Mon. Oct. 31, 2016: Writing Class

The students are to have their first typed copy of their essay printed and submitted by the end of the day. They were given class time to meet this objective.

Fri. Oct. 28, 2016: Writing Class

Today, the students were given class time to work on their rough copy. I will extend this into Monday as well. In other words, as long as you are working on it, there's no need to panic. If you haven't been here, be sure to have a rough draft hand-written so you can get it typed up on Monday. We will then work on revision on Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday.

Thurs. Oct. 27, 2016: Essay Thesis and Rough Draft

Today, student used their class-time to work on creating a thesis and a rough draft. I gave some rough thesis examples in order to help them find a direction and follow it through. I have posted these below:

Personality can positively impact outcomes

or

Personality can negatively impact outcomes

Keep in mind that these are bare minimum in form and NOT meant to be the whole last sentence in your introductory paragraph. They are starters, so they need to be developed (at least the one you choose does).

I have also provided a sheet explaining attention getters. This is in your portfolio. It is my Powerpoint notes.

Wed. Oct. 26, 2016: Computer Usage and Intro. Paragraph

Today, we went over the expectations for computer usage when writing essays.  I have pasted these below. Then we went over the "How to write a critical analytical essay introductory paragraph," which I handed out yesterday. This is also pasted below. You will start working on your essay tomorrow.

Computer Usage Steps

1.       

Sign out a computer from the cart, turn it on and sign in (First Name. Last Name… and same password from last year… even if you are in Grade 10). If you are from a different school, see me to get a sign in registered.

2.      Click on the magnifying glass at the top right-hand corner of the page and type in: word

3.      Select: word 2013

4.      Click on: Blank Document (if stuff appears on the screen before this, just “X” it)

5.      We now should have a blank page

6.      It is important that you save now and then save often!

7.      To save, click “file” in the top left of the screen

8.      Go to “save as” on the left of the screen

9.      Double-click “browse” on the bottom right of screen

10.  Double-click on “this P.C.” on the left of the screen

11.  Then scroll down on the right for your name. This is your “Y” drive

12.  Create a new folder by clicking on “new folder” on the bar at the top left of your screen and give this folder your last name and class name  (e.g.; Benoit ELAB10)

13.  Save this word page you have opened in this folder as:                    

(your last name) Introductory Paragraph                               

(Personality Paragaph)

14.  BE SURE TO ALSO SAVE IT IN YOUR USB!!!!

MLA FIRST PAGE SET-UP

15.   On that page, go to “insert” and then to “Page Number.”: Then click on “top of the page”

16.  Choose “Plain Number 3”

a.       Type in your last name BEFORE the number and then put a space between your name and the number.

b.      Go to the end of this line. After the number, press ENTER

c.       Exit header by clicking on the page (then save).

17.  Right click your mouse/pad

a.       Scroll down to “paragraph” and click on it.

b.      Near the middle bottom of the page, you will see “spacing”. You must make sure that both the “before” and “after” spacing are at 0.

c.       Now look at “Line Spacing.”

Make sure it is on double (save in order to ensure you don’t lose this!)

d.      Now, go to the bar at the top of the screen above your Microsoft document. Where it has the type, put “Times New Roman” (it probably starts up as “Calibri”. Where is says the font size, put it to 12 (it probably starts up as “10”).

18.  Read page 6 of your “MLA Citation Booklet” or page 173 and 188 in the text Fit to Print  for further layout details concerning first page introduction information, title layout, and indenting.

19.  You must log off at the end of a class. Go to the four boxes on the bottom left of the page and right click on it. You will then click on “shut down or sign out” .

20.  Be sure to plug your computer in when you put it in the cart.  

How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay Introduction in Seven Sentences (general layout)

Sentence one: SENTENCE ONE INTRODUCES YOUR TOPIC

This should be a general statement that indicates an aspect of human nature and ties to your topic. It is meant to get the reader to understand your topic and to get them interested in reading further.

e.g., Topic: Violence

Example first sentence:

“It is a reality of life that not all people will agree with a major decision or the outcome of an argument.”

Sentence Two:

This sentence must be a continuation of what you stated in sentence one. This sentence should show the result(s) of what you have written in sentence one (still focusing on the topic, yet getting closer to your thesis).

Example second sentence:

“Because opinions differ, and what is good for one person may not be good for another, a solution often cannot be found; therefore, the disagreement may lead to a further outbreak of violence.

Sentence Three:

This sentence must introduce the genre (type of text: essay, short story, poem, play, novel, etc.), the name of the writer, the title of the work, and an overview of the plot. Some ways to do this are presented below (I would memorize these as you will use them repeatedly):

            “In the short story, __________, ___________ introduces the main character, ________,

            Who _________________.”

