2/6/20
Alexander Begelman
Period 7
Sophomores 2020
Aim: How does Kurt Vonnugut Jr.s’ background and choice of literary devices provide greater insight and clarity to his work, “Harrison Bergeron”?
Notes:
Do Now: How do students in your school feel about the pressure(s) to be “the same” - to act, think or dress the same way others do? Do you believe this pressure derives from outside forces or from personal desires? Do you think being the same makes most people happy, or would they really prefer to act on their own? Explain.
A lot of people in our school feel pressured to be the same and conform to what other people are doing so that they are not judged or are considered abnormal. They usually dress like others do, think like others do, and act like others do because they are pressured not to be outcasts. The pressure comes from both within and from the outside, as everyone wants to be their best self, but the definition of the “best self” that one can be is usually defined by societal standards. Being the same makes most people happy, but not everyone wants to fit in and would much rather prefer to stand out and forge their own path.
Introduction:
- “Harrison Bergeron” was first published in the October, 1961, issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- It was Vonnegut’s third publication in a science fiction magazine market where he had published more than twenty stories between 1950 and 1961.
- The story did not receive any critical attention however, until 1968 when it appeared in Vonnegut’s collection.
Author Biography:
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr., was born in 1922, the youngest of three children of Edith and Kurt Vonnegut, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- His siblings had attended private schools, but financial difficulties during the Great Depression meant that Vonnegut had to attend public schools.
- He has said that he gleaned (gathered) the basis of his political and social beliefs from his junior civics class.
- His novels are mostly social satires (that raise questions about morality, freedom, and what we should value.
- During WWII, he was held captive in the underground meat locker of a slaughterhouse in Dresden, Germany.
- This inspired his most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five.
Literary Focus:
Satire - any kind of writing, speaking, or art that ridicules (mocks, makes fun of) some weakness in individuals or in society. It mocks or makes fun of human folly (foolishness).
Ex. Saturday Night Live
Dystopian Story (Genre):
Dystopia (alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopi, or anti-utopia)
- Is the often futuristic vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable, and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence, and/or terror, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain.
Characterization: Direct vs. Indirect
Characterization is the process of revealing the personality of a character in a story. A writer can reveal a character by:
Letting us hear the character speak
Describing how they look and dress
Letting us listen to their inner thoughts
Revealing what other characters in the story think or say about the character
Show us what the character does - how they act.
Telling us directly what the character’s personality is like: cruel, kind, sneaky
- What is the difference between DIRECT and INDIRECT characterization?
- Direct Characterization: Writers tell us directly what characters are like or what their motives are.
- “Oh but he was a tightfisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” - from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Indirect Characterization: Writers show us characters (through speech, appearance, private thoughts, other characters’ reactions, and actions) but allow us to decide what characters are like.
- “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare
Clip from Toy Story:
Direct characterization of all of the toys, especially Woody
Also indirect characterization of the girl as shy (she was hiding behind her mother), and Andy as kind and compassionate (he gave his toys to the little girl even though he had a very sentimental connection with the toys)
Clip from Harry Potter:
Indirect characterization of Hermione as she was stuck up in correcting Ron, but she is intelligent because she was able to perform the spell. Also indirect characterization of Ron, as he had a sarcastic tone with Hermione when she corrected him.
Begin reading: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
- While reading the opening paragraph of the short story, consider what is funny, in a mocking, satirical or critical way?
- People are equal in every single way possible (smarter people are dumbed down by the government)
- This mocks the concept of “equality” in our society.
Reflection:
What did I learn?
I learned that there are multiple ways in which a character’s qualities can be revealed to us by the author. I also learned that absolute equality does not exist, as seen in Vonnegut’s satirical work “Harrison Bergeron.”
Why did I learn it?
I learned this because it is important to understand why certain things in practice would not be as good as they seem on paper, and these lessons are important to learn because we need to not take what we have for granted.
How will I use what I have learned?
I will apply what I have learned in everyday life by taking a deeper look at certain things and putting deeper thought into more “what if” scenarios.
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