got the theme by developing a conflict between the government and Harrison. Harrison was already in trouble with the government when he broke out of jail.in the story it says,"Harrison Bergeron, age 14, "she said in a grackle squawk," has just escaped from jail, where he was held onto special enough plotting to overthrow the government." This excerpt from the passage explains the governments struggles with Harrison. Diana Moon Glamers(the government leader)shop Harrison and killed him. These are two elements Kurt Vonnegut used to portray theme in the story.
The central conflict of "Harrsion Bergeron" is man vs. society, Harrison challenges the rules of the society and even though he dies, he makes an impact on everyone watching the television.The resolution of the story is that his parents who were watching the tv soon after forget about what happens because of their handicaps. The theme of the story is the danger of equality. Kurt Vonnegut used setting and conflict as the elements of short fictions in his story. The setting in "Harrision Bergeron" is an important element to the story. The futuristic setting is in 2081 where everything is equal. There is no competition between anyone and where people are handicapped to be made equal as others. Without the setting of this story Harrsion Bergeron would have never tried to overthrow the government, which caused him to be in jail at the age of 14. Conflict is another important element. Without the conflict between Harrison and society there would be no way for the theme to be derived. The central conflict shows how equality is bad for society.
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ReplyDeletethe central conflict is harrison wanting to change the system back to the way it used to be. The resolution to the conflict occurs when he is shot and killed. The theme of this story is change is not always for the better. Even though equality seems well, diversity is what makes the world go round.
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vonnegut uses bothe setting and characters to derive theme. He uses the future to fully express the abilities of the changes. He also uses the description of the world to paint a picture of the change in the readers mind. He also uses characters to derive theme. He uses the body language, as well as personality and emotions of his characters to depict how they feel about the change. Therefore arriving at your theme.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is man vs. society because the society officials are restricting the thoughts and actions of individuals in order to maintain equality. The conflict is resolved by the two main characters George and Hazel, forgetting what they had watched on TV. By forgetting what they had watched, the officials had once again taken control of all the citizens. This results in the theme of the government having too much power.
ReplyDeleteTwo elements of short fiction that Kurt Vonnegut uses to reveal the theme are plot and character. Plot is used by creating the central conflict and resolution of the story, which ultimately helps reveal the theme. Theme can usually be discovered by examining the resolution of the central conflict, which is why plot was helpful to the story. Character is used to help develop the theme through character development. Throughout the story, George has multiple alarms that block his ability to think, which helps to develop the theme of the government having too much power.
The central conflict is man vs. society. It is man vs. society because in the society of this story they handi-cap the more intelligent and beautiful people so they are more like the lower levels of society. The main character is considered handi-cap because he is not like the lower members. The resolution is that the protagonist escapes from jail and removes all his handi-caps and tries to be free but the Handicapper General and Diana Moon Glampers walk in and shoot him. The theme is equality destroys freedom and individual achievement. That can be derived from how society in this story tried to create everyone equal but once everyone is equal it takes away competition between people which they need so they can work harder to achieve individual goals. One element used is mood. The mood of this story is tense, when the society is first introduced it has very strict rules and people will be fined and jailed for not following wearing the handicaps rules. Another element used is character. Character can be derived by the use of static characters as the main protagonists in this story (George and Hazel.)
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict of the story is that the people of 2081 believe that being equal is all that matters, therefore they will downgrade themselves with humiliating masks and tortures hearing devices. The resolution comes after a large problem breaks out because Harrison Bergeron is loose. The people that watch what is going on are starting to understand what positives there are to being different, and then suddenly their hearing devices or scattered minds bring them back to an unknowledgeable state. The theme is that no matter how unreasonable circumstances might seem, people will follow if it is the only thing that they were ever taught. This theme is developed throughout the story, but mainly in the exposition and resolution. In the exposition we learn background about George and Hazel. In a normal society, they are at different mentality levels, but in this society that is adjusted so that they are equal. In her eyes, Hazel's intelligence is perfectly normal, because she cannot remember anything other than in short bursts. George, on the other hand, had an intelligence way beyond normal. Because of this, he was required by law to wear a mental handicap radio in his ear. Within a certain amount of time, a transmitter would send out a sharp noise, making sure he was unable to take an advantage over others. In the resolution, we see what outcome has developed over the situation with Harrison Bergeron breaking free from jail. George and Hazel are talking about what happened, and just as everything gets crazy George leaves the room. Hazel is the only one left to witness what is happening on the television, but when George asks of the situation she cannot tell him since she does not remember. Hazel witnessed everything that happened, and just as she might have been starting to have a different opinion on her society, she lost thought. Her brain no longer held the image, and for that reason she continuously follows these deranged rules.
ReplyDeleteItem 1: The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is that the citizens are unfairly handicapped to make them all equal. This conflict is shown throughout the story, beginning with the description of George and his thoughts on the ballerinas. While the conflict does not rise dramatically until Harrison barges into the studio, it slowly rises as the readers learn about their society. Through Hazel and George's conversation, they learn about the extent of the handicapping. The readers also see that not all citizens are happy about it, especially the handicapped ones. It is clear that some of the citizens are not happy about the situation, but have no ability to stop it. The climax is when Harrison enters the studio and removes both his and a ballerina's handicaps. This represents the rebellion of the people against the unjust government and absolute equality. The central conflict is resolved when Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, kills both Harrison and his "empress". This signifies the government's ability to control the people. With the rebel gone, the people will forget about the problems of the handicap system and will continue living their lives' under the unfair rules. Through the conflict, a theme is evident. The main theme in "Harrison Bergeron" is that people were not created to be equals and that no one should try to hinder talents and abilities for the sake of equality.
