Harrison Bergeron

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The society in “Harrison Bergeron” is under State Control through the use of elaborate “handicaps.”

• How do George’s handicaps (earpiece, weighted bag) affect his thoughts throughout the story? (topic sentence)
• Explain how George’s handicaps affect his relationship with Hazel and Harrison OR how his handicaps affect his thoughts about State Control and/or Political Inaction.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, take a stance on the effectiveness of State Control through handicaps in the world of “Harrison Bergeron.”

2. “Harrison Bergeron” is a political satire.

• Select one theme—State Control, Arbitrary Justice, or Political Inaction—and state how the satirical elements work to communicate this theme. (topic sentence)
• Identify 1-3 examples of satire and explain how each reinforces the theme.