Harrison Bergeron

a) TITLE AND AUTHOR of the story

-Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

b) BIOGRAPHY of the author

-Vonnegut was born November 11, 1922.  He was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He attended Cornell university in 1940-1942, and then got sent by the army to Carnegie Mellon university in 1943. He served for the army in Europe before getting captured and being inprisoned. After he returned from the army he married his high school girlfriend and they had 3 children. To support his family before his writing career took off he worked three jobs. He was a news paper reporter, a teacher, and a public relations imployee for general electric. In 1959 his writing career finally took off with his first book, "The Sirens of Titan." He died in 2007

c) SYMBOL: Find a picture or artwork to post with the story that symbolizes something in the story. Explain what the picture symbolizes at the top of the post.

d) RESPONSE: At the end of each of the stories, you will find a series of questions – add four of the questions to your post and answer them using complete sentences.

e) CRITICAL THINKING: For each of the stories, meet with a group of classmates and together share your answers to the following questions. After meeting with your group, post your responses (one word answers are not appropriate – explain all your responses).

i) Why do you think the author wrote the text?

-I think he wrote the text to show that humans can't be made perfect, there will always be flaws.

ii) What does the author want you to think?

-I think he wants me to think about what would happen if everyone was equal. I don't think that would've worked because we need to have some people smarter than others for a civilization t work properly.

iii) Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?

-I think I would belong to the people who rebel against the handicap.

iv) Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?

-No it doesn't really remind me of anything. This story doesn't seem to relate to real life situations as well

v) Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?

-It reminds me of "The Uglies" because they tried to alter society and there were still flaws.

vi) How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?

-It makes me think that society needs different levels of intelligence to function properly, society will never be flawless. I think people should, IF ANYTHING, Make people better and not handicap them down.

vii) What action might you take from what you have learned?

-When I rule the world, I will know not to try and make everyone equal because society needs a wide variety of people.

viii) What big question has this text left you with?

-Is society ever going to be perfect?

The Metaphor short story

Title and Author:

The Metaphor, Written by Budge Wilson

Biography:


Budge Wilson was educated at Halifax schools and attended Dalhousie University. She did two years of english work at the University of Toronto. She worked for several years as a freelance commercial artist and a child photographer, She then moved on to being a fitness instructor from 1968 to 1989. Budge has been writing juvenile and adult fiction since 1978. Her first book was published in 1984.


Symbol: The skyscraper is a metaphor used to describe the main character's mother.

Response:


1.)


A.) Why do you think Miss Hancock got along so well in junior highschool but had so much difficulty in Senior highschool? 


I think Miss Hancock got along better with Jr. Highschool better because her methods seemed very child-friendly. I think when you get into grade 10-12. Something changes with you and you need a more direct approach to learning. Personally, I can't learn as well in classes that aren't as straightforward. But I do think there has to be a happy medium between an overenthusiastic teacher and a dull teacher. Just enough to keep you entertained.


B.) In your experience what were some of the differences you noticed in your teachers at grades 9-7 and grades 10-12?


I noticed the teachers seem to expect a lot more maturity from you and I understand that, People change a lot during highschool and most of the maturity comes in grades 10-12. The teachers seem to have a more 'down-to-business' approach to teaching for the most part.


2.) What recommendation would you make to a teacher moving from a junior high to a senior high? Write your ideas about the adjustments necessary for a successful transition and share them.






3.) Is charlotte right for blaming herself for Miss Hancock's death? Would being more friendly to Miss hancock at senior high have made any difference?


4.) How were the metaphorical descriptions similar to the actual characters of

 
A.) Charlotte's mom?

She was elegant like a skyscraper on the outside, but on the inside she was uncomfortable and with "no comfortable chairs in the lobby. meaning she appeared very nice and fashionable, but her personality to some people was snobbish and rude.
 
B.) Miss Hancock?

 Miss Hancock was a lot like a birthday cake. With peppermint almost too strong, meaning she was very enthusiastic. The inside had 2 layers, Chocolate and vanilla. The chocolate was rich soft and very delicious, and the vanilla was subtle and delicate. Only those thoroughly familiar with cakes could have perceived it's fine flavour.


How were they different? Explain using examples from the story.


5.) What do you think was the author's main purpose for writing this story?


I think the author of the story tried to show how people change when they're older and some methods with teaching have to change as you get older to fit your current maturity level. I think that another moral in this story was that if you find something you're good at it, Stick to it.


6.) Describe two people who have influenced you significantly during your years at school, Using metaphors or similes. You might choose teachers, principals, job supervisors or members of your family.


My friends are the air conditioning after a hot day outside.

My parents are the ozone layer


Critical thinking:


Why do you think the author wrote the text?


To show why teachers need to change their teaching method. Also, If the crowd does one thing, doesn't mean you have to follow along with it. For example, If your class hates writing, english and the teacher but you enjoy it then you shouldn't stop just because the majority of your peers do.


What does the author want you to think?


In my opinion, the author wants you to feel sympathetic, and to relate on a universal level to when you were in the position where you felt pressured to not like doing something you loved.


Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?


I think I belong half to Charlotte's perspective and half to the stereotypical highschool student group. The stereotype of being a highschool student is basically created by what happens to teenagers, they get older and adjust to changes and try to fit in no matter what. I try to sway away from that stereotype, as being stereotyped at all isn't generally a good thing if you want to be original.


Does the story remind you of a real-life event (Your own or others)?


I can't recall a story like this being told or happening to me


Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?


Not that I can think of, I don't read as much as I'd like to or watch movies often.


How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?


This story makes me think about respecting teachers in a new environment. This could also go as a more broad statement. To respect people in a new environment for them.


What action might you take from what you have learned?


Have more understanding for how people feel in a new environment, and if someone says you're good at something, keep going with it if it's something you love to do.


What big question has this text left you with?

-What kind of parent will I be?

My Metaphor:

My kindergarten teacher was a dull pencil, the led messily sticking to the paper in large unappealing lines. After all, who can read even half of the words produced by a dull pencil? Dull pencils also do not get sharper over time, they get duller and duller to the point where you cannot distinguish between scrawling and written word. When the pencil runs out of led at the tip, It needs to be sharpened, but the crisp sharpness only tends to last for a day or so until it gradually wears down again and sloppily produces meaningless words