ReplyDeleteItem 2: Of the short story elements used in this story, two predominately help reveal theme: setting and mood. The setting of Harrison Bergeron is set in America in 2081, only 67 years from now. Based on the description of the United States, it seems that, besides the handicapping devices, nothing technological or political changed in between modern day and 20181. In today's society, equality between genders and races are ongoing topics. Vonnegut uses setting to show readers the extremes of equality. While equality in America will never become that extreme, the author uses the similarities between 2014 and his setting to show the negative sides of equality and how it can harm people in a modern way. This is a large part of the revealed theme in the story. Vonnegut also uses mood to help express the theme. The author uses George Bergeron to tell the story to help express mood. Because George is handicapped, Vonnegut can use him to help express the negative side of absolute equality. For example, in the story it says, " But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear scattered his thoughts." Vonnegut also uses diction and beautiful words to describe the ballerina and her dance with Harrison. He uses these words here to show what equality can hide: beauty and true talent. Vonnegut's use of diction helps to convey the theme of the story quite well. He describes the handicaps as painful torture devices extremely well and emphasizes their negative effect. For example, "...but a twenty-one gun salute in his head stopped that." His uses of words lets the reader feel the pain of absolute equality, helping them get a better feel of the theme. These are the two main literary devices in the story and how they help deliver theme.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is that the society is forcing people to live by standards they shouldn't have to live by. For example, everyone has to use the same amount of brain power so they force you to wear earpieces that give off a sound which doesn't allow you to think beyond what the government wants you to think. Everyone has to be equal and exactly the same. The conflict is never resolved. However, Harrison Bergeron attempts to resolve the conflict by overthrowing the government, but gets shot and killed in the process, therefore allowing the problem to continue. The resulting main theme of the story is the danger in complete equality. Two elements of short fiction discussed during the unit used by Vonnegut to reveal this theme are the characters and the plot. The dialogue said by some of the characters helps deliver the theme. For example, at the end of the story when George and Hazel are speaking back and forth George asks Hazel if she was crying. Hazel says yes, but she doesn't remember what she was crying about. 'Forget sad things' is exactly what George said. Hazel was crying about the death of her son and she did not even remember something as major as that. Everyone being exactly the same is like having robots, the people are starting to stop showing emotion completely. The author uses plot to deliver the theme by using the plot arc to show how life was and how everyone was living, and all of it seemed horrible and miserable. Then he continued on by showing how Harrison Bergeron tried to overcome the government. This is showing that there are characters disagreeing with the idea of complete equality, however, Harrison got shot in the process of trying to resolve the issue. Then Vonnegut ends it by showing two people having a conversation, and not even realizing the problems happening around them and being blind to pretty much everything.
ReplyDeleteI believe the central conflict is a man v.s. society in that Harrison Bergeron is struggling to show his individuality and he is conflicting with the government who is trying to contain everybody by making them the same and follow the status quo. The resolution is when Harrison is shot and the government prevails and ends the individuality of Harrison Bergeron. The main theme portrayed through the resolution of this conflict is that it is a terrible idea to go against the government and strive for a goal which will inevitably not be reached.
ReplyDeleteHe uses characters such as Harrison to show that even if you strive for a goal you might not be able to reach it if you are going against everybody else. This is shown by Harrison being shot and dying an inevitable death. The other literary element he uses to describe theme is plot. Through his plot he shows that everybody is forced to follow the government and go along with all of their handicaps. Especially when the wife tells the husband to take some led balls out of the bag and he refuses. These plot examples show how that you shouldn't go against the powerful majority.
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict in this short story deals with Harrison and the government. He feels the goverment isn't being fair, and everyone shouldn't be equal. Because he is above most people his handicaps are worse than others. The resultion of this conflict was when Harrison and his empress, a ballerina was shot by the Handicap General. The main theme of the sorry is demonoshing what people have that's possible, doesn't fix other problems. The mood and tone of the story or gloomy,sollen and depressing. Mood and tone are two elements of fiction used to reveal theme. People who were more advanced didn't like being penalized. In being more handicapped, by being forced to be downgraded to equal everybody else. The time and mood are the same as how the people are feeling in the story.
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict is that the government's attempts to bring equality to all has resulted in nearly unbearable living circumstances, and one extraordinary boy takes a stand against the corrupted system. It is resolved with everybody immediately reverting back to their mindless, controlled state as if nothing happened. The main theme is that to take away all advantages and everything special about everyone is to reduce humanity, and equality is not always fair. Character, such as that of Harrison Bergeron, is used to convey this theme. Harrison's strong will and rebellious attitude helped show that being different can be utilized as an important tool. The setting, 2081, helps to convey theme as well. It shows how we are currently working towards the path of an anti-elitist society, and how things can go awry if we handicap too much.
ReplyDeleteItem 1: The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is that the United States Handicapper General is handicapping people so everyone is equal and no one has an advantage over anyone else. There is no resolution to the story because Harrison Bergeron is quickly killed while trying to overthrow the government and everyone is forced to put their handicaps back on, and George and Hazel Bergeron forget all about the attempt to overthrow the Handicapper General. The main theme is that there has to be diversity in the world.
