Harrison Bergeron
Kurt Vonnegut
Harrison Bergeron
• What does it mean to be equal to others?
Harrison Bergeron
1.
In “Harrison Bergeron,” the Handicapper General is named Diana Moon
Glampers. Look up what the words “Diana” and “moon” mean in mythology.
Then, compare their traditional meanings with how they are used in the story.
How is the Handicapper General’s name ironic?
2.
One of the noises described in George Bergeron’s mental handicap radio is a 21
gun salute. Look up what a 21 gun salute means in history and why it is used.
How is this appropriate when compared to the events in the story?
Harrison Bergeron
Harrison and his Empress merely listened to the music for a while-listened gravely, as
though synchronizing their heartbeats with it.
They shifted their weights to their toes.
Harrison placed his big hands on the girls tiny waist, letting her sense the
weightlessness that would soon be hers.
And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang!
Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of
motion as well.
They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun.
They leaped like deer on the moon.
The studio ceiling was thirty feet high, but each leap brought the dancers nearer to it.
It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it.
And then, neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air
inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time.
3.
Until this point, the settings, characters, and events of the story have been
realistic. Why did Vonnegut choose to break this pattern, here? Why is the
dance between Harrison and the ballerina so fantastical?
Harrison Bergeron
George came back in with the beer, paused while a handicap signal shook him
up. And then he sat down again. "You been crying" he said to Hazel.
"Yup," she said.
"What about?" he said.
"I forget," she said. "Something real sad on television."
"What was it?" he said.
"It's all kind of mixed up in my mind," said Hazel.
"Forget sad things," said George.
"I always do," said Hazel.
4.
How does this short exchange illustrate a plot similarity and
thematic relationship to George Orwell's Animal Farm?
Harrison Bergeron
5.
When encouraged to alter his handicap to make it easier to bear, George
Bergeron protests that it isn’t right, saying, “The minute people start cheating
on laws, what do you think happens to society?” What is he trying to say, and is
it a valid reason to wear his handicap?