Harrison Bergeron Group at eNotes

Men and women do remain fundamentally the same, in spite of, the...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:17:14 PST

Men and women do remain fundamentally the same, in spite of, the technology that surrounds them. The best example of the fundamental essence of men and women in Harrison himself because he fights to hold onto his own individuality. Harrison's tenacity and uniqueness is not over-shadowed by the handicaps the government has placed on him. Harrison's rebellion against the the government forces readers to question society's obsession with people's...

Yes, they do. Their government cannot change them through technology;...

Fri, 1 May 2009 18:05:56 PST

Yes, they do. Their government cannot change them through technology; the government can only attempt to control them. The story makes a strong case for the human spirit and makes it clear that a tyrannical government must control it if absolute power is to be preserved. Despite his most severe handicaps, Harrison Bergeron's spirit was not broken by the state. He defied the government, escaped from prison, took control of the television...

In "Harrison Bergeron," do men and woman remain fundamentally the same...

Fri, 1 May 2009 17:41:08 PST

In "Harrison Bergeron," do men and woman remain fundamentally the same no matter what technology surrounds them??

Technology is present in the story in the form of the "mental-handicap...

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:46:00 PST

Technology is present in the story in the form of the "mental-handicap radio" that George is required to wear at all times and the television broadcasts supervised by the government. The radio George wears is "tuned to a government transmitter" that frequently and regularly sends out a "sharp noise" to disrupt George's thinking because George's intelligence is above average and must be controlled. The more dangerous George's thoughts, the more...

What is the role of technology in Harrison Bergeron?

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:14:02 PST

What is the role of technology in Harrison Bergeron?

In "Harrison Bergeron" what tendencies in present day American Society...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:44:19 PST

In "Harrison Bergeron" what tendencies in present day American Society is Vonnegut satirizing?

Vonnegut is satirizing the tendencies in our society to put being...

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 15:34:17 PST

Vonnegut is satirizing the tendencies in our society to put being politically correct above all else, and to cushion and protect anyone's feelings by trying to make it seem like everyone is really, really awesome, and no one is more awesome than anyone else. And like in Vonnegut's story, more and more, the government is stepping in to take measures to keep people from failing-and thus feeling sad and inferior. Our society is increasingly...

Wanted: A dedicated and experienced government agent, who fully...

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:49:03 PST

Wanted: A dedicated and experienced government agent, who fully supports the equal rights movement, with all of its clauses and enforcements. Must be willing to travel on site, obey orders immediately and without question, and make difficult and painful decisions in a split-second. Must be average-looking and able to blend with the masses without suspicion, and good at spotting extraordinary traits in others, even if they are trying to...

Handicapper General

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:28:13 PST

What would be an accurate job description of an agent of the U.S. Handicapper General?

Describe how the writer makes us feel through language (metaphor,...

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:23:11 PST

Describe how the writer makes us feel through language (metaphor, simile, decriptive language and personification)

The society attempts to "guarantee" equality through the use of...

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 15:13:57 PST

The society attempts to "guarantee" equality through the use of handicaps; these "handicaps" offset any qualities you have that might be extraordinary or talented. For example, Harrison's father, whose "intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear" that rattled loud, distracting, painful noises into his ear that made him lose his train of thought. Because of this, it was hard for him to think coherently,...

In "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonneget Jr., what has guaranteed...

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 15:00:54 PST

In "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonneget Jr., what has guaranteed equality in the story?

"Harrison Bergeron" is replete with irony as a narrative about a society...

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:11:55 PST

"Harrison Bergeron" is replete with irony as a narrative about a society that assures that all people are "equal." The opening lines certainly are ironic as it relates the forced equality: The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobdy was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was...

Irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens, and there are...

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:50:02 PST

Irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens, and there are several instances of it in the story. One is when George refuses to take some of the weight out of his sacks of birdshot, in order to rest a bit. One would expect that with such heavy burdens all of the time, he would jump at his wife's suggestion to "go on and rest the bag for a little while." But he doesn't, citing prison time as his reason for not. Another irony...

Discuss the modern fable "Harrison Bergeron" and its use of irony.

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:26:43 PST

Discuss the modern fable "Harrison Bergeron" and its use of irony.

In reply to #1: I guess John Knowles thought so in A Separate Peace....

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:35:33 PST

In reply to #1: I guess John Knowles thought so in A Separate Peace. Gene's envy of Finny led directly to his act of violence against his friend. Gene's envy, as Knowles developed it, was rooted in his fear of being inferior and unable to meet the challenges of life. After a while, this turned into self-hatred for Gene. I think there's a distinction between competition in general and personal competition with another human being. It is this...

This is a really interesting question! It's hard to think of anything in...

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:19:05 PST

This is a really interesting question! It's hard to think of anything in the story that isn't exaggerated. The one event that comes to mind here concerns Harrison's mother Hazel. At the end of the story, Hazel watches the brutal murder of her own son on television. He is shot to death before her eyes with a double-barreled ten-guage shotgun. It must have been a horrendous sight. Hazel's reaction is noted by Vonnegut, but it is not...

hazel was not so much bright as george was, she was naturally...

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:50:09 PST

hazel was not so much bright as george was, she was naturally handicapped and she could'nt remember the things easily.so at the end when she saw her son dying she was sad unconciously but could'nt remember why she was really sad.so till the end she was not able to remember things.

In "Harrison Bergeron," what events are least exaggerated?

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:57:34 PST

In "Harrison Bergeron," what events are least exaggerated?

In the very beginning of the story, she seems to be sad: "There...

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:49:56 PST

In the very beginning of the story, she seems to be sad: "There were tears on Hazel’s cheeks, but she’d forgotten for the moment what they were about." So we see that even at the beginning she was not "awake" on any conscious level. Maybe subconsciously she was aware that Harrison had been taken, and that she was sad, but the impulse wasn't enough to bring into the forefront of her mind. However, she seems more...