ReplyDeleteItem 2: One element of short fiction that Kurt Vonnegut used in "Harrison Bergeron" to reveal the theme is by using characters. In "Harrison Bergeron" Vonnegut has all the characters have handicaps so they are all the same. This use of character makes the world that they are living in bland. A second element of fiction he used was plot. In "Harrison Bergeron" Vonnegut uses to plot to show that a world without diversity is bland and is not the unique world that it is meant to be. He shows this by showing rising actions and a climax and falling action that does not end in a resolution because with no diversity, no one really would have their own thoughts or beliefs.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is man vs. society. The conflict takes place between Harrison Bergeron and the government trying to oppress him. He is handicapped with hundreds of pounds in weights. When he takes them off, he can float in the air, showing that, without oppression, people can achieve great things. The conflict is resolved when Hazel and George forget the whole thing happened and return to normal lives. The system of the government worked the way they wanted it to and everyone forgot about the uprising immediately. Harrison, the only person fighting the brutal society created by the government, is killed by the Handicapper General. The society created is where everyone is equal. Equality has been America’s goal since the beginning of its history. The theme of this story is that equality may not be what people expect or what they want. Competition drives human evolution and technology, advancing our society, trying to out preform our competitors.
ReplyDeleteKurt Vonnegut uses tone and setting to express his theme. The tone of the short story is unusually calm and indifferent. The author uses simple phrases that we are unsure of, if they are a joke or meant to make us wince. The notation that all announcers have a speech impediment is comical, but the narrator says this as if it is an everyday occurrence. Ballerinas wear weights, yet Hazel still compliments their grace. The tone shows how humans may act if society is equal, and how they do not have independents thoughts or emotions. Setting is the second element of fiction used in the story to deliver theme. The story is set in America, the year is 2081. The story uses America and relates the equality of everyone to the United States Constitution by saying the equality is based on the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendment. The year is also 2081 but the Bergeron’s living room appears to be vague and not advanced, showing that without competition, humans will not advance. This means equality will not make society better, but destroy it.
The central conflict in Harrison Bergeron is the struggle for the mentally and physically gifted to fit into a society that is equal. In the story characters who are considered gifted are give handicaps to make them more "normal". The gifted characters mentioned in this story are Harrison, George, and the "empress"/ ballerina. The resolution to the central conflict is the moment where the Handicapper General shoots Harrison and the empress. Harrison's father, George, has his handicap make noise when Harrison is shot and does not remember what just occurred on his tv. His wife doesn't remember what had occurred either. The main theme from the story is there will never be full equality. The society tries to create a society with full equality, mentally and psychically. Harrison is a symbol for mental and physical freedom, as he is the "perfect" human. Harrison shows that there needs to be someone in charge with some more power than others.
ReplyDeleteThe way Vonnegut uses conflict and character helped me identify my theme. Vonnegut used conflict to help me identify my theme. The conflict in the story is the struggle for equality within society. The conflict is resolved by Harrison being shot. Harrison is also the reason for there not being fully equality within this society, which allowed me to identify my theme. I also believe character helped in my determination of the theme. Harrison is the unequal member of society. He is physically and mentally supreme. Since my theme is that there will never be full equality, and Harrison is the unequal member, he is the reason for my theme.
The central conflict of the story is that all people living in the United States are equal in every way possible. The resolution to this conflict comes when Harrison Bergeron fails to disrupt equality in the society, things go back to the way they were. The main theme that I derived from the central conflict is that there is danger in complete equality. Two elements of short fiction that Kurt Vonnegut used to reveal this theme are characters and setting.
ReplyDeleteThe setting of this story is in the future, specifically in the USA during 2081. He chooses this setting because today in the United States, equality is something that everyone wants and is striving to achieve. The theme is revealed in the story by showing what could happen in the future if we succeed in gaining complete equality.
The characters that Vonnegut uses to depict the theme are Harrison Bergeron and the rest of the country's citizens. All of the people are forced to make themselves equal to everyone else. For example, beautiful people must wear ugly masks, intelligent people must wear radios in their ears, and strong people are forced to wear weights. The forcing of people to be handicapped dumbs down the society overall. This reveals the theme by showing the dangers of equality. Harrison also reveals theme by showing that even the strongest of people will not be able to undo equality once it is done.
The central conflict is that the government wants to make everyone equal, both mentally and physically. In order to accomplish this, they require citizens that are more advanced, mentally and/or physically, to wear handicaps. By doing this, in the government's eyes, everybody is "equal".
ReplyDeleteThe main theme of this story is that man is power hungry. No matter the obstacles that Harrison and the others had to go through, they wanted to prove a point that they wanted their freedom and power back and ultimately they accomplished it.
Two elements of short fiction used to reveal the theme are character development and the exposition of the story. Character development is important because the story gave insight on how it was like for a character to have a handicap and the daily struggle they went through. Also, it showed how severe the handicaps were. As stated in the story, every 20 seconds a loud noise would go off and mess up the person's thoughts. This allows the reader to understand how well the government had control over the people. However, if they wanted to, they could work through the handicaps and strive for their goal like Harrison did. Exposition was critical because it provided the setting and what year this was all taking place. Also, by stating that they had 200 plus amendments, there had been a multitude of changes made to the United States. By reading the exposition, the reader can tell the government has "power" over the people, even though everyone is supposed to be "equal". This is how character development and exposition reveal theme in this short story.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is between Harrison and the society in which he lives. In an attempt to make society equal, the government sets handicaps on people who are believed to be better than others. Harrison is far more beautiful, strong, and intelligent than many others and therefore has to bear many handicaps. This also causes an internal struggle as he is not able to live up to his full potential. Proof of this can be seen when it is televised that he escaped and made plans to overthrow the government. It is clear by the description of his handicaps that he was a very advanced individual. A somewhat similar conflict occurs in society today in the sense that certain groups of people want everybody to be equal. They want taxes to be the same no matter what the income and they strive for social equality. The resolution of the conflict occurs when Harrison is shot and killed. His internal battle no longer exists and he was able to send out his message before his death. Unfortunately, this message could not be processed well by many due to the handicaps placed on their mental abilities. The main theme of the story is that forced equality may lead to danger. This can be shown when Harrison is shot and killed. Because he was able to do many things that other people could not, he wanted to spread his message about society. In doing so, he faced the punishment of death. Also, this forced equality becomes a slight danger when Hazel is unable to remember what had happened in the previous minutes. Her short memory and unintelligent mannerisms could potentially lead to many difficult situations in her lifetime. This theme is relevant to today because with the people who are for controlled equality come those who are against it. These people are generally the ones who have more and would therefore suffer a loss with the equality. It seems as though there is no way to satisfy both sides of the argument. Either way, somebody will be at loss. One of the elements of short fiction discussed during the unit was character. Character helped me reveal the theme of this story because it was through the actions and change that occurred within the characters that I was able to analyze the story. They led me to decide upon one central conflict, and eventually that grew into the theme. Another element of fiction that helped reveal the theme is plot. Without plot, there would be no story. By identifying the different points of plot (setting, climax, resolution, etc.) I was able to get a general idea of the message conveyed. I was then able to derive my theme through further examination of the details.
