Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron."
And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.
How is this excerpt an example of irony?
Handicapping intelligence contradicts expectations because intelligence is normally considered a positive attribute.
Handicapping intelligence is pointless because determining whether one’s intelligence is above normal is a matter of opinion.
If George were really that intelligent, he would remove the device from his ear.
The mental handicap radio is incapable of correcting physi
cal inequalities.
Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron."
And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.
How is this excerpt an example of irony?
Handicapping intelligence contradicts expectations because intelligence is normally considered a positive attribute.
Handicapping intelligence is pointless because determining whether one’s intelligence is above normal is a matter of opinion.
If George were really that intelligent, he would remove the device from his ear.
The mental handicap radio is incapable of correcting physi
cal inequalities.
This excerpt is an example of irony because handicapping intelligence contradicts expectations. In society, intelligence is generally considered a positive attribute, so it is ironic that someone with above-normal intelligence is being restricted and hindered by a mental handicap radio.
Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron."
He tried to think a little about the ballerinas. They weren’t really very good—no better than anybody else would have been, anyway. They were burdened with sash-weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in. George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped.
This excerpt best illustrates Kurt Vonnegut’s message that
everyone in a society should have equal talent and beauty.
advances in technology should be closely monitored.
television viewing limits individual thought and creativity.
absolute equality prevents personal freedoms of expression.
This excerpt best illustrates Kurt Vonnegut’s message that absolute equality prevents personal freedoms of expression. The passage describes the dancers being handicapped to ensure that no one feels inferior or inadequate. However, George begins to question whether it is necessary to handicap dancers and suggests that it might hinder their abilities and creative expression. This suggests that Vonnegut is criticizing the idea of absolute equality as it restricts individual freedom and hinders talent and beauty.
Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron."
“I think I’d make a good Handicapper General.”
“Good as anybody else,” said George.
“Who knows better’n I do what normal is?” said Hazel.
How does the dialogue develop Hazel’s character?
It depicts her as a round character because she is looking to change her career.
It depicts her as a flat character because she represents the stereotype of average intelligence.
It depicts her as a round character because she is good at something, which makes her better than her peers.
It depicts her as a flat character because she is unclear about what normal means.