OR

“In the novel, _______________, written by _____________, the reader is introduced to

___________________ who ____________________.”

Example third sentence:

“In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William G. Golding, readers are introduced to a group of English Schoolboys who find themselves stranded on a tropical island.

Sentences Four, Five, and Six:

The next three sentences should be summaries concerning the action of the story that supports the details required by the lead question (summaries that will be needed to show the story in a way that will support your thesis). Usually, sentence four will be the beginning, sentence five will be the middle, and sentence six will be the end:

Example sentences four, five and six:

“The plane that the boys were on was originally taking them away from England for their own safety, as there was a war raging there.

When they first discover that they are indeed stranded and without adult supervision, the boys are able to establish a number of rules that aid the boys in maintaining a sense of what they define as civility.

However, as time passes, their system fails and the boys begin to behave like barbarians; they even go so far as to hunt down their own.”

Sentence Seven:

This final sentence of the introduction is the thesis statement. This sentence states exactly what the thesis (arguable opinion that you trying to prove) is and what the writer will discuss in the following paragraphs to prove the thesis is a sound one (the main points). The wording of the information in this sentence will also show the reader the order in which the writer will discuss/present the main points needed to prove the thesis.

            Sample Sentence Seven:

“ When one examines the adults’ inability to avoid war, the children’s attempts to follow the same ineffectual system that their adult counterparts use, and their eventual inability to maintain control and order amongst their small ranks, it becomes clear that violence, once it exists, is nearly impossible to curb.”

“It is a reality of life that not all people will agree with a major decision or the outcome of an argument. Because opinions differ, and what is good for one person may not be good for another, a solution often cannot be found; therefore, the disagreement may lead to a further outbreak of violence. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William G. Golding, readers are introduced to a group of English schoolboys who find themselves stranded on a tropical island. The plane that the boys were on was originally taking them away from England for their own safety, as there was a war raging there. When they first discover that they are indeed stranded and without adult supervision, the boys are able to establish a number of rules that aid the boys in maintaining a sense of what they define as civility. However, as time passes, their system fails and the boys begin to behave like barbarians; they even go so far as to hunt down their own. When one examines the adults’ inability to avoid war, the children’s attempts to follow the same ineffectual system that their adult counterparts use, and their eventual inability to maintain control and order amongst their small ranks, it becomes clear that violence, once it exists, is nearly impossible to curb.”

Tues. Oct. 25, 2016: Step Three: The Essay

Today, I gave you step three of the essay. I have pasted the notes below. In addition, I gave you a handout entitled "How to Write a Critical Analytical Essay Introduction in Seven Sentences (general Layout)

Step Three: Writing an Essay

You will now write a five paragraph essay in which you answer the following question:

How does a person’s personality impact outcomes?

In order to do this, you have already come up with some personality traits that can be used in your THREE body paragraphs. You now must look at each character and determine how that person’s personality has led to the outcomes (the life) that person is living now.

You must use the short story “Harrison Bergeron.” You must use three characters.

Here’s how I would approach this:

I already HAVE personality traits for each character as I have kept up in class (yay me!).

I will examine the question and define unknown or confusing words:

How = cause/ effect

               = the steps

impact (a verb: action word) = influence

I will now chart the personality traits and outcomes for the characters I have:

Character	Personality	Outcomes
George Bergeron
Harrison Bergeron
Hazel Bergeron
Diana Moon Glampers
Head Ballerina
Announcer

I will now determine which, if any, traits directly influence the outcomes and cross out the ones that don’t.

Mon. Oct. 24, 2016: Step Two of Writing Assignment

Today, you were to have completed the personality outline activity from Friday.
I then gave you the second step in this writing assignment.
I have pasted all of the instructions below.
This is due for Tuesday's class (tomorrow).

Step 2: Now, I want you to create a full paragraph on each characters’ personality trait(s). This means that you will be handing in three paragraphs. This is due for tomorrow, so don’t waste your time.

This is an example body paragraph (note that it does not mention the text it came from. This is because the text will be introduced in an introductory paragraph):

Personality plays a role in one’s decisions. Mary Brown, while controlled by her parents, still has distinct traits. Mary can be defined as intelligent, honest, and dedicated. The reader knows that Mary is intelligent because she never studies for test and quizzes, writes her tests fast, yet she has the highest mark in her class. Mary demonstrates honesty when she refuses to allow Chris, a classmate to copy off of her tests. Even when he offers to help her deal with a bully if she does, she still refuses. The fact that she is dedicated is obvious in that she chastises her brother for breaking her mother’s rules about curfews.  Mary states that, while a small break in the rules might not cause an instant problem, it could lead to bigger ones and for her mother to not be able to control the situation at home. This shows that she is willing to support people who are in charge. Mary’s personality then, is one that, intelligence aside, would be easy for a person in power to manipulate.

