HARRISON BERGERONOur First Short Story

LEARNING GOAL/SCALE 4 Students will be able to take a position on the thematic issues of a story, supporting the argument with

clear textual evidence. 3 Students will be able to trace the development of theme within a story, using textual evidence to

support the decisions. 2 Students will be able to place events of a story into a plot diagram, describe the theme of a story, and

identify the setting and mood of a story. 1 Student will recall and define the following words:

Plot Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Setting Mood Conflict: Internal vs. External Theme Satire

VOCABULARY: COPY THESE DOWN! Oppression: prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. Calibrated: adjust to meet a set of standards Consternation: feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected

Cower: crouch down in fear. Hindrance: a thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone

Luminous: bright or shining, especially in the dark. Synchronizing: To cause to occur or operate with exact coincidence in time or rate

Vigilance: alert watchfulness

Wince: A shrinking or startled movement or gesture.

LITERARY TERMSAnachronism: out of time order! Like a car in Romeo and Juliet—the writer made a mistake

Allusion: a reference to someone or something in literature, art, or history I like big books and I cannot lie

setting : the time and place of a storyWhat is the setting of the story? 2081, urban city, dark, everyone is the same, strict government control

LITERARY TERMS 2 Satire: a text that uses humor to illustrate a flaw in society or people

What is the author satirizing? The idea that we can all be equal. He realizes that we need to be different and appreciate our differences.

point of view: the method of narration used in a story From what point of view is the story told? 3rd person

THEMETheme: the lesson or moral of the storyWhat is the theme of the story? We need to be individuals; if everyone is the same, we will not see improvement nor will work hard to better society

PRE-READING—WRITE ON THE WHITE BOARD. BE PREPARED TO SHARE!What would the world be like if everyone were the same—average in intelligence, talents, appearance, and strength—and not one was better than anyone else? How do you think people would feel and act toward each other? Would they be happy and satisfied? Explain!

BRAINSTORM—TABLE PARTNERS! What are advantages and disadvantages of a world where everyone is the same—exactly average? List your ideas on your white board.

BACKGROUND—WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?“Harrison Bergeron” is set in the United States in 2081, when laws require everyone to be average or handicapped into average sameness. One day, tall brilliant, 14 year-old Harrison Bergeron is arrested. He escapes and storms a TV studio. He defies the system…..but what happens to him after that????

WHO WROTE THIS?...KURT VONNEGUT Worked as a journalist Started writing short stories in the 1940s Discusses serious topics such as war, brutality, and fear of technology Write dark humor and elements of fantasy that includes absurdity Held prisoner in Germany during WWII Critics first disliked his writing; he was accepted in the late 1970s as a star

writer Most Famous Work=Slaughter House Five

UTOPIA VS. DYSTOPIA Utopian Writing= creating a perfect world/society Dystopia=a dysfunctional society

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF SETTING?

SETTINGTime and Place(Where and When)Also includesThe citizens/charactersThe weatherBackground information (previous conflict, for example

SETTING• Dialogue and Dialect• Modes of Transportation• Buildings/Architecture• Landscape/geographical features• Allusions (jokes, songs, literature, plays, historical events)• Clothing• Modes of Communication• Objects/Technology

SETTINGWord Choice (Diction) and these other items in the setting help to create the mood or atmosphere of the story.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOOD AND TONETone – The author’s attitude towards the topic, situation and his audience

Mood – The feeling created in the reader (or audience)

YOU TRY….GRAB A NOTE CARD 1) Pick a location you enjoyed this past summer. 2) Write the name of the location 3) What is the time of day? 4) Describe who else is with you or around you. 5) Describe the weather. 6) Previous encounters, conflicts, feelings towards the location 7) Describe the building/surroundings.

LET’S EVALUATE THE SETTING

TIME and PLACE   

IMPORTANT DETAILS(Include at least five details.)

     

FACTS or CONCLUSIONS DRAWN about the location, the characters, and the story –Focus should be on setting/location first!  

       

MOOD CREATEDAnd support (Provide at least three words or phrases that support this mood.)

Mood:  Support:    

FOLLOW UP ASSIGNMENT Visual: Create a visual (drawing or collage of several drawings or three

scenes of anime/comic strip. . . ) that depicts the scene described in your group’s assigned passage. Complete the visual on the back of this paper or on a separate sheet of blank copy paper.

NARRATIVE HOOK A narrative hook (or hook) is a literary technique in the opening of a story

that "hooks" the reader's attention so that he or she will keep on reading. The "opening" may consist of several paragraphs for a short story, or several pages for a novel, but ideally it is the opening sentence.

INCITING INCIDENT Begins the action A plot point in the first act which disturbs the life of the protagonist and

sets them in pursuit of an objective..

CONFLICT/ TYPES OF CONFLICTS Conflict = The struggle or problem for the protagonist Internal

Man vs. Himself (internal struggle, what should do, or split personality)

External Man vs. Man (hero vs. villain, physical fight, mental play) Man vs. Society (Anthem, rebelling vs. societal expectations,

Katniss in the Hunger Games) Man vs. Machine/Technology (Terminator, I Robot, 9) Man vs. Nature (Survivor shows, vs. animals or natural

events/disasters; Hatchet) Man vs. Supernatural (Charmed; Percy Jackson; Harry Potter;

Ghost Busters; Goosebumps) Man vs. Fate

COMPLICATIONS= Rising Action on Plot DiagramThe events during which the protagonist attempts to solve the problem. The events or “complications” then get in the way of the solution.

Build suspense

CLIMAXThe highest point of suspense in the story.

This point should still be a question – We are wondering which way it will turn out. (The answer to the question is then the resolution)

FALLING ACTIONEvents that occur after the Climax (or highest point of suspense) and lead to the Resolution (solution to the problem). Often times, there are no to few events in the falling action of a very short story.

RESOLUTION The end to the central conflict (the solution to the problem). This does not

mean that it always ends favorably for the protagonist.

Periodically a story leaves you hanging at the Climax and does not provide either an answer or solution to the conflict.