Saturday, May 31, 2014

Please create a card report analysis for "Harrison Bergeron." Please list themes you discovered in this story.

In order to complete this assignment you should first identify the characters. The first character of course is Harrison Bergeron. The story also talks about his parents, George and Hazel. You also have the Handicapper General of the United States, Diana Moon Glampers. Finally you have the announcer and the dancer, who dances and dies with Harrison Bergeron in a final act of defiance.
Another aspect of this card report is tone and style. These are often similar in a piece of writing. This story relies a lot on dialogue, and uses fairly simple language, as it is trying to, in some ways, mimic the handicaps that the characters live with. The story is interrupted by the mental handicaps to give the reader a feeling similar to that of the story.
The tone could be described as sad, though you can also argue that this story is a satire as it is certainly making a political commentary about the way we view differences and the dangers in trying to erase independence and uniqueness.
The irony in Harrison Bergeron comes with the fact that in the end he was forgotten. This story is about an incredible act of defiance and change. Harrison Bergeron goes against all odds and becomes a hero... for only a moment. He is then killed, and even his parents immediately forget about his death and his heroic dance. It's a very sad irony that leaves the reader feeling a little shocked and encourages us to think.
Finally, symbol. You could look at the handicaps as a symbol and talk about the ways that even though these handicaps are meant to completely equalize everyone, in reality you can still tell how strong someone is based on how much weight they carry, or how beautiful they are based on how ugly the mask is. People are different, and there is no way to actually hide that.

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