There is not a finite number of times you need to contribute; rather, I will check to see that you are thoughtfully and consistently contributing. If you wait to post until 20 minutes into our fishbowl or you post once and are dormant for 15 minutes, that indicates that you're not using your time thoughtfully. If this is because you're a slow typist or perhaps you struggle with the multi-tasking nature of this activity, choose another way to show your understanding . If lack of focus continues to be a problem, you will be asked to hand-write a response to our next fishbowl or to verbally participate only.
A couple of things to keep in mind :
- This is an academic assignment. It should be properly written and proofread rather than assuming the appearance of a text message.
- If addressing one person's post, respond to that discussion thread.
- Support your thinking with evidence from the text
- Contextualize question in specific passages or plot points
Happy posting!
What are the pros and cons of equality?
ReplyDeletepros are the equale in respect and no down falls, cons is no progress
DeleteI think pros of equality is that there could be a lot less fighting because no one is of higher power or anything than anyone else is. The cons of equality would be that it would be hard to make everyone totally equal. People may get upset for having to become equal to each other because some people have worked hard to earn what they have so having to come to the same level as other people could be an issue for them.
DeleteI think that this story is important because it shows the negative aspects of equality, when most people would only think about the positive effects. That being said, I think that equality is a form of progress itself and can provide many positive outcomes for a society, but equality is and ideal that should be limited to rights and freedoms rather than physical and mental equality.
ReplyDeleteI don' think that it will ever be to the point were we are physically and mentally equal because we are all different no matter what.
DeleteI think that this is a very valid point. This made me think about the definition "equality" we live by. Of course we all have equal rights but ours are more free. In this story it was to the point where every little thing about someone was equal. It really emphasized for me about how we are entitled to our own thoughts, mental, and physical freedoms. We get to choose our powers, our path, but everyone else has the opportunity too.
DeleteWouldn't having more physical and mental abilities make you better than others? I think there are more pros to not being equal than being equal. When people aren't equal, things like their salary depends on how successful they are. With that being said, when being unequal we strive to better because we get rewarded with our successes. "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." Because smarter people like George can't have deep thoughts so they can't strive to be better and I think in some ways that slows down the progress that they could have.
DeleteWhat does equality mean to you? What is your definition of equality?
ReplyDeleteEquality is not like how it was portrayed in H.B. but rather everybody is treated equal instead of BEING equal.
DeleteI think equality means that everybody is being treated fairly.
DeleteTo be equal means to be the same and honestly no matter how hard we try we will never be the same. Progress just invents another thing that a human can be better or worse at such as entertainment on the TV and some people would be good talk show hosts and other won't so it just creates another alley for people to be different. Striving towards equality is worthless because we can be given equal rights but we will never have equal minds.
DeleteI think of equality kind of like a math equation like 2 x 3 = 5+1 they are both the same, theyre both equal but they're different. We have the same rights but we treat them different and thats what makes us different but yet we are all the same.
DeleteI think that it's better to have progress rather than equality, people were made to be different and to make them as similar as in H.B. is almost kind of sickening. I would be worried if this is what the future holds because It seemed like a horrible place to live where rebellion is not a thing because no one thinks anything different.
ReplyDeleteI think progress is a lot more important than equality because it makes you who you are. With progress you can constantly improve yourself, making yourself a better person. With equality, no one is more special than anyone else and overall, it just makes everyone not human.
ReplyDeleteAnswering Ms. Lee's and Darby's question
ReplyDeleteI believe that equality comes with progress. Progress is always happening whether we are equal or not. We are advancing in so many ways technology, learning, lots of stuff. Equality is just part of the ride. We've progressed to get loads of equality, civil rights, education, and gay marriage is something now that we seem to be legalizing and becoming equal.
I feel as if Harrison was a little more of a power hungry boy rather than a freedom fighter because he doesn't try to free the other people. Instead he was claiming that he is an emperor and he claimed to have an empress. It seemed like he was mostly focusing on himself and what he wanted, rather than what was best for the people.
DeleteI feel that equality won't be a law in the future because a government's job isn't to make people totally equal. If the law was put in place, it would be broken several times by many people, because a law can't change someone's true emotions toward their peers. People might be acting like they are equal with everyone, but they don't actually feel that way.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the satire of this piece? What did you write on the notencard yesterday?
ReplyDeleteThe satire of this piece is that this is probably the only way in actually doing something abut peoples ability's or "unfair advantages". And it is crazy how they would even suggest this which also makes this comical. And it is actually really funny how Harrison basically has to look like a robot in order to be the same as everyone else.
