As Ms. Soteres and I were looking through your THICK questions, there were several that really stood out. Uchenna, I hope you don't mind, but yours is a perfect example of a THICK question.
Class, read and consider Uchenna's question. Think about your own conlcusions about the author's message in the story and compose a response of at least 5 sentences (NOT counting any quotations you might choose to include).
Uchenna's question: The ending of "Harrison Bergeron" was a bad, sad, and senseless ending. Why did the author choose to end it in this way?
Use our blog space as a place to discuss your ideas and pose other questions to myself and your classmates. Always feel free to add questions or other comments to your response.
Please also remember to finish your journal assignment if you were not able to in class. If it is very messy, you should either rewrite or type it.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteThe author ended his book without an achievement of a hero or a happy end that most of the books have. He ended his book by making Harrison Bergeron (the main character) be killed by the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Clampers. I believe that Kurt Vonnegut chose this ending to show how dramatic the things are in the future because of the event of equality. Equality brings sadness sometimes because a person doesn’t have anything else to discover to someone else because they are all like clones: everyone is exactly the same with you. People aren’t allowed to have any special talents because they don’t want competition among them. So he wanted Harrison Bergeron to make the difference, to disobey the law and enjoy freedom of doing whatever he wants.
hi
ReplyDeleteThe story tried to prove that there is such thing as being too equal. If you are too equal it can lead it really bad things and that I think is what the author was trying to tell us. It also had dumb and pointless ending. But I still wonder why he chose to write a story about being too equal. If he tried to make a story about being too equal i think he did a really good job.
bye
christian
Hi Ms Gelso!
ReplyDeleteWell, I think the author's message in the story was pretty clear. It's all about Equality, just like we talked in class. Like you told me: "How would you feel if the government wouldn't let you to use/practice your talent?" And my response was: "I would feel really depressed, because that talent is a gift I've got from God Himself. Also Harrison said: "I am the Emperor!" First, I wasn't that sure about what he meant, but I realized that he is the Emperor, but not the Emperor you might think of, but the Emperor of freedom.
Good thoughts, guys! You each had a different answer, but really used the text to help explain your ideas.
ReplyDeleteI was really struck by Christian's question: Why did Vonnegut choose to write a story about being TOO equal? Right now, people all over the world are fighting for equal rights... why was this fear of forced "equality" on Vonnegut's mind?
Hello Ms.Gelso
ReplyDeleteIn my opinnion the message transmited in this story by the author is direct and clear. Equality isn't always a joyful thing. This is not the only messege it also transmits the human selfishness because one person darkened everyones elses ability's in harsh ways. It also shows why people should not be gelous about other peoples talents because this would bring us to a black and white world all the people are the same and have no abilities or quality's. When Harrison Bergeron said he was the emporor I first thought he was starting another dictation but then he makes everyone special again these rapresents justice.
To answere christians song I think this mentality is transmited from the jealousy of her having less abilities or is gelous about someones ability
Comment on stavros comment
ReplyDeleteI think stavros wrote his "essay" is written really well and described most of the details. You can also see he re-read the story to see all the details he also pointed out the dramtic points. He also pointed out how equality isn't not always good.
hi Ms Gelso !
ReplyDeleteI think the author wanted to end the story in a sad way, just to show that if someone even tries to be different you get punished for it.The author really described Harrison Bergeron, how much he likes to be different from everybody else by showing his talent. That's why in the end he helps the girl and the dancers to have freedom of what they want to do.Because he never did have any freedom.
The ending of "Harrison Bergeron" was a bad, sad, and senseless ending. Why did the author choose to end it in this way?
ReplyDeleteI think he ended it in this way because he wanted his story to talk about equality. It also transmitted that people don't have to be jealous about each other because each one of us is intelligent and in his own way is special. It also transmitted human selfishness because some people want to be more talented than others and they want to show of and say they are the best but everyone is good not only some people. In the story people who are athletes, people more intelligent than others or stronger need to wear a handicap because they are talented and different from others. At the end the protagonist Harrison was shot by the handicapper general, I think the author choose this ending because Harrison wanted to be free but the government didn't want it to happen. Equality is not as simple as you think, it is very hard.
