Tuesday, March 4, 2014

We're English 10 Nerds and Loving It: March 4, 2014

Focus: What does our future look like?


Early birds: Turn in those essays and give yourself a star (literally).

1. Warm-up: Exploring your thoughts on competition and "equality"

Agree, disagree, unsure: State your stance and give two good, specific reasons/pieces of evidence.


a. We shouldn't keep score at kids' sports games (kids = age ten and under).

b. All high school teams should include a team from which no one gets cut.

c. On every team, every kid should get to play every position.

d. We should treat everyone equally.


2. Reviewing fishbowl expectations and enjoying a 20 minute impromptu fishbowl discussion of the statements above and of "Harrison Bergeron"

3. Signing up for leader and discusser dates for the F451 fishbowls

(4. Diving into the world of F451 together with your blue bookmarks)

HW:
1. Continue reading and annotating through page ___ in F451 (annotate by filling out the reading journal given in class).

2. The final deadline for your essay is this Thursday, March 6. No late work will be accepted after this point.

3. We will be reviewing Lists 11-15 in class tomorrow to prepare you for Thursday's cumulative test over all SAT words covered this semester.

156 comments:

  1. What is the big picture in this story?

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  3. Why do you think Kurt Vonnegut choose the year 2081?

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    1. I think he chose the year 2081 because it is the future, when he wrote this. He may have thought that this a very real possibility.

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  4. How come the main law is that everyone is equal? wouldn't this cause problems with competition, sports, and even day to day life?

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  5. Harrison Bergeron would probably agree with all the questions we answered in class. He explains in the story that everyone should be totally equal.

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    1. Also it is a totally equal world, if you are stronger then someone you are weighted down and if you are more beautiful then someone you wear an ugly mask, everyone is totally equal in every aspect of life in this story

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  6. whats the point of the late year and what is the pint of the ice cream and just because there sports why does it matter winning is winning losing is losing its a part of life

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  8. Why do you think it took until the year 2081 to make everyone equal?

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    1. Because it takes a long time to change the way people think.

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    2. Probably because not everyone agreed with it because its a stupid idea.

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    3. Because that is the year everything changes

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  9. I think an important part of the story is Television. The author is trying to explain how television is controlling our lives. On page 3, it says "The television program was suddenly interrupted for a news bulletin." This quote represents how the government is controlling the tv and essentially controlling our lives.

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  10. Yes I believe that you should always keep score to compete and developed the younge for high school and higher level of sports.

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  11. In the first paragraph it says "everybody was finally equal". Do you think it is really possible for everyone to be truly equal?

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    1. The handicapper general wasn't equal to anyone, so not everyone can be equal, but almost everybody is equal

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  12. The tone of this passage came across satirical to me because it is so extreme in the direction of the belief of treating everyone equal that it is unbelievable that anyone could actually believe in complete equality.

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  13. learn to win and learn to loose and the kids would fight without it

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  14. In the first paragraph it says, "Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." Why would the author write this in his story? Do you think he would want to live like this?

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  15. Competition drives businesses to create new products and this essentially is what drives the economies. If there wasn't competition then monopolies would start and it would drive up prices which would be a negative impact for our society.

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  16. This story was terrible it was boring, the only part of the story that carries any entertainment value is the last page and a half where Harrison breaks down the wall/door.

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  17. "That dance, it was Nice" - Hazel
    Georges response to this is his thought on what ballerinas were, and he thinks about why they are handicapped. It shows that even in this world there are still ways that things aren't perfect

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  18. Why is everyone handicap, why isn't everyone perfect and equal?

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  19. On page 3 Hazel says, "Reckon it'd fall all apart." This shows the idea of Communism, and that these human beings have been brain washed into believing what ever the government tells them to do. The idea of Communism has crippled the idea of freedom of speech, and puts everyone's ideas into a metal box that is never looked at, which is shown in this story Harrison Bergeron.

