Blog #3- Enoch Chan- Period 2- 2/6/2020

2/6/2020

Enoch Chan Period 2

Sophomores 2020

Blog #3

Aim: How does Kurt Vonnugut Jr. 's background and choice of literary devices provide greater insight and clarity to his work, “Harrison Bergeron”?

Do Now: How do students in your school feel about pressure(s) to be “the same” to act, think or dress the same way others do? Do you believe this pressure derives from outside forced or from personal desires? Do you think being the same makes most people happy or would they really prefer to act on their own?

• People act and dress like other people because it gives them a sense of inclusivity and helps them relate to others
• Some do this to create a bond with someone else to show that they are comfortable with each other
• People want to follow and relate to pop culture and trends. They want to be trendy. 
• Others have a desire to belong and fit into a group of people. 

Literary Focus:

Satire- any kind of writing, speaking, or art that ridicules (mocks, makes fun of) some weakness in individuals or in society. It mocks or makes fun of human folly (foolishness).

Ex. Saturday Night Live

Dystopia- is often futuristic vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable, and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence and/or terror, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain. 

Characterization: Direct vs. Indirect

Characterization is the process of revealing the personality of a character in a story. A writer can reveal a character by:

1. Letting us hear the character speak
2. Describing how they look and dress
3. Letting us listen to their inner thoughts
4. Revealing what other characters in the story think or say about the character
5. Show us what the character does- how they act
6. Telling us directly what the character’s personality is like

Direct & Indirect Characterization

What is the difference between Direct and Indirect characterization?

Direct Characterization- Writers tell us directly what characters are like or what their motives are. 

Indirect Characterization- Writers show us characters (through speech, appearance, private thoughts, other characters’ reactions, and actions) but allow us to decide what characters are like. 

5 Types of Indirect Characterization

Speech- What does the character say? How do they speak?

Thoughts- What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?

Effects on others towards the character- What is revealed through the character’s effect on the other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?

Action- What does the character do and or How do they act/behave?

Looks- What does the character look like and or dress? 

Reflection:

In “Harrison Bergeron”, the writer speaks about a dystopian fiction taking place in 2081, where everybody was finally equal. In this story, people with edges over others are required to have a handicap, so that everyone is equal and no one is better than anyone else. For example, George, whose intelligence is above average, must wear a handicap radio in his ear to disrupt his thoughts and stop him from being too smart. Others who may be more athletic than may wear weights to slow them down and make them weaker. Everyone has similar skill sets and all have the same limits and restrictions. 

    In today’s lesson we talked about why some people like to act, dress and think similarly. Some said that people want to be included and feel like they are a part of a group. Others say that a lot of people like to follow trends and fads that make them all similar. We also learned new literary phrases that helped us understand the story more. We learned the difference between direct and indirect characterization and watched two clips from Toys Story 3 and Harry Potter. In the Toys Story clip, Andy directly characterizes the toys and indirectly characterizes himself and the little girl. In Harry Potter, Hermione shows off her magic and is directly characterized as smart and bossy.  So far, from “Harrison Bergeron”, I’ve learned that equality in the world would not work. While people may not be excluded or discriminated against, people will have to suffer through the handicaps that the government issues. I think that everyone should be their own unique person and have their own sense of individualism.