Answers for "Harrison Bergeron"

1. The opening sentence implies that people are equal, meaning that no one is better than anyone else. The people that were stronger and smarter had handicaps on them to make them equal. The 211th, 212th, and the 213th Amendments made equality happen. Capitalism and American democracy do not exist anymore. The Soviet-style totalitarianism was the form of government that was used, meaning the government had control over the people and everyone was equal. The elimination of advantages, difference, and competition suggest that the government did not want to be over thrown. To make sure that they would not get over thrown, they created handicaps for the citizens who were prettier, smarter, and stronger, so that they could control them and make them forget their thoughts.

2. These changes are not impossible under American capitalism, because some one or a group of people can become so greedy, that they want to control of everything and everyone. The human tendency that people will go along with something, even if they believe it is right or wrong. With that said there is also the tendency of some people to speak out and stand up for what they believe in. In away, these tendencies are the end result of middle class greed, envy, and pettiness, because the middle class wants to be equal, because for the most part it seems that people who are in the middle class, have a very hard time trying to rise above it. Therefore, the middle class wants the upper class to come to their level. The experience from the late twentieth century suggest that it felt like, rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. The popularity of shows like Oprah's and Rosie O'Donnell's, hints at that the rich can help the less fortunate, for example Oprah gives her audience members gifts. These figures maybe considered role models, because they try to help people and solve their problems. The center stage of these shows is people's problems and issues that they might have. Barbie dolls being redesigned to look like "real" people, shows that in reality most people do not have a perfect body and looks, and some people believe that Barbie dolls represent what girls are supposed to look like when they get older. The trend of grade inflation shows that over the years we have become more advanced and that we are expected to know more. For example, when I was younger I did not learn my ABC's until I got to kinder garden, now I hear that kids are expected to know their ABC's before they get to kinder garden, also they have to know how to spell and do math. Also some elementary schools have even started to teach their children a secondary language. The practices of youth sports such as giving equal playing time regardless of ability, not keeping score, and that every team gets a trophy, shows that people believe that children are being hurt by competition and that every kid on the team should be created equal. This is a bad idea because, I believe the child will be hurt even more, because it does not teach the child to strive and be the best they can be.

3. The function of the agents is to keep everything in order and to make sure that the smarter and stronger people are wearing their handicaps. The people who are handicapped are considered to be the threats to society that these agents fight. If a person does not wear his or her handicap, the agents believe that he or she will try to over throw the government. These handicaps make the meaning of life pointless; there is no freedom of thought or choice. Also these handicaps were drastic measures to make people equal. People that were pretty had to wear ugly mask, people that were strong had to wear heavy metal, and people that were smart had to wear a radio in their ear that would make a sharp noise every twenty seconds, so they would forget what they were thinking.

4. Vonnegut is parodying the fact that America believes that people should be equal, and that people are becoming less competitive, because they believe it is wrong to tell a child they can not play in a game, because they are not as good as the other children on the team. Also, that people believe it is wrong to represent beauty as being and looking like a supermodel. The conceptions of equality that motivate such policies and trends, is that people want to believe that they are just as good at sports as anyone else, that they are just as pretty, and that they are just as smart.

5. There would be equality in commercial life by the concept of an agreement of trade, meaning someone will give someone else something whether it is money or something else, for something they need or want. The equality is the fact that people will agree with each other on what they will be paid or what they will trade. Yes, the capitalist social forms, do some what create inequalities at least of income and wealth, because I believe if you are extremely good at something verses some one who is mediocre, then I believe you should be paid more. Yes, it points to an irresolvable tension because, it shows that not everyone wants to live that way and that the government has to force the way of life upon them.

6. That it is unfair or unequal that the citizens have to live a certain way, but the government can do what they want.

7. Hazel had an average intelligence, and George's intelligence was very high. They can not remember things because, Hazel could only think of things for a little bit, and George had a handicap earpiece that would go off every twenty seconds, so he would forget about what he was thinking. Vonnegut might be parodying, the fact that when people get older they loose their memory. The story warns against two things. The first one being that equality does not really work because, people like to be different and have their own opinion. The second one being that if you stand up for something and against what some people believe, you might suffer consequences, for example Harrison Bergeron got killed because, he went against the government's rules and tried to over throw it and become the new leader. The handicap radio makes George forget what he was thinking. This relates to the mass media because, they do not always give all the details of a story and instead, they say things that they want people to here.

8. Harrison Bergeron is a threat to society because, the government believes he was plotting to over throw them and he managed to escape from prison. He is only fourteen years old. He wore earphones, instead of a radio because, he was a genius, he wore thick glasses, that made him blind and gave him headaches, and he wore three hundred pounds of metal because, he was so strong.

9. The significance of the real Harrison appearing on TV is to show that they were not lying and that he wants everyone to know that he did escape and that he wants to over throw the government. He repeats that he is the Emperor, because the people would forget because, they either had short term memory or they were handicapped with a radio in their ear, to make them forget. Yes, Vonnegut is suggesting a return to feudalism, in a sense that people would not be able to move up in society, meaning that the class you were born into is the class you would stay in for all your life. Yes, it is similar because, in both cases the characters believe that they have won and have accomplished what they were trying to do, but they did not accomplish anything because, they are both killed for standing up for what they believe in.

10. Harrison is trying to over throw the government. Yes, because they are both standing up for something they believe is right. In "A & P," Sammy believes that the three girls were not inappropriately dressed, and stood up for them. In "Harrison Bergeron," Harrison believes that everyone should not be equal; therefore he tried to stand up to the government and got killed. The young believes that things should change and the old like the way things are and believe it should stay the same. It relates to the fact that the economy is in trouble. The suggestion concerning ownership of means of production is that everything should be equal, and that no one can make anymore money than anyone else.

11. The significance of Harrison's statement is that he believes there should be a kingdom, in which he is the king and the musicians are the barons, dukes, and earls below him. He values the fact that he should have peers to help him decide what to do and also to help control his country. Beauty and aesthetics play the role in Harrison's rebellion by showing that he believes that things should be beautiful and that beauty should not be shunned upon.

12. The meaning behind Harrison's and the ballerina's flight-like dance and kissing, is that on the ground they are equal and not different from each other, and in the air they are showing that they are different and not equal. This statement means that they stayed in the air which denies the law of gravity, which means that things were going to change.

13. The meaning shows that even though you may stand up for what you believe in and that everything will be okay, there will always be someone to take you back to reality. Diana Moon Glamper's name may suggest that she is the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. The ethos conjured by the mythological association of the Greek goddess Diana and the Moon, shows that she believes that men and women should not be together and they should not have romantic relationships. Ms. Glampers is similar to Lengel because, they both believe that sexuality and public display of affection should not be displayed in public.

14. Hazel Bergeron forgets what she is crying about because, she has short term memory loss. Hazel and Mrs. Gradgrind are similar. Mrs. Grandgrind can not explain herself to her husband and Hazel can not explain why she is crying. The meaning of the last words of the Bergerons, is to show that Hazel could tell that George had a very strong noise in his ear, meaning that something big must have happened to have caused the noise.

15. Vonnegut's story is striking, because everyone is supposed to be equal, when in reality the Handicapper General, has the power to do what she wants when she wants to. The appropriate limits in the story to ensure equality, is that everyone is brought down to a standard, instead of being brought up, this is because, the government wants people to be stupid and forget things, so they can not be over thrown.