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  20. I do think competition is a very healthy thing in this world because it builds character and teaches you how to be a good sport. Also it is fun everyone loves competition. It also teaches you how to lose and be a good sport about it and teaches you how to win and be a good sport about it.

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  21. I agree that we should keep score for everyone because if there werent any score then they would lose alot of players

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  22. How do you think equality cause people to act.

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    1. i think that if you aren't treated equal then someone should stand up and tell them to treat everyone the same

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  23. I do not believe any of this is even worth discussing because this topic is obviously a extremely stupid idea.

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  24. Why did Diana cause so much chaos in the story shooting the Ballerina and Harrison?

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  25. Without scores there isn't competition and therefore sports wont be taken seriously. And some people play sports to get better and to just not think about anything else and get away from things that are going on in your life.

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    1. To some people sports and competition are their life and without a score like you said there isn't competition

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    2. very well said my sir

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  26. Throughout the story he talks about about the people who create the handicaps and control everyone being equal. If EVERYONE is supposed to be equal, are those people really equal to them?

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  27. does Harrison and the ballerina die at the end for the sole purpose of showing symbolism.

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  28. Do you think that these people in the story wanted to live like this?

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    1. Not at first, but it probably became so normal to them, that they cannot imagine another kind of life.

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  29. Why were those people killed for not having handicaps? isn't this a bit unjustifiable?

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    1. This is what equality does, it causes violence when others aren't as equal.

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  30. i believe that we should treat everyone equal because you never no what they are going through and whats going on in their life

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  31. At what point would a revolt happen? When would people get sick of what is really unequal?

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  32. If people don't learn how to lose then how will they react when they lose later on in life when they have never lost before?

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  33. I think that we should have a no cut policy for sports because people that don't make the team are sad and it makes them feel bad

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  34. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal." If everyone is equal, how did the handicapper general obtain a double barrel shotgun? Is the government somehow not equal? Was this the intent of Kurt Vonnegut when he was writing Harrison Bergeron?

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  35. I disagree with all of the points because you need to keep score. For competition, the kids know who won weather or not you kept score or not. It's a healthy competition. Especially for cut sports. It's a competition to see who gets the spot. Maybe some sports should have no cut, such as lacrosse. No one should be treated equally. Being the same wouldn't get your team anywhere. No one would work harder to be better than anyone else.

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    1. And baseball, many kids like the sport but aren't good at it. Keeping score is the whole part of the game.

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  36. The first quote by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everyone was finally equal" talks about how he hopes that one day everyone is treated equally for once. This means that serial killers will be treated the same as presidents, I disagree with Vonnegut because I think everyone should be treated equal until they do something to lose the privilege of being treated equally.

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  37. Can we make everyone equal? No i don't think we can because everyone is different because no matter how hard you try not everyone mind will be thinking and working the same.

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  38. At one point in the story they refer to our modern time as the "dark ages" Do you think in their minds they really believe that their society is better than what we have now?

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  39. Cheating laws is what makes society, So how come they want everyone the same?

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  40. What inspired Vonnegut to write this?

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  41. He talks a lot about equality, was he not treated equally?

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  42. Why does the author think the future is so controlling?

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    1. That's what is happening. We are trying to change our world and have more equality but I think we have started to make everything the same for everyone. No one is different or better and I think the author is trying to show an outcome that could happen from it.

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    2. The author isn't necessarily thinking that the future will be like this. He is thinking that this is what will happen in a world that has people controlling what the people can do.

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  43. Kids will never know what it's like to lose, and they will never know how to lose. This will apply to their future, they will have no drive. Kids will just expect.

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  44. An important lesson in life is if you want to succeed in life you have to work hard and have competition. If everyone is equal no one has to work.

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    1. I agree. If no one is trying to be better than someone else our world wont evolve any further. If everyone is treated equally not everybody is treated fairly.

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  45. Why does the author make everyone dumb themselves down for to the normal peoples's level?

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    1. it would be easier to make everyone equal to the lowest rather than figure out a way to make everyone smarter.