DeleteI think that is if everyone was exactly the same think that it wouldn't good because everyone was made different or a reason and if everyone was the name no one would really have their own talents or goals and life would be really different because no one would be working for anything, there would be no amazing sports players or singers or anything, but I don't think that is would last for long because like Guliana said people would start to rebel.
ReplyDeletedoes the law have an affects on how we as a people think.
ReplyDeleteI think the law can have an effect on how people think on political topics. But in this society, I believe people want to be who they are and if that means breaking the law, they'll do it. I also believe that not all laws are just; so some should be broken for the better. Then again, if some other laws are broke, they could cause worse things.
DeleteIn the text, the Handicapper General seems to control all the people; stopping them from any advantages. George stated about the Handicapper General, "Good as anybody else." If everyone is equal in that society, then why does the General get to control everyone?
ReplyDeleteI think that the Handicapper General shows that no matter how hard you try, you can't have true equality because there will always have to be someone who regulates and controls something within the society.
DeleteI think the General is the authors way of making the story sort of ironic. Its like the government is telling us that we should all be treated equal when they are considered more powerful than us, they are "better" than us. Its just ironic.
DeleteI agree with Austin. Without some sort of control, people would turn to riots and would break many rules and the world would turn to chaos.
DeleteI think that the story needs the General to keep everyone in line. It is like a dictatorship, one has all the power while everyone else has no say in the government or how they live their lives.
DeleteI agree with Austin too. They say that they are all equal but they still have issues and I think the story itself shows that total equality is not completely possible because you need to have some sort of law and rules but who is to make that when everyone is supposed to be the same?
DeleteI really like your question Natalie because it also brought up my thoughts from yesterday that wouldn't these transmitters still keep them from being unequal? In the story Hazel says "I don't care if you're not equal to me for awhile." So Hazel knows that George is smarter than her and she knows that because he has a handicapper to technically "dumb him down". So in a way these handicappers still make them unequal.
DeleteWhy do you think that the parents in H.B. can remember who the Handicapper General is but not that they have a son who is now in jail?
ReplyDeleteDo they not know who he is or do they just not really care because everyone is supposed to be equal?
DeleteI feel that they can remember the Handicapper General because even though everyone is supposed to be equal, they aren't because the Handicapper General has more authority over the people wants people to let it be known by having them remember her.
DeleteI think equality has less pros than progress. With progress you can always be improving yourself and making aspects of your life better. With equality, you are who you are and you can't really change that, if it got to the point it does in "Harrison Bergeron"
ReplyDeleteWhen Harrison came onto the news at the beginning of the story. Did the ballerina and the musicians join Harrison out of fear or because they believed in equality like him?
ReplyDeleteThe author takes note on how beautiful she is so maybe she knew that she looked stunning and wanted to show the world what she was not able to show before and know she could. So yes she does believe in equality like he does.
DeleteI believe that the ballerina joined him because she believed in equality like him. I think this because Harrison asked one of the ballerinas to stand up. SHe was not forced to stand up and join him. But I think the musicians joined him because of fear that if they didn't do what he said that he would get mad and he would hurt them.
DeleteHow can everyone in this story be equal if there are people in jail?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is completely equal. They still have to figure somethings out. For example, if you have to carry more weights, you will eventually become stronger. I think it is not totally possible for everyone to be completely equal because everyone will have their own opinion that you cannot change and that will effect what they do.
DeleteI think that no one is completely equal as everybody else in this story. I believe this is the satirical aspect of the text because when you really analyze each person, there are a lot of holes in the equal society.
DeleteI don't think that everyone is equal in the story becuase there are still government officials, police officers, and the Handicapper Generals that are in a higher class than the regular people. I think that no matter how much you tried to make everyone exactly equal you couldn't.
DeleteI would agree with Charlee, it can't be 100% equal. Obviously in the story people were reminding themselves that they need to act equal as others. I think that those who didn't act equal were sent to this jail. There is something inside all of them that make them unique and a different person but the goverenment has given them something to remind them that they can't have unequal thoughts like the ear radios and such.
DeleteI think that equality is important to our society but there are limitations to how equal we are. In this story by Kurt Vonnegut equality was taken to extreme measures, this led to people not being able to express or think for themselves. "...another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts". This quote shows how when George starts to think about something deeper the government stops it with the radio. People in this society have no freedom to think or feel what they want.
ReplyDeleteIf this were to ever happen in the future I think it would be a bad thing because each person should have their own beliefs and thoughts, unlike with George in "Harrison Bergeron" when the radio was making sounds in his ear when he was thinking about how the ballerina dancers shouldn't be handicapped. Everyone should be able to do whatever they want freely, and i think that someone's thoughts should be a private thing that the government shouldn't have access to. But that doesn't mean that everyone with different colors of skin shouldn't be equal.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone is equal in H.B. are there any police or government officials?