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ReplyDeleteThe main conflict would be man vs society. The characters face a problem with their dystopian society handicapping them and forcing them all to be the same. The resolution is that the characters are so surprised and brainwashed that they totally forget the problem after a few seconds.
The theme is that many people think that equality means everyone must b the same when truly it is when everyone simply has equal opportunities.
Element one: plot
The setting of the story is placed far into the future when we are supposed to be much more advanced and intelligent. However, the audience looks at the way the society is run as ridiculous and not as good as the one now.
Element two: characters
Through how ridiculous the characters are described to look like, the reader can find the way the characters' society tries to force everyone with all their handicap gadgets on them amusing.
1. The central conflict for "Harrison Bergeron" is man vs. society. It is man vs. society because Harrison goes against the sociaty and rips off his own handicaps, the muscians', and the ballerina's. The conflict is resolved when Diana Moon Glampers shoots and kills Harrison and the ballerrina. The theme is that equality is not always what is best.
ReplyDelete2. One of the two short story elements I used to identify theme was exposition. In the exposition the handicaps are introduced. The buzzer that goes off inside of George's head becasue he is of higher intelligence and the bags of birdshot that weigh people down to make everyone "equal". This shows equality is not always what is best becasue it indroduces the idea that smarter people are not allowed time to form iintelligent thoughts and very strong people can work to their full potential because of the weights. The second element of short story fiction I used was the climax. When Harrison and the Ballerina arwe dancing it is described as graceful. With the handicaps the dance was not graceful at all because no one dancer could be better than any other. This shows that equality is not always best.
The central conflict of “Harrison Bergeron” is man vs. man. Harrison does not agree with Diana Moon Glampers who is the Handicapper General. He does not believe in the handicaps that she is forcing upon the people. The resolution of this conflict occurs when Harrison is shot and killed by the Handicapper General. The resulting main theme of the story is that complete equality is not always a good thing. To achieve complete equality, the government had to handicap the people which stopped them from using their full potential.
ReplyDeleteKurt Vonnegut used character and conflict to reveal the theme. George and Harrison Bergeron for example had handicaps because they were too strong and smart. These handicaps were used to make them more equal to everyone else, but it also caused them pain. The conflict was between Harrison Bergeron and the Handicapper General. Harrison did not agree with the Handicapper General’s ideas so he decided to voice his opinion on TV. In his attempt to gain his rightful freedom, the Handicapper General shot him. This shows that total equality is not always good because people can die and endure pain for no reason.
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ReplyDeleteThe central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is one of man versus society. The short story's namesake, Harrison Bergeron, causes the main conflict. Bergeron begins to expose the unjust handicap laws imposed on the society while on a television program after breaking out of jail. A few civilians start to back him up, mostly out of fear.
However, the resolution occurs when the Handicapper General shoots Bergeron, silencing him, and all citizens return to the equalized ways of the society for fear of her and the government's harsh punishments.
The main theme, then, is that fear is a powerful tool when used to control people. In Bergeron's society, the people live in fear of what could happen to them if they do not follow the laws of total equality as enforced by the government.Those who attempt to go against the society's rules are censored or silenced, and made an example of what happens when people contradict the government.
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Character is essential when identifying the theme of "Harrison Bergeron." Bergeron is the only dynamic character, the only one who changes his opinion and differs from the others. Every other character is static, adhering to the majority's mindset, the law, and the jurisdiction of the government. This exhibits that the main theme must relate to Bergeron and what happens to him, as the only character who stands out.
The setting of the story also helps to reveal theme. Without "Harrison Bergeron" set in a future where everyone must be equal according to law, the theme would not have been properly revealed. If the short story was set in a present-day United States where no handicaps were enforced, this particular theme would not shine through as it does while set in a hypothesized future. Therefore, setting assembles the circumstances required for this theme to occur.
The central conflict of Harrison Beregeron is everyone is entirely equal. When Harrison escapes prison, he poses a threat to the handicapped system. To resolve this conflict, Harrison, the only remaining image of people's free will, is killed. The main theme of the story is the danger of too much safety and equality. From this short story, Harrison displays the actions people could make during the "dark days," or when people had individuality. Now no one can contribute his/her gifts and talents to society for the good of the people.
ReplyDeleteCharacter and mood are elements of short fiction that are used for this story. Vonnegut develops all of the ordinary people first to set up the mood. The mood of this story is at first hopeless and depressing. Then Harrison is described as a villain, but truly he is the only hope left for mankind. Once Harrison is killed, the mood returns to a depressing state.