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  46. If someone wants to play a sport they should have the opportunity to play and be on a lower team .

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  47. ...¨They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else¨..Do you think this could ever happen in the future? If so how could we accomplish this throughout the whole world?

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  48. Why does Vonnegut feel like the future is going to be so controlled by one person?

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  49. The author states "They were equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." Why would you want everyone to be equal in every way possible? Why wouldn't you want diversity throughout?

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  50. Many people learn to face rejection and learn how to work hard through sports programs that cut players. Without score and cuts these kids will never realize that the world is competitive

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    1. I agree that there needs to be competitive teams that have cuts, but there should also be a team where kids can go and learn how to play and get better.

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    2. I also agree if you get cut and you like to play the sport you get motivated to come back and make the team so I thinking cutting people is important and healthy

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  51. There is always going to be someone better than you and someone worse than you. I think it makes you want to work harder if you have competition. If everyone is equal then no one will have to work hard, or practice to get better and improve.

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    1. I agree with you Aly and that competition is what gives us motivation and that's how Michael Jordan became the greatest of all time because he got cut and because he worked his butt off to become him. So I say we should have cut sports in certain sports that CHASA allows.

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  52. "My God-" said George, "that must be Harrison!"
    In Vonnegut's story he constantly has the people forgetting things, to the point where he doesn't remember his son. Equality doesn't mean making everyone the same, but that you treat others and give others the same opportunities you want.

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  53. What would a world with our failure and rejection look like? Would it be better? Worse?

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    1. In a world without failure and rejection everyone would be the same. There would be no individuality. I personally believe that the world would be worse. As humans we learn from our mistake and rejections. It makes each individual person unique in their own way.

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  54. "Forget sad things,"said George."I always do," said Hazel. Do you think in the back of their mind, they actually know what had just happened? They just don't want to have to forget it again?

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    1. I think that they truly forgot, because from what I've seen in the story, all their thoughts get "zapped".

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    2. I think they truly did forget those things. I dont understand why they forgot them though. What is making them so forgetful?

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  55. Also, a lot of the younger athletes learn the technicalities and the goals at around age 9 and 10 and begin their journey to being a professional athlete. If there are children who are constantly being rotated into their position it hinders this kid's progression.

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    1. I agree with that because with constant rotating of positions then kids who are good at one position won't have the chance to be able to become better.

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  56. In the "fair" society of story is this more communism or is this dictatorship economy? (communism -social system which has no state, social classes, or notions of 'property.' Dictatorship-government by a dictator.)

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    1. I believe that in this so called ¨fair" society its a little bit of both a dictatorship and a communist government. These people seem to be ruled by being the complete same or ¨equal¨. There is no individuality or personality. No one person strives to do something better than the next.

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  57. I think competition is healthy in Harrison Bergeron it shows a world without it which seems like a dull,non-creative, and unhappy world. People are supposed to bring different skill sets into the world. We all are good at something and thats what makes us equal. I think part of the reason the government reacted the way it did in the story for example, "A buzzer sounded in George's head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm." was to make sure people didnt realize what was wrong with making everyone except the government equal, Much like communism

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  58. Why does the author make the future seem so negative?

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  59. "There you are," said George. The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society?" ... "reckon it fall apart"
    The government had influenced everyone to the point where they think laws hold up society, and will follow anything the government tells them to do. They all forgot that chaos and disorder is what separates a society from an army or a group of robots.

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  60. "Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else" Not everybody can be equal. If we all got the same chance and if we all got into the same sports team. We could never celebrate peoples differences. People would never have failure and thus no one could win.

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  61. Could people ever let the government get this powerful? Could people ever be truly equal?

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    1. The government if you think about it is controlled by many people and there will be people that will not let each other become in this much control. If you look at China it has happened. The people in China have no power and the same with other countries where the government tells the people what to do. The US will not get to this point.

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  62. It sounds like everything and everyone was just taken over and completely changed.