Fri. Oct. 21, 2016: Major Writing Assignment: Step One

Today, the students worked on completing step one of their major assignment. We are working up to writing an essay, so these early steps will be necessary to make the later steps easier. This portion of the assignment is due on Monday. I have pasted it below for those who were absent. I did suggest to the students that they find quotes to support their assertions.

ELA B10: Unit One: Equity and Ethics

Major Assignment

Step One: In your portfolios, you will find a sheet with personality traits.

Today, I want you to pick a character from the short story “Harrison Bergeron” and determine which personality traits describe this person (write down all of the ones you think work).

I then want you to try to find evidence to support these traits. If you cannot find evidence to support a trait, get rid of it!

            e.g.      Mary is compassionate

                        (evidence: She helped Mrs. Martin garden after Mrs. Martin broke her ankle and

                        refused the money Mrs. Martin offered for her services.)

Your goal is to come up with THREE personality traits for this character with EACH TRAIT supported by ONE example (evidence) OR ONE personality trait for this character supported by THREE examples.

e.g.      Mary is compassionate, responsible and helpful.

                                    Compassionate:  After Mrs. Martin broke her ankle, Mary felt

                                                compassionate enough to offer to help Mrs. Martin with her

                                                gardening.

                                    Responsible: She was responsible enough to be able to babysit Reilly and

                                                keep him from doing anything destructive (he is a very difficult

                                                child who likes to flush toy cars down the toilet).

                                    Helpful: She helped her teacher clean up after the bookcase fell

                                                over.

OR

            e.g.      Mary is compassionate.

                                    Evidence 1: She helped Mrs. Martin garden after Mrs. Martin broke her

                                                ankle and refused the money Mrs. Martin offered for her services.

                                    Evidence 2: She helped her teacher clean up after the bookcase fell over.

                                    Evidence 3: She babysat Reilly when Reilly’s mom needed to get

                                                groceries and refused the money Reilly’s mom offered for her

                                                services.

           

Once you have done a point form outline on one character (see options above), you are then to do it for two more (so you have a total of three).

This will have to be handed in in this rough form on Monday.

Thurs. Oct. 20, 2016: "Harrison Bergeron" Questions

Today, you were given class time to finish answering the questions for "Harrison Bergeron." These were posted in yesterday's blog.
We then marked most of the answers (I completed what the class hadn't). If these are submitted on your first day back to class, they will be accepted. If they are not, then it will be too late as they will have been marked and returned.

Wed. Oct. 19, 2016: "Harrison Bergeron" Discussion and Questions

Today, I started off by explaining what a genre is (a type of writing: short story, poem, essay, novel, etc) and how students must correctly identify the genre in their summaries (some stated that "Harrison Bergeron" was a poem).
I then discussed the importance of self awareness, self-regulation and motivation in achieving goals. This was in response to the students who are not keeping up with their readings and wondering about their marks.

I then read "Harrison Bergeron" out loud to the students to show reading time (fifteen minutes).
We then discussed our opinion of whether or not we'd like to live in a world in which everyone was equal (the consensus was no).

I then gave the students six questions to answer. They will be due at 9:30 in tomorrow's class (they agreed forty-five minutes to do the activity is sufficient).

I am pasting the questions below for those who were absent:

“Harrison Bergeron”

Read the story and answer the following questions (you may use point form).

1.      List all the characters and briefly describe them or who they are

2.      List all the expository information (setting, time, place(s))

3.      What happens in this story  (beginning, middle, end)?

4.      What would be the topic of this essay? Why do you think that is the topic? Provide evidence. Keep in mind that the unit is still equity and ethics. Look at your own notes to see what these terms mean and if they are present in this short story.

5.      What point is the author trying to make with this story? Explain.

6.      What is your opinion about the issue that is brought up here?

Tues. Oct. 18, 2016: Review of Reflection and Active Reading

Today, students were reminded of the following expectations:

Always use pen for all writing assignments and pencils for active reading, multiple choice tests, and grammar assignments.

Always use full sentences when answering questions unless otherwise stated. Take the question and flip it to start your answer:

What colour is your house?

The colour of my house is red.

Numbers up to 100 are to be spelled out. 71 % is wrong; seventy-one per cent is correct

Two thousand and sixteen is wrong.

Periods must be at the end of a sentence (or other end-punctuation) and capitals must be at the beginning. Capitals must also be on the pronoun “I.”

If the teacher cannot read it, it isn’t effective communication. Neatness counts.

Don’t write in either the left or right margins of a page.

Active reading:

It is like active reading a poem except you don’t have to do the rhyme scheme and deviation/stanza/line stuff.

You still have to:

Analyze the title

highlight the five Ws and other important information as you read

highlight unknown words and define as you read

highlight and define literary devices as they appear.

A number of students did not do these steps. I am giving you tonight to complete them on the reading "Harrison Bergeron."