The main conflict in the story “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is society versus their handicaps. These handicaps are present throughout the story and inhibit society from moving forward. This can be seen though George. George is inhibited from discussing his deep thoughts with his wife and the rest of the world because he cannot think for long. Secondly, The ballerina who seems to be an amazing athlete and beautiful is weighted down and covered up. This conflict causes a problem because society stands completely still at its worst possible from. The height of each individual is determined by society’s weakest link. The resolution of this conflict comes when Harrison Bergeron and his empress are shot with a shotgun and killed, along with George forgetting everything about the day’s events. If George forgot the events that appeared on television that day, so would many other people. These people not only forgot what it looked like to not be handicapped, but also forgot the meaning that Harrison was trying to portray. This is the resolution because it extinguishes all hope of society’s problems being solved. It also erases all understanding of the event as if it never happened in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe main theme of the story is that a group is only as strong as its weakest unit. This is seen in the story when society is weighed down, not only by the lead weights around them but the natural handicaps of their society. This causes society to not be able to function properly, or thrive in the manner that it should. This can relate back to real life. If a group of people are working together and all of them have to do their part. The person who is the weakest out of the group will hurt the group the most. Theme is meant to be able to used at any point in time and the author uses society to symbolize a group. Therefor the theme is that a group is only as strong as its weakest unit.
Two elements of short fiction that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. uses to revile theme are setting and characters. The setting is set in a futuristic timeframe that allows for society to change so much that it would not be relevant to anything that happened during the time he wrote it. This initially created a whole new setting that would be open for anything to happen. In this setting he had the government control every person so that they we're handicapped. This setting reviled theme because it set up the story to have the events that it did, thus helping to revile and create theme. Next the author uses the short story element of characters to help revile theme. The characters give us an insight to the society as a whole. By studying George, Hazel, and the ballerina we can infer things about the society of that time period to derive theme. The first thing that can be deduced is that the characters are weighted down to the lowest level of functioning people in society. Secondly that everyone has different disadvantages and has to have different handicaps, making everyone the same. Since the theme is heavily dependent on society, the characters are needed to receive insight on the theme. These two inferences from character along with the help setting helped to create theme.
In the story Harrison Bergeron, the main conflict would be man vs. society. This is the main conflict because the people cope and struggle with the handicaps they are given that force all of them to be the same. This ties into the resolution, which is that, with or without handicaps, the people of this dystopian society do not have the mental capacity to realize the problem. Even people with a much higher mental capacity cannot think about the problem for more than twenty seconds before the mental handicap completely wipes their thoughts. The theme is that equality means that everyone has equal opportunity, not that everyone has exactly the same abilities.
ReplyDeleteHe uses plot to identify theme in this story. This story is set far in the future, which many would think that society has well advanced as well as the technologies, political systems, etc. However, when the reader looks at this society and how it is run, the system used in the future is not by any means better than the system in place now. He also uses characters to identify the theme. The way that Vonnegut describes these characters almost makes them look like cartoons. Therefore, the reader can find amusement in the handicaps used in the story.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is the society against the forced equality rules brought upon them. Everyone is required to wear a handicap if a person in some way can be considered better than another. This is a man vs. society conflict and an external conflict because of the lack of physical abilities. There is no resolution to this conflict. Harrison Bergeron rebels on live television and makes an impact against the form of government, which results in him getting shot, but nothing appeared to phase the citizens. George realizes that Hazel cried, but she claims that she already forgot the reason. The two then carry one as if nothing tragic had happened before their eyes. The theme that can be derived from the conflict is "Total equality can lead to ignorance". The way this story displays total equality is through physical and mental abilities. If you are smarter than average, you are given a handicap to lower your intelligence level, and so on. This leads to the ignorance of the citizens as they do not know any different. They consider this treatment as normal and feel no need to object or escape to their true potential.
ReplyDeleteThe characters and the plot help me to come to my conclusion in theme. The characters lead me through the situation in the story's government and their requirements through their dialogue and interactions. Their speaking helps to understand how normal these handicaps are and their love for the equality system. The rising action and falling action during the plot help me to become aware of how the situation was before and after the climax. The situation is similar before and after the climax, which brings me to the conclusion that the handicaps and need for equality bring a sense of ignorance to the people.
The conflict of the story occurs between the government and the society; the government is trying to make everyone equal, but people are born with abilities and beauty that cannot be tamed by human-made objects. The conflict was never truly resolved, but a glimpse of a future resolution came in the freedom of the dancing scene when people were allowed to be free.
ReplyDeleteThe theme is that people cannot be tamed and the government cannot extend into the will of a person. One element of fiction is setting, we see this story placed in an artificially organized world with elements of unorganization (Harrison, the randomness of sounds, the in-coordination of the band and ballerinas).
This shows that a society can never be fully organized or tamed. The author also uses characters, such as Harrison, to show that society can never be fully organized and the government cannot ever take full control of an individual's will.
In Harrison Bergeron, central conflict can be identified as man vs society. The resolution is when they get there TV fixed and make a joke out of what they just saw. The resulting main theme of the story is appearance because of how you are treated unfairly for being unlike everybody else. Two elements of short story fiction that I used to reveal theme are conflict and plot (resolution). Conflict helped me because it brings out a struggle which is tied in with theme. Also plot helped me because it brings the entire story together which helps get the central message from the author which is theme.
ReplyDeletethe central conflict is Man vs Society. The insighting moment of this is whe he is on tv taking off his and a ballerinas handiacaps. this conflict is resolved shortly after when they are both shot and killed.
