9th Grade Cohort B - Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

Prezi Link for Vonnegut Presentation

Hey Gang,

So today we started unpacking the 3 main discussion questions (the ones that help you with the essay). Not going to lie, the questions are very difficult, but I was very impressed with the discussions we had. We only got to finish Q1 today: How does Vonnegut use satire in the story; what is he satirizing, and why?

Here's the notes:

Vonnegut uses "equality" as the satirical device - Yes, it would seem that he is making fun of the basic Communist premise that "sameness" is achievable in all aspects of society, but he is also satirizing the inequality present in American society (even though our Constitution guarantees that all citizens are viewed as "equal" at birth, as they are endowed with equal rights by the Creator).

- "Sameness" in the "eyes of God and the Law" is a good thing, we discussed, as it guarantees people equal treatment, rights and protections.

- "Sameness" in life, however, is bad because people are diverse and unique, and we all deserve to be able to pursue our own goals and happiness (within the structure of the law).

Sameness = the PRIMARY CONFLICT in the story, and it is the satirical device.

We discussed that the satire is very evident even in the first lines of the story:
"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else... All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution" (7).

Also, the conflict is introduced - "Some things about living still weren't quite right, though. April, for instance, still drove people crazy by not being spring-time" (7) - which starts to introduce the idea of "natural inequality." April IS a spring month, but it is the coldest spring month, and it is not always pleasant like May, for instance. He was making a rhetorical pun that the inequality of the Spring months still drove people bonkers.

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How was Vonnegut making fun of the fears of Communism in the US?
- In the US, people are guaranteed equal treatment and protection by law. But, as we have discussed HEAVILY in class, society is still incredibly segregated even to this day. When Vonnegut published this story in 1961, society was even more segregated than it is now, however (the Civil Rights Act hadn't yet been passed). We discussed that the US society is often segregated by Race, Religion, Gender, and Economic status (though we didn't touch on the heavy segregation based on Sexual Orientation). So, for Vonnegut, a Democratic thinker, the US had a little something to learn about the idea of "equality."

We started discussing George and Hazel Bergeron:
- George is smart and strong, so he is forced to wear handicaps (ear radio + heavy bags of birdshot). Question from the class: Wouldn't that wind up making him stronger??? Afterall, we lift heavy objects to 'bulk up' at the gym.

- Hazel does not wear handicaps because she is of perfectly "normal" intelligence - she cannot think for longer than "short bursts" (7). Hazel represents the "norm"; she is the lowest common denominator. She can't remember her son's brutal killing, and at times she is even jealous of George's handicaps.

Thus, instead of raising society's "norms," the government "dumbed-down" the expectations for society and normalcy.

Vonnegut's opinion: The only way "sameness" can ever be fully achieved is by reducing standards. People are inherently stronger/weaker in different ways due to how they adapt to the world - it's what makes us HUMAN.