Part A

What is a major theme of "Harrison Bergeron"?

Close-minded people are a threat to beauty, individuality, and self-expression.

Technology effectively allows citizens to observe what their government does.

People of average intelligence should allow themselves to be ruled by others.

Total equality is a good goal for society.

Part B

Which evidence from the text best supports the answer in Part A?

The government uses television as a tool, as shown when the program Hazel and George watch is "suddenly interrupted for a news bulletin" about Harrison's escape.

The story begins by stating that "everyone was finally equal" and describes how hard the government works to create a totally equal society.

The text describes how Diana Moon Glampers "fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead ..."

When Harrison appears on the TV screen, he shouts, "Do you hear? I am the Emperor!"

Part A: The correct answer is first statement. The major theme of "Harrison Bergeron" written by Kurt Vonnegut is that close-minded people are a threat to beauty, individuality, and self-expression. In this short story, Kurt wanted to present that total equality isn’t always good by creating a dystopia in which, to achieve equality, close-minded people are targeting intelligent, strong and beautiful people and strip them of their extraordinary characteristics. Those who represent individualism are being handicapped by Handicapper General so that others won’t feel inferior.

Part B: Evidence from the text that best represents answer in part A is the second one. By describing how hard government is working to make everyone equal, Vonnegut is directing reader’s attention on the concept of dystopian society to show how cruel it can be on those with "extraordinary characteristics". Close-minded people feel inferior to individualists and by trying to be equal to them they treat their beauty, intelligence and strength, instead of trying to achieve more.