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  63. If society went in this direction would we just stop advancing in everything? No one would be smart enough to keep adding new ideas, discover new things.

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  64. How could you live in a world where everybody was basically the same?

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    1. I don't think we could live in a world with everyone equal because that gives a lot of the population an unfair advantage including those with an amazing talent. I think the author would disagree because he has shown that when everyone is equal, it degrades others and people cannot be superior. People have different talents and if everyone is equal, would people actually have any talents? Would everyone be given an opportunity or would everyone not be given an option? I feel like everyone would try to just forget about everything like Hazel said. When George asked her what she had seen and why she was crying. She responded with "I forget, Something real sad on television." George asked what it was and he replied with "It's all kind of mixed up in my mind."

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  65. Why do some people consider competition to be a bad thing?

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    1. I think so may think competition is a bad thing because competition brings out a negative nature in some people. Some people handle competition better than others but because some may not know how to handle competition or what comes with competition like losing, some people may lash out in negative ways that could lead to a negative situation.

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    2. Some people this competition can be a good thing because that gives someone a goal, but it can be bad. Some people think it can make others too competitive and it can bring out the bad side of people. Some people can be really negative about situations. The competition can create a problem with someone feeling left out.

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    1. People in this society have simply taken out their ear pieces. However, it has gotten them either imprisoned or killed. In the reading there seems to be a sense of an uprising occurring frequently. There could be an uprising everyday, but society wouldn't remember it. The people either unconsciously realize that resistance is futile, or they are conditioned not to act out.

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  68. Do you think Kurt Vonnegut Jr. had such murderous scenes at the end of the story because he doesn't agree with equality? Which is why he "killed" it?

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    1. I said Kurt Vonnegut Jr. does agree with equality because of the fact that Harrison is fighting for equality and freedom from his handicaps. "Harrison tore the straps of his handicaps harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support 5 thousand pounds.

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    2. I think that the author's view on equality can be interpreted both ways. I agree with Kristen, but I also think that he disagrees with it. In the beginning he takes equality to an extreme including strength and intelligence. He makes the point that it is impossible or very difficult to make everyone completely equal.

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  69. Why didn't they just take the ear pieces out sooner and make a rebellion against the Handicap Generals?

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    1. Personally I feel that it was too unsafe, it seemed that the government would figure out sooner or later that they are taking them out. It reminds me about Hunger Games and how they try to overthrow the government, it is harder than it looks to overthrow a government. Also the government seems to powerful to be able to allow everyone to become unequal.

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  70. "Everybody was finally equal." how was everyone finally equal if above average people had to wear a little mental handicap radio?

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    1. The government has attempted to make people as equal as possible. There is no basis to derive an "average" because everyone is equally hindered.

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    2. I think there is a difference between being treated equally and having all people be equal. In order to achieve equality among people there has to be unequal treatment to get there.

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  71. Is it just me or does this story remind you of communism?

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    1. I never thought about this but this is a great point.

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  72. I disagree with not keeping score at kids' game because keeping the score is a way for them to learn that later in life, there are many competitions. In these competitions kids will be to quickly learn how to deal with situations in life later on. Once you start growing up, you realize that this world is full of competition. Because kids learn this while they're young, they won't be so shocked later on.

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    1. I agree with this, because I think that we sometimes need competition, to motivate us, and push us to be better than we already are.

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  73. Do you think that Kurt Vonnegut's experience in World War II had an impact on how he views equality? Why or why not?

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    1. Yes because know that I know he was a prisoner of the Nazi's, Harrison reminds me of Hitler because he rose up against and tried to take over the world. Then all the equal people are the Jews and the Handicap Generals are the other countries that finally took Harrison down.

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    2. I do think his experience is World War 2 has shape his opinion on equality.

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    3. I do think him being in the war reflects his views of equality. I think this because when you are at war you are trained to take the enemy. In war your not going to treat the enemy like one of your troop members.