I think the author chose to end the story this way because if he wouldn't have the story this way the message would have been weakened by the end so if somebody sees that because of this dumb equality somebody died it will be clearer for the reader what the message is instead if he ends it happily he would be telling his readers that everything is easy and doesn't requires sacrifices. I also think he ended the book this way because maybe he trying to explain us that not every book should end happily ever after. He represented book endings with equality and maybe his story was Harrison Bergeron the only one different from all the other humans or ending.
ReplyDeleteHello
ReplyDeleteI think he ended it in that way because, he wanted to show the reader that even if being equal is fair, it’s not always the right thing. As I said in class if everyone was equal we will have no men brave enough to go to the moon, men that push the borders of life showing that we are all not equal. For example Armstrong, Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, etc. It also shows that everyone can do some thing great, beautiful and amazing in all their special ways. I think this shows what I mean in a great but hidden way THAT BEING EQUAL IS NOT EQUAL. This story can bea real example of what can happen if everyone is the same.
I really liked all of your it gave me a great example of how being equal is not equal
ReplyDeleteHello Ms Gelso and Fellow Classmates,
ReplyDeleteIn response to Uchenna's question: "The ending of 'Harrison Bergeron' was a bad, sad, and senseless ending. Why did the author choose to end it in this way?", I think that the author chose this ending because he wanted to prove that equality also has a negative side. If everyone was equal, then no one would be special! If someone didn't let you express or develop your talents, then you wouldn't be able to show the world that you are unique.
I think that when people are not allowed to be unique or think for themselves, they stay the same and can't speak up against people who are governing. The governors might do this because they don't want anybody more superior to them. They are afraid to be overthrown, they also want to be in total control.
I think the author wanted to put a sad ending with Harrison Bergeron the main character be killed by the Handicapper General Diana Moon Clampers because they will like to show how in the future it will base on a even side and tell us to be equal.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all let me say I am so happy that you are all posting questions and comments to one another! That is fulfilling the purpose of the blog exactly. I hope you are finding it as useful and interesting as I am. It also really gives all of us a chance to hear each individual person's ideas and opinions that we might not have time for in class.
ReplyDeleteI think a couple of us hit some very key points or themes brought up by this text:
Ludovica said "Equality is not as simple as you think, it is very hard." This might be Vonnegut's first point (though not necessarily most important). Equality is something that many cultures/societies are striving towards. We all believe that people are the same at heart and should have the same rights. But Vonnegut seems to be showing the other side: maybe not that equality is bad, but that diversity and difference should still be celebrated.
Tomas brought up sacrifice. He showed that Harrison had to sacrifice something in order to have some kind of an effect on what he thinks is important. Like Tomas said, not everything is easy and doing something of real importance will require sacrifices.
Paloma brought up the government and Alessandro a dictatorship ("dictatorship" not "dictation"). I think Vonnegut's own fear of government control is at the heart of this story. In American culture, there is generally a fear among the people that the government will become too powerful and people will lose their rights.
Great work everyone! Let's keep it up! [I am having some trouble getting onto Edline, so I haven't had the chance to email everyone's confirmation. But know that those of you who are posting extra comments and questions are receiving bonus homework points, too!]
Uchenna's question: The ending of "Harrison Bergeron" was a bad, sad, and senseless ending. Why did the author choose to end it in this way?
ReplyDeleteI think that the author made end the story in that sad and bad whay because he wanted to make understand that equality is not always helpful. It also has a negative side that hade a big part in this story. The goverment hade decided to make everybody equal without thinking about th problems that they were going throught. Maybe with this ending the goverment finally understood this.
I think the author wanted to put a sad and noy happy ending with Harrison Bergeron being killed by the Handicapper General Diana Moon Clampers because the author wanted to show equality, and because the book talks about eqaulity it couldn't end taht Harrison would give all the talents back to all the people. Something ha dto happen and so he decided that the main character had to be killed, it wasn't really waht I expected. I think that the end was unconclusional and sad
ReplyDelete