Fri. Oct. 14, 2016: Short Story 1

Today, I provided you with the rest of the Powerpoint notes. I did this in handout form (they are in your portfolio).
You are to read them over actively.
I then provided you with the short story, "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut. This is to be read actively:

Analyze the title
paraphrase as you read
highlight unknown words/stylistic devices/changes of direction
write a three sentence summary on the back
determine what the purpose the author is trying to get us to understand is and also write this on the back.

I have pasted the story below for those who are absent.

Harrison Bergeron

  by Kurt Vonnegut (1961)

 

 THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.  

Some things about living still weren’t quite right, though. April, for instance, still drove people crazy by not being springtime. And it was in that clammy month that the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron’s fourteen-year-old son, Harrison, away.  

It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn’t think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.  

George and Hazel were watching television. There were tears on Hazel’s cheeks, but she’d forgotten for the moment what they were about.  

On the television screen were ballerinas. 

A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm. 

“That was a real pretty dance, that dance they just did,” said Hazel. 

“Huh?” said George. 

“That dance – it was nice,” said Hazel. 

“Yup,” said George. He tried to think a little about the ballerinas. They weren’t really very good – no better than anybody else would have been, anyway. They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in. George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. 

George winced. So did two out of the eight ballerinas. 

Hazel saw him wince. Having no mental handicap herself she had to ask George what the latest sound had been. 

“Sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer,” said George. 

“I’d think it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds,” said Hazel, a little envious. “All the things they think up.” 

“Um,” said George. 

“Only, if I was Handicapper General, you know what I would do?” said Hazel. Hazel, as a matter of fact, bore a strong resemblance to the Handicapper General, a woman named Diana Moon Glampers. “If I was Diana Moon Glampers,” said Hazel, “I’d have chimes on Sunday – just chimes. Kind of in honor of religion.”

  “I could think, if it was just chimes,” said George. 

“Well – maybe make ‘em real loud,” said Hazel. “I think I’d make a good Handicapper General.” 

“Good as anybody else,” said George. 

“Who knows better’n I do what normal is?” said Hazel. 

“Right,” said George. He began to think glimmeringly about his abnormal son who was now in jail, about Harrison, but a twenty-one-gun salute in his head stopped that. 

“Boy!” said Hazel, “that was a doozy, wasn’t it?” 

It was such a doozy that George was white and trembling and tears stood on the rims of his red eyes. Two of the eight ballerinas had collapsed to the studio floor, were holding their temples. 

“All of a sudden you look so tired,” said Hazel. “Why don’t you stretch out on the sofa, so’s you can rest your handicap bag on the pillows, honeybunch.” She was referring to the forty-seven pounds of birdshot in canvas bag, which was padlocked around George’s neck. “Go on and rest the bag for a little while,” she said. “I don’t care if you’re not equal to me for a while.”

 

George weighed the bag with his hands. “I don’t mind it,” he said. “I don’t notice it any more. It’s just a part of me. 

“You been so tired lately – kind of wore out,” said Hazel. “If there was just some way we could make a little hole in the bottom of the bag, and just take out a few of them lead balls. Just a few.” 

“Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball I took out,” said George. “I don’t call that a bargain.” 

“If you could just take a few out when you came home from work,” said Hazel. “I mean – you don’t compete with anybody around here. You just set around.” 

“If I tried to get away with it,” said George, “then other people’d get away with it and pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn’t like that, would you?” 

“I’d hate it,” said Hazel. 

“There you are,” said George. “The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society?” 

If Hazel hadn’t been able to come up with an answer to this question, George couldn’t have supplied one. A siren was going off in his head. 

“Reckon it’d fall all apart,” said Hazel. 

“What would?” said George blankly. 

“Society,” said Hazel uncertainly. “Wasn’t that what you just said?” 

“Who knows?” said George.

The television program was suddenly interrupted for a news bulletin. It wasn’t clear at first as to what the bulletin was about, since the announcer, like all announcers, had a serious speech impediment. For about half a minute, and in a state of high excitement, the announcer tried to say, “Ladies and gentlemen –”

He finally gave up, handed the bulletin to a ballerina to read. 

“That’s all right –” Hazel said of the announcer, “he tried. That’s the big thing. He tried to do the best he could with what God gave him. He should get a nice raise for trying so hard.” 

“Ladies and gentlemen” said the ballerina, reading the bulletin. She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two-hundred-pound men. 

And she had to apologize at once for her voice, which was a very unfair voice for a woman to use. Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody. “Excuse me – ” she said, and she began again, making her voice absolutely uncompetitive. 

“Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen,” she said in a grackle squawk, “has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under–handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.” 

A police photograph of Harrison Bergeron was flashed on the screen – upside down, then sideways, upside down again, then right side up. The picture showed the full length of Harrison against a background calibrated in feet and inches. He was exactly seven feet tall. 

The rest of