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    4. It is very possible that his experience in World War 2 could have been a large contribution to the story. Like the Nazis, the government in the story try to make everyone similar. The story seemed like an exaggeration of the Nazi views because to the Nazis, there is a liking to blonde hair and blue eyes,and the world that Harrison was from was had the same basic view which was everyone should relate to one another.

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  74. At the very beginning of the story, it says, "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way." What is the definition of equality and are the citizens of the United States in 2081 truly "equal"?

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    1. I don't really think they are really equal. No matter how hard they try to make life equal it isn't. There are people higher up politically and obviously that is not equal. It is safe to say that nothing will ever be completely equal in life.

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    2. According to the dictionary the definition of equality is being equal in rights and opportunities. In this case I don't think that everyone is equal because it just isn't possible. Everyone has different incomes, family dynamics and many other factors that make it impossible to be equal.

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    3. The true definition of equality is less a sense of equality compared to one another and more of how those people are treated. When the civil rights movement began, they fought not to be like one another but to be given the same rights. The people of 2081 are not as equal as they are in unison. on page 3/7 it says "She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous." Which shows more of a unity and duplication instead of righteousness.

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  75. I think everyone should be treated equally, but not to the extreme that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. describes it. Everyone should be treated with the same respect, but if everyone was exactly the same then our whole world would be trash. Personality and smartness is what makes the world great and special.

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    1. I agree with that idea of being equal. In America we are all equal in having the rights to freedom. Freedom allows us to be different from each other. It is like we are equal in freedom. If that makes sense?

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  76. I think we should treat all people humanly no matter who they are but that doesn't necessarily mean equally. For example we wouldn't treat a child the same way we would treat an adult. We would treat them all with respect but we would assist a child more than we would an adult. Another example would be we wouldn't put a Varsity player on JV or a JV player on Varsity to treat them equally. Instead we would put the players on the team they belong and treat all the players humanely and with respect. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. one of the characters George is being handicapped for his intelligence. "Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains". Why should people that are smart be handicapped so that everyone is equal? If everyone equal then nobody is going to stand out and be able to improve technology and such. If we handicapped people like Steve Jobs we wouldn't have i-phones or any sort of modern technology.

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  77. When "the Emperor" rebels, it says, "It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it." Do you think that was literal, or theoretical?

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    1. I think it was theoretical. I think when he said they "kissed the ceiling", I think it was symbolism of them being higher up than anyone else and feeling free for an amount of time. They took off the collars with the lead balls and maybe they felt lifted up because they weren't being weighed down.

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    2. I think it's theoretical just in the way that they "kissed the ceiling" as if they were higher than everyone else around them. They had risen above the people who were thought to be equal but it was also like they were kind of breaking the inequality of the time.

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  78. If there is cuts then kids would feel bad about themselves. If they are willing to work and play the sport that they love then they should have the opportunity to play what they enjoy playing. In the inner circle they said how cool it is when the kids on the team wear their Arapahoe sports gear, but then they said if they can't make the team they should just go play at a rec center. They tried out for the team so they could participate in the sport they want to play in to represent their school. They didn't try out just to be cut and to feel bad about themselves.
    Sorry if none of that made sense. I was getting pretty heated about it and kinda just scrambled out a bunch of words

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  79. People have different talents and if everyone was equal, would people have talents? or no talents at all? Would anyone know the meaning of talents anymore? How would people live and differentiate people from each other?

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    1. I say every one is equal because we all have different talents. I say everyone has a talent of some kind. Talents make us different, they show to other who we are, and what we love to do.

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    2. If everyone was treated equally like demonstrated in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. then there would be no talents. Everyone would have the same talent and so nobody would be sticking out. Everyone would just become one person living in different bodies.

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    3. By hindering the talents a person has, the handicap also becomes a source of change. The handicaps can force the human race to evolve. If a person is physically stronger and is hindered with weights, that person may become stronger, or their children will. Eventually these differences will show, and people like the "Emperor" would rebel. People in this society know the meaning of talent. They see it in the handicaps they wear, even if it is not shown in their actions. "George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn't be handicapped." People know what talents are, and can differentiate one another by the handicaps they wear.