ReplyDeletethe setting is a very important part of this story. the year is 2081 and it is explained that a lot has changed in the future. they say that their are more than 200 amendments in this time period.
Plot is used very well in this story because it is the future it is more challenge to predict the theme.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is the society against the forced equality rules brought upon them. Everyone is required to wear a handicap if a person in some way can be considered better than another. This is a man vs. society conflict and an external conflict because of the lack of physical abilities. There is no resolution to this conflict. Harrison Bergeron rebels on live television and makes an impact against the form of government, which results in him getting shot, but nothing appeared to phase the citizens. George realizes that Hazel cried, but she claims that she already forgot the reason. The two then carry one as if nothing tragic had happened before their eyes. The theme that can be derived from the conflict is "Total equality can lead to ignorance". The way this story displays total equality is through physical and mental abilities. If you are smarter than average, you are given a handicap to lower your intelligence level, and so on. This leads to the ignorance of the citizens as they do not know any different. They consider this treatment as normal and feel no need to object or escape to their true potential.
ReplyDeleteThe characters and the plot help me to come to my conclusion in theme. The characters lead me through the situation in the story's government and their requirements through their dialogue and interactions. Their speaking helps to understand how normal these handicaps are and their love for the equality system. The rising action and falling action during the plot help me to become aware of how the situation was before and after the climax. The situation is similar before and after the climax, which brings me to the conclusion that the handicaps and need for equality bring a sense of ignorance to the people.
The central conflict in this piece is Man vs. Society. I believe that this is the conflict because in the story, Harrison doesn't agree with how the world is being run in that day and age (year 2081), so he rebels against this dictation on a television program of ballet. The resolution of this conflict is whenever the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers, bursts into the studio where the program is being broadcasted onto TV and shoots Harrison and his Empress to end the little rebellion they had going on.. even though it was just dancing, it was extremely wrong in the governments eyes. The theme I came up with out of this story is:
ReplyDeleteOur freedom of expression should not be limited.
In the story everyone was the same. "They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else." No one was allowed to express themselves at all what so ever, and when anybody even had an idea or took action on expressing, they were shot down.
Characters and conflict helped me figure out the theme in this story because without them, there really wouldn't even be a story.. Harrison (a character) would have never presented a conflict, if he or the other characters, and the conflict were not in the story, it would've become very complicated to find a theme in this short story.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is Harrison vs. society because he is fighting the government since they handicapped him in order to achieve equality with society. Society ends up winning this 'battle' because they have supreme power over everyone. The main theme is that total equality will lead to destruction and uprising in a group of people.
ReplyDeleteCharacter and mood/tone are used by Vonnegut to reveal the theme that total equality will lead to destruction and uprisings. George, the main character, expresses his feelings about the handicaps he has gotten from the government. Something wasn't quite right about this equal society though because he didn't have the freedom to think freely without getting 'punished' for his thoughts. His son, Harrison, attempted to rebel against the government but failed miserably and was killed on the spot, which shows equality leads to uprisings and destruction. Tone and mood are also used by the author to reveal the theme. Even though everyone has equal capabilities in this society, the mood the reader takes away is depressing and destructive. The characters' actions lead to this tone and mood presented by the author.
The central conflict in "Harrison Bergeron" is man vs. society where the government now controls the equality of all people. This includes the intelligence of an individual where if you seem to exceed the normal intelligence level, they place special handicap radios in ears to keep everyone on the same level. The resolution of the conflict is when the boy goes to the studio and tries to declare he is superior and that others with the handicap radio should remove it, but the person who runs the handicapping portion of the government finds the boy and kills him to restore order in the equal society they live in. The main theme of this story is people are made different for a reason. This is the main theme because the outbreak of a boy from equality is the reason behind it.
ReplyDeleteTwo elements of short fiction used by Vonnegut to reveal the theme are character and setting. Character helps reveal the theme in this story by using a boy who is described as dangerous and rather large, compared to modern day height of people, to try and take back what the people deserve and the government should not be able to control. Also, giving a background on his higher sense of intelligence suggests how he may use it to his advantage at some point in the story which he tries to as an effort of restoring inequality. Vonnegut uses setting as well to set up the theme. Placing the story in a future time period where the government has taken over the culture of the people explains why the central conflict takes place.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" was society trying to handicap Harrison, and anyone else that was seen to be unequal. Since Harrison was exceptionally tall, athletic, and handsome, he was given the heaviest handicaps and was arrested for supposedly planning to overthrow the government and rid the world of the Handicapper General. This conflict is resolved when Harrison is shot and killed by the Handicapper General after he tries to make himself emperor. The theme that I pulled from the central conflict was that you shouldn't try to conform to society and that being equal with everyone will not always benefit you. Trying to make everyone equal will have repercussions. Two elements of short fiction that helped reveal the theme were character and plot. By studying the characters in "Harrison Bergeron" I was able to see how living equally was a miserable life and that handicapping people who are advanced in a certain aspect of their life is wrong. Harrison was the protagonist of the story and seeing how he interacted with and was affected by the antagonist (Diana Moon Glampers) you see what he learned, and that helps find theme. By looking at the plot of the story and identifying the plot I was able to reveal the theme and build of the information I gathered while looking at the characters. Figuring out the plot of the story meant I was able to identify the central conflict too, which led me to find the main theme.
