Monday, October 15, 2007

Harrison Bergeron

Vonnegut is satirizing quite a few things in this piece. I feel that he first satirizes the leader of our country by making him so big, saying that he is a genius, and because he's so smart. That is alot how our government thinks it is even though they never really say it. Also when the Handicap General came and shot Harrison and his emporess is like a resemblence to how the United States just goes into Iraq and starts a war. This story is told in third person. This story is more effectively told in this point of view rather than from first person Harrison Bergeron because if its told from first person opinions may be thrown into the text such as Harrison telling why he did what he did, stories have greater impacts if they do not have an opinion. (That did not come out how I wanted to so it sounds like I'm saying that stories without personal opinion dont make an impact which is not what I really mean). In Harrison Bergeron both men and women are the same, infact all the people are the saem as each other too. Both men and women are given handicaps that do not allow one person to become better than another. Another way that Vonnegut creates equal people in this stroy is that he has Harrison choose an Empiress that will share his power and throne.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

"The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas" Response

This story makes me wonder how the people can do that to a little child. It also makes me wonder things like what happened to the child's parents and why would the leave their child to that kind of fate. This child must be pretty special to hold the equilibrium of an entire city, what made it so special? This stroy makes me wonder if it maybe takes place in the past because if the city was holding the child hostage today they might make it alittle more comfortable for the child by cleaning where its being held, the technology of today is made possible so that humans can live comfortably.

I don't think that this peice is connected that much to 1984 because it's center is around a child being held hostage, however in that way they are the same; people were being help up in their minds and not allowed to be themselves so in a way they are both being held hostage. Also the people live happy, comfortable lives while the child is locked up, in 1984 the society think they're happy but that's only because they cannot remember what it was like before they were locked under the thinking laws. Another similarity between the two pieces is the festivals. 1984 had Hate Week and in "The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas" they have the Festival of Summer. These festivals are, however, not for the same things, the Festival of Summer is for a happy time celebrating summer and crops while Hate Week is to push hate upon the enemies of Oceania.

Many literary devices are used in this piece. metaphor is used to help get an idea for the mood and the surroundings of Omelas. Similies are also used; once to describe how the people were happy. Also the fact that the people of Omelas are celebrating a time of good and a time for good crops when to get all the good stuff in their lives they have to keep a child locked up in a cold dark room living in it's own wastes is ironic

1) Do you find it ironic that the people of Omelas are celebrating a good crop when they have to keep a child locked up to get this good? Explain.
2) Why does the author put so much into the description of the city and the festival and then makes the child sitting in the room seem like a small part about the city?
3) What time do you believe this story is taking place in?
4) What do you think would happen if the city tried to kill the child to put it out of its misery or do you think that it would help the city to put the child down? Explain.
5) Why doesn't the child try to break out of the room and leave?

Monday, October 1, 2007

Goals

top 3 college choices
  1. U of M
  2. Eastern
  3. State

GPA Goal

  • +3.8

AP Test Goal

  • +3