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  80. In "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. the characters who are more intelligent are handicapped; therefore, creating a less intelligent group of people. How does this effect the growth of a society?

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    1. I think it stunts the growth, because the smart people aren't able to have ideas to make the society grow, and those who aren't handicapped, don't naturally have the ability to help the society grow. So, that results in the society not really growing.

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    2. It effects society really bad. It seems like it would make society stupid. There does not seem a possible way to make people think alike. Every single person in the world thinks differently, so if we are hurting the smart people society will never advance to it's fullest potential.

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  81. I agree with what people are saying about every kid playing every position. When you are young you need to try out the different positions of a team to find out what you like, but as you get older everyone need to pick what they like.

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  82. I think that it is important to start equality at a young age, whether its sports, or race or education, equality should be between all ages and all situations. I know being different in race can be tough because you stand out among the others as being "different". No person should ever feel like they can't do something because they look and or act different than someone else, no person in my opinion should be punished because of the way they were born. Something they had no control over should never be held over their head for the rest of their lives.

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  83. Why did the some women have to wear mask just because of what they looked like? why didn't the others have to wear masks? maybe there something wrong with them and not the others.

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    1. I think this was to make people feel equal because there may have been women that were better looking than others so they had to cover their faces with a mask to not judge someone by the way they look but rather how they act.

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  84. I agree with c because you have to find what you are good at and what you love at first. So at a young age you should try all the sports and every position.

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  85. "On the television screens there were ballerinas." What do you think the significance is of the ballerinas in this story?

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    1. I think that the significance of the ballerinas was more than just to set up the scene for Harrison's arrival. By seeing that even the ballerinas were given handicaps, it gave a sense that there really was no more freedom and even art has a standard.

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  86. "It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts." What is considered to be "average"?

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    1. I think that people who are "average" are people who can function well, but can't necessarily do much more than that.

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  87. This is how i learned it, in a society diversity is its strength. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. When we are all different we all strive for competition, and competition is what makes this world work, and causes us to grow and succeed. I think treating everyone equally will take the competition out of things cause if we all are equal then no one will work harder than others, cause they want to improve their lives. So when people don't strive to improve their lives then what is there to live for?

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  88. Do you believe in equality or being fair? Or is there no difference?

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    1. I believe it depends on the topic. In terms of opportunities to succeed, every single person should be given an equal chance.

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    2. I believe in being fair, giving everyone a chance to be treated equally, but having consequences when what people do is unfair.

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    3. I believe in making things fair. If there is equality then everyone is the same but if it is fair then you can have bad people on the team and then give each team a good player so it's "FAIR".

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  89. In the story the characters are forced to wear handicaps to keep everyone equal. The handicaps play loud noises to stop people from forming their own ideas. "Two of the eight ballerinas had collapsed to the studio floor, were holding their temples." (page 2) How do these handicaps effect their health? How much are people willing to give up to accomplish equality?

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  90. I think they turned the above average people down because it is easier to do that then to make sure that the below average people better and as equal as them.

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    1. This society probably originated from a person, or a group of people, that were below average, that saw the advantage talented people had, and fought to make everyone be on the same level as them.

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  91. In the story, they referred to the times before everyone was equal as the 'dark ages'. Why do you think they called them that and why did they decided to make everyone 100% equal?

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    1. I think that the time before everyone was equal was considered the dark ages because with the successes of capitalism often came with disease and competition. To make everyone equal eliminated these problems though and allowed for everyone to receive a standard of treatment.

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  92. This story represent how Government can have great deal of control over people. So thinking about our Government how much control do they have over us?

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  93. I think that we shouldn't be treated equal because this isn't fair to everybody else on the team. Even though Harrison Bergeron believed in equality for everybody its not the right way to go. This causes competition which is a good thing to have. It makes people try harder.

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