ReplyDeleteI think Harrison was for equal in chance.
ReplyDeleteI don't think everyone being totally equal is part of our future because it isn't the governments job to make everyone the same. They may alter laws to have everyone have equal rights like they have in the past, an example would be women's voting rights. I don't think they will change it to how it is in the short story though.
ReplyDeleteI think that in the Declaration of Independence, when it says "all men are created equal" it means color, religion and sex wise. I don't think it has anything to do with physical appearances or qualities people have.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Vonnegut end the story like this? H.B. gets killed and that's the end of the rebellion and everybody forgets? What's the point?
ReplyDeleteWhy can't instead of being equally ugly we can be equally beautiful?
ReplyDeleteBecause it was easier to make everyone handicapped than it would be to make everyone beautiful.
DeleteWhy do you think the author wrote this piece? Is he just demonstrating the downsides of communism and true equality or is there something more to this story?
ReplyDeleteOn the last page of our text, Hazel had witnessed her son get shot by Diana Moon Glampers. After that, a black out had occurred which hazel went to get George but by the time she had reached him, she had forgotten about it. He noticed that hazel was crying. Twice in the story, George realized that hazel had tears running down her cheeks. Would the memory of their son getting shot still be small fragments inside of hazels mind or is it gone forever?
ReplyDeleteI think that it will be gone forever because I think in that time period since everyone is completely equal, they aren't necessarily allowed to have many feelings or care about anyone that much.
DeleteHarrison was part a guy that just wanted power, but all he was trying to do was stop the government's approach to making everyone equal. But he was more of a person that had different beliefs than everyone else and stood up for humanity while everyone else were scared of being put in jail, or thought that everyone should be equal. When he was dancing with the ballerina I think that he was trying to pt out a message to the government that he is gong to do what is against the rules and that he thought that everyone was created equally with different thoughts and behaviors.
ReplyDeleteI think that competition and social classes are a good thing. Competition gives people something to work for and gives them motivation to get their goals and to get better. And it lets certian people excell in their own talents. And if people don't have motivation to move forward and get better at something then there would be no progress and things would just stay the same. And with social classes, you can work to move up in the social classes, so like competition it gives people something to work towards and motivation to keep working.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the point in make people equal in every way? From physical features to how people think.
ReplyDeleteI think its the governments way of trying to control us. In the story they try to control Georges thoughts with the ear piece and I've heard a lot of people asking why they didn't just try and make everyone better rather than handicapping them and i think its so that the government doesn't feel threatened by people trying to change how they deal with things. They want to have an advantage over them so that they can keep their power.
DeleteHow have people not gone crazy from having the handicap radio in their ears? When the Burgerons are watching the ballerinas perform a couple of them go down in pain after their ear radios go off. How can someone live with loud noises going off in their ears every twenty seconds?
ReplyDeleteI think that people have learned to live with it and it's all that they know. They have learned to live with all the weights on them and the masks and all the other handicaps that if given to us would drive us all crazy, but for them having handicaps is normal.
DeleteIts mostly different from our society because in the story the government has total control of it's people like in a communist country. We live in a capitalist country which is the complete opposite of a communist country's laws. This story relates to the real world though showing how people rebel if they don't have certain rights.
ReplyDeleteWho does Harrison Bergeron represent?
ReplyDeleteI believe that he represents the blacks at this time because in the 1950's the blacks were revolting and trying to show us that they are individuals just like the people in the story.
Do you think that it would be better for the people if they were to start cheating on the governments laws?
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be better for them but they don't want to. Because in the story it talks about how if people start cheating the law they would start going back to the dark ages and it said they didn't want to do that.
DeleteHow do the people in this story view their society, were they taught to believe that this kind of society is a good thing? Also do you think the "dark ages" they mentioned has something to do with this extreme equality?
ReplyDeleteOn the second page of Harrison Bergeron when George and Hazel were watching the ballerinas, George was white and trembling and there were tears in his eyes. Then the ballerinas suddenly collapse on the floor. Was it a coincidence that it happened in the same time?
ReplyDeleteDo you think when Hazel mentioned the "dark ages" that she could of meant our present society?? Because awful things happen in our world today and things are constantly changing.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone is equal is there a president? Or is everyone in "charge"?
ReplyDeleteI think that these equality rules are only taking place in the United States in the future because it said that the person who enforces the rules is the United States' Handicapper General. I also think that the agency that started this movement was a smaller agency and then gained more and more power overtime to enforce these laws.
ReplyDeleteHow would the government try to deal with someone who is deaf, and doesn't require the little mental handicap radio?
ReplyDelete