"Harrison Bergerson" by Kurt Vonnegut

Featured literary device: Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device that writers use to hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story. Foreshadowing, is an excellent device to create suspense and dramatic tension for readers.

Microsoft Word - bnw-unit_packet.pdf

Questions to think about:

How does society affect the thoughts and reactions of the people?

What has the government of this futuristic society done to ensure all people are equal?

Why was Harrison handicapped?


Vocab:

Amendments - changes

Constitution - system of beliefs and laws to govern a country

Unceasing - not stopping

Vigilance - being extremely watchful

Transmitter - a device that sends out radio or television signals

Bandits- robbers or outlaws

Burdened - causing difficulty

Sash-weights- little weights used to balance sliding windows

Birdshot- the smallest type of lead shot for shotgun shells

Winced- an expression showing pain or distress

Glimmeringly - briefly

Twenty-one gun salute - expression referring to the amount of noise caused by a traditional gun salute given by 7 soldiers firing 3 shots each using at a soldier’s funeral

Doozy - one of a kind

Reckon - to think or suppose something

Speech impediment- a defect in speech such as a lisp or a stammer (stutter)

Luminous - bright or shining

Hindrances - obstacles

Spectacles- glasses

Whanging - a long drawn out sound

Snaggle-tooth - teeth that are crooked or jutting out

Consternation- feelings of anxiety or dismay at something unexpected

Clanking- making a sound like two pieces of metal struck together

Bellowed - shouted in a deep, loud voice

Awed -amazed

Cowering- crouching in fear

Plucked- picked

Delicacy- in a delicate or fragile way

Synchronizing- together / in time with

Abandoned - ignored or cast off

Suspended - hung above

Summary (click arrow on the right to see)

This story takes place in 2081 where everyone is equal, and people that were above average have to be handicapped. Harrison-- George and Hazel’s son-- was taken away. No one was allowed to be better than the other person, and if you were, the government would give you handicaps so make you more “average”. Harrison was anything but average, so the government gave him a lot of handicaps, but Harrison outgrew them faster than the government can make them, so he got out of prison. Harrison claims himself to be the ruler and shows everyone his amazing strength by tearing off his handicaps. He also manages to improve some things, like the music that was playing. Harrison had defied the government which is why he was killed by the Handicap General.

Activities:

  1. Create a one-sentence summary paraphrasing the main idea of this text. Include the following key ideas:

  • Set in 2081

  • World of equality

  • Use of handicaps

  • Harrison being taken away


  1. Choose TWO quotes from the story. Write the quotes on a piece of paper.

  • Beneath the quotes: explain how they demonstrate the role power plays in a government and the impact it has on citizens.

  • Draw an image that captures the concept you’ve described (the image symbolizes what you are saying about the nature of governmental power and how it affects individuals/societies).


Foreshadowing

Examples within the text:

  • George was thinking that maybe dancers shouldn't be handicapped--- foreshadows Harrison's moving of the ballerina's handicaps

  • When George thinks about his "abnormal son, Harrison," a twenty-one gun salute goes off in his head--foreshadows Harrison's ultimate fate of death

  • "There were tears on Hazel's cheeks, but she's forgotten for the moment what they were about"--foreshadows the ending, when Hazel cries after Harrison's death but cannot remember why she is crying