ReplyDeleteItem 1: The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron," is the idea of the people of the society having to come over the handicaps that restrict their intelligence from expanding. The resolution of this is when Harrison Bergeron tries to start a revolution of the people against the government. The theme of the story is forced equality in a society doesn't help the actually disabled. This is evident between George and Hazel Bergeron. George is forced to lower his intelligence, where as Hazel is actually disabled. George is constantly thinking, which is why he gets shocked and Hazel doesn't have the handicap because she is physically disabled.
ReplyDeleteItem 2: The characters and settings are a major factor in the theme. The characters explain the theme because it expresses the two sides of the society, the forced handicapped and the physically handicapped. The setting is important because the government controls the society of the people, creating the idea of all men must be equal. Then causing the central conflict and essentially the theme of the short story.
The central conflict is the struggle for equality is being challenged. Throughout the story, Vonnegut explains the handicaps that are put on people in order to suppress their abilities. The entire plot is driven by the fact that the government strictly enforces laws to make everyone equal. Harrison Bergeron is the only threat to these laws and therefore creates the story's conflict. The resolution is simple: eliminate the threat, and cover up the evidence. They eliminate the threat by shooting Bergeron on live TV, and anyone watching has only a short attention span, so within 30 seconds, they forget about the whole thing. The government cleverly uses TV to sedate the public and prevent an uprising. The resulting theme is: equality isn't as good as everyone thinks. Vonnegut shows the readers, through the story, how dangerous total equality can be. Because we can't make anyone smarter or stronger, everyone would have to be handicapped to be equal to the "weakest link" which would lower the overall average intelligence and so on until it becomes as bad as the story. Setting and character are the key elements of short fiction used to derive theme. The setting is important, because the whole story takes place in front of the TV which is the main reason why the public doesn't fight the government. After warnings are given on the TV about Bergeron, he is killed on live TV to show the public what happens to people who disobey the law. Without the TV to suppress the people, an uprising would have taken place long before. This shows how equality could become dangerous quickly. Character is another important element that reveals theme. Throughout the story, George is tortured with loud noises that keep him from "taking unfair advantages of his brain." Even though to us this is extreme, this is everyday normal life for him. Also look at Hazel who represents an average intelligence. Her intelligence is very low compared to todays. This is another example of how Vonnegut shows us how dangerous equality is.
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is man vs. society. Harrison is a man that represents the freedom, power, and individuality that can still be possible in the world. He removes all of his restraints to show the people what they can become. The resolution of the conflict is when Diana Moon Glampers kills Harrison and the ballerina with a gun. The theme of the story that equality eradicates people's freedom. The age they live in, no one can be more intelligent, stronger, or better looking than others. They do this so no infliction of jealousy or deflation of self-confidence occurs. Which in turn, limits competition. People aren't able to express themselves because their unique traits are restrained. The people lack comprehension and are too afraid of the government, that they sit in silence and let them be controlled.
ReplyDeleteVonnegut uses plot and character to help derive the theme. The author tells the story in third-person so we can see everyone's action, but not their deep thoughts. We see how dumb and "brainwashed" the people have become that they don't realize what the government is doing to them. When Harrison is killed, people don't see what he was trying to tell them, because their intelligence level causes them to forget. The author uses character to show controlled the people are. George is a character that has a great level of intelligence, but is limited by his handicap radio. Even with his thoughtful nature, he believes that what the government is doing to them is good. Anything that goes against the law is erroneous.
The central conflict was man vs society since the central conflict was that Harrison Bergeron was different from everyone else. He was smarter and stronger than others; this created conflict in an entirely equal society when he was not in jail. Harrison would threaten to collapse the equal society built. The resolution is after Hazel and George forget why they were crying( because their son died), and George winced before Hazel commented it. After Harrison died, the threat in society was handled by the handicaps forcing people who could think to be forgetful and distracted until no one remembered the attempted uprising. The main theme was that if everyone was equal, there would be no individual achievements or self expression. Harrison represents that goal for achievement, and they die when he tried to accomplish his uprising in an equal society like the Berlin Wall after World War 2. The people who tried to cross the Berlin Wall were shot and killed.
ReplyDeleteThis main theme was revealed by plot and characterization. For instance in the plot during the exposition and resolution, it was shown that society was forbidden to compete with each other, so they were to wear handicaps at all times. When Hazel suggested George to rest his handicap, he reprimanded that it would collapse their society. During the rising action, the climax, and the falling action, it was shown by Harrison's attempt and failure of an uprising that self achievement was discouraged. On the other hand, George and Hazel are used as dynamic characters to show when they change their perspective on the handicaps, they were punished by George's handicap and Harrison's death. This revealed how their society punished self expression.
The central conflict of "Harrison Bergeron" is that Harrison Bergeron is given handicaps when he doesn't need them.The resolution of this conflict is that he goes and fights for his "rights" and is killed. The theme of the story is equality isn't always a good thing. In this story, they were trying to make everyone equal so people like Harrison Bergeron couldn't be the perfect person they are, so they are given handicaps.
ReplyDeletePlot and characters helped me identify the theme. Characteristics and actions of Harrison Bergeron showed that equality does not always mean good. Plot helped me because it gave the setting, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Without having any of the plot explaining the story it would be very hard to interpret a theme.
The central conflict in Harrison Bergeron is man vs. Society. Society is dumbed down, but Harrison won't mentally or physically handicap himself like everyone else. The conflict is resolved when he gets shot, and any rebellion ends with his death. The theme of the story is that lowering everyone else for equality makes society dull and boring.
ReplyDeleteTwo major elements of short story fiction used to derive the theme in the story are character and conflict. Harrison Bergeron is the character used to show what's wrong with this kind of society. He rebels, and rightly so. He shows that a completely "equal" society is unfair to those above. This internal conflict makes him go insane, and his actions show this.
The central conflict in "Harrison Bergeron" is that it's Harrison against society (Diana Moon Glampers). They put him in jail because he was going against the idea of total equality. He eventually escaped jail and tried to take over but during that process he was shot by Diana. After he was shot, people forgot due to handicaps, and they continued to live in total equality. The main theme in the short story is "total equality isn't always good.". This is shown when the ballerinas are dancing but there is no true talent since they are just like everyone else. Also Harrison was killed for being who he was. He wanted the freedom to look, think, and act like he normally would, but Diana didn't want anything like that so she murdered him.
ReplyDeleteVonnegut displayed theme through setting and conflict. If the story wasn't set in the year 2081 then none of the story would make sense. It would take many years to have total equality with the entire world. He also showed it through conflict. If Harrison wouldn't have been created the way he was then there would have been no rebellion against how society was being run. Harrisons rebellion was the main clue that the theme is "total equality isn't always good".
The central conflict is between Harrison and the society he lives in. He challenges the rules of the futuristic society and, eventhough he dies, makes an impact on everyone watching the TV. The resolution is when he and his woman are killed by a shot-gun blast from the minster of equalization. I believe the theme of this story is the danger of total equality. In the exposition he gives his views which helps aid finding the theme. Lastly he uses the resolution to show that nothing changed because of the "danger" of having total equality.
ReplyDeleteThe central conflict of Harrison Bergeron is man versus society. This can be seen building up from close to the beginning of the story, all the way to the climax. Near the beginning of the story, the author introduced Harrison as George and Hazel's son. However, the author also mentions that the H-G men took Harrison away. They didn't mention why at first but later on, the author continued to drop little hints. George was over the average intelligence and because of that had to wear a mental handicap that shrieked noises into his ears. While George is thinking of his son Harrison, a noise punctures his ears that is described as a twenty-one-gun salute. We can infer that it is possible that the author made the sound guns on purpose to foreshadow what was to come in the future with Harrison. Also, the author describes Harrison as abnormal and states that he is now in jail. Later on the television is on to make a public announcement that stated Harrison Bergeron had escaped from jail. Harrison then barged in and attempted to convince everyone that he was emperor. This becomes the climax of the story and we now see that the conflict is man versus society because Harrison tries to fight against the idea that everyone has to be equal which the society enforced at the time. The conflict isn't necessarily resolved because Harrison gets shot down for trying to take over the society on live TV. However, afterwards Mr. or Mrs. Bergeron can't recall what happened which can lead us to believe that no one else who saw the television did either. The main theme of the story is that we are not meant to all be completely equal. I can use setting and the characters throughout the story to support this as my theme. I can use the characters by following their dialogue and using that as a context clue. For example, George had an intelligence that was too strong compared to other people. This forced the government to put a device in his ear that produced loud sounds every minute or so. This sound also caused him to lose his memory every so often. So George and Hazel watched their son die on live television but couldn't recall the event due to the short-term memory loss. I also used the setting of the story to know the theme. I knew right of the bat that the story was set in the future. This helped me understand why they thought everyone had to be equal because their could have been some traumatic event that occurred in the past. I also used setting to identify my theme when George and Hazel referred to the past. They called the past the dark ages. George and Hazel also described it when everyone was competing against everybody else. This helped me because I then knew that people didn't think that they would like society any other way.
ReplyDeleteItem 1: The conflict is Harrison Bergeron against society. Harrison is trying to break the chains that literally and figuratively shackle humanity. He goes on television in a futile attempt to show the beauty of the true human form in an attempt to bring about revolution. Harrison insists on being who he really is, and is then killed by the government. The story's dramatic resolution wars readers of what could happen in a society that does not value diversity and freedom. Thus, resulting in the main theme of the story which is the danger of total equality.
ReplyDeleteItem 2: Character and conflict are the elements of short fiction discussed during the unit are used by Kurt Vonnegut to reveal theme. Character is one of the elements because Harrison breaks the status quo of society. He shows how important diversity is and helps identify the main theme of the dangers non-diversity in a society. Conflict is another because the bland society and the unique individual is what sparks the story. Without the conflict of the society and the individual, there would be no main theme. The non-diverse society and the inquisitive individual create conflict, and creates a main theme. This is why these two elements of short fiction reveal the main theme which is the danger of total equality.
The central conflict of the story is that no one had a mind of their own as much as they tried. The resolution of the story is that people stopped trying to fight the system. The ending of the story proved the consequences of going against the system. The resulting main theme of the story is that doing what your told is sometimes the best option. Not always fighting something and trying to get your own way is sometimes the best choice rather than continuously fighting over something that will never change. One element is through the characters. He gives good background and strong character support. He really makes you feel how the characters feel and how they will react to the situations they are put through in the story. Another element he uses is the conflict. By the conflict being that they don't have a mind of their own it lead me to believe that this was the best choice for the characters. By the characters being controlled by the system and the consequences the son faced, the way they are living may be the best for them.
ReplyDeleteThe central confict is man vs society. Harrison sees that this all perfect world is corrupt and has flaws. He sees how it is unfair and no one is equal because of what Diana moon has set up for the govment. The resolution is when she shoots and kills him. The theme to this peace is there never will be a perfect society with out Somone having power and bring curpt. Plot and charter help develope this theme. Dianna moons charter showed how she was above everyone else by not having to obey to the laws of weights and ear peaces. She had the power of calling the shots and making sure peeople obey the laws that make the society equal. The plot of the story of an all perfect world with laws that people have to carry weights every day of their life and have ear peaces that causes them to never hold a thought. This showed me that this was not a all perfect world.
ReplyDelete