lunes, 25 de agosto de 2008

Author's Purpose

What do you consider to be Vonnegut’s targets in this story?

14 comentarios:

M.e.n.a :D dijo...

To make us open our eyes and see that being different is awesome! No really, there is no such thing as average. He´s trying to say that if we keep on having this idea of perfect that fits the average status, we may just end up as a dumb nation. He also points out that people who aren´t that smart don´t get punished. Nowadays it´s completely the opposite. He´s mocking society.

Ryan dijo...

I actually agree. i do think that he is mocking our society and the way it is. there are some problems but he also points out the bright side of it. Diversity is the key to the survival of a species.

People dont seem to understand that there are a variety of different people for a reason. Everyone being the same results in technology plummeting. If everyone was the same and were not as smart as we were before, then eventually the average intelligence goes down and then what happens to society?
-we lose it. the flow of life is all of a sudden changed and progress plotted on a graph would look like a pyramid. If this were to happen however, it would just mean that another dark age would come and the human race, instead of being annhialated by nuclear warfare, it will end as a mass of humans with small brains gradually dieing as they catch diseases and get killed by other animals.

In other words, society is how it should be and will never work out with everyone being the same.

MaRy M. dijo...

I agree with Jimena, the author wants to show us how our life would be if we were all required to be exactly the same and had to be punished for being different or talented. If we had passion for something and dreams for something but we could not do anything about it. many people want to dream of an equal world that is perfect but for that, there would have to be punishments and harsh government to control things strictly.

Anónimo dijo...

I agree indeed, cause the author is trying to make think and reflect on what kind of world we are living in. And How cool it is 4someone to be different from each other. If we were all the same, the world would be meaningless.

hadar dijo...

The Authur's purpose is to convince that the model of our society is yet the greatest and most successful. Even though we struggle, our society is constantly producing incredible things that make us challenge ourselves so that our lives will have meanings. In addition, it proves that having all kinds of diversities is just positively contributing to our existence.

N. Tre. dijo...

Undoubtedly, U.S. politics. He had seen the way greed and corruption had taken over the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the United States. The Handicapper General is for sure a humanized body of lies told by United States politicians.
They consent power by making people think that they actually have voice in the government. All the regular citizens really do is help put criminals in power. The problem is that the all do bad things. You can never vote for the best politician, you just vote for the one that's the least bad.
So when the political machine is turned on, broken promises are delivered by these guys and they make sure that nothing gets in the way of their power. This sort of thinking has led to the shift in U.S. politics. Democrats are becoming Republicans and Republicans are becoming Fascists.
I hate to say these things, because they will offend several people. But it's the truth. And if I were to speak like this in the sort of society described in "Harrison Bergeron" it would get me shot by a Handicapper General.

faaBy dijo...

Difference is good, the wanting of power is evil, & equality is hard to accomplish without difficulties.

jesi hayes dijo...

Vonnegut's purpose in this story is to ridiculize this society as ryan said. He is just pointing out that thanks to our differences we are able to move on and accomplish new things. Its not like he is sayin equality is an impossibility but more like he is showing that somethings will never be equal.
Either way there was something very unequal in his society. He showed that there would always be someone there at the top and undercontrol. The government. It is like he is trying to explain that giving up your will to let someone else control you makes your life senseless because the only ones living then would only be those undercontrol.
Total equality is an absurd fantasy and a perfect society cannot be because there will always be something to give it a dark side, something that messes it up. That is the author's purpose.

Hanggi Lee dijo...

I agree with M.E.N.A. Vonnegut wanted us to open our eyes and see our society. His target was to tell us that we shouldn't be looking for perfection and equalness. Because our defects are what make us unique. No one should be looking for perfection and equalness.

David dijo...

He is making us realize how stupid we are for asking for everyone to be equal because it brings happiness. Thus, the author shows us how unhappy life could be and how stupid it would be to live in a world were everyone is equal and boring. What makes the world beautiful and special? The uniqueness of each human being...

Anónimo dijo...

I think he is trying to prove that one way or another, even though one day our society is like the one in the story, there will always be someone to rebel against the government. He is practically suggesting an anarchist theory. There will always be one or more persons that want to betray the government for the rules they have made.

Won Park dijo...

Vonnegut's targets in this story is that having equality won't be good for the future. Probably it can be good for the people that need help, but not for the ones that are doing better. So it means that diverse is good in the world and probably helping each other is what is needed in order to have the people that are not doing so good do better.

Sachi Ohara dijo...

The Vonnegut's targets in this story are to alert young people in what they should wish for politics because they are not as it sounds like at first. He is trying to create an estatement that the younger once should think careful about what they say. For example in this story the people are being "equal" for the "common good", but is not being able to do the best in what a person is at a good thing?
He is trying to make young people to engage in critical thinking about good and bad.
-sachi-

Susset dijo...

The target of this story is to teach us not to be threatened by people who seem to be superior to us, we must be better at something. To not be afraid of differences, to accept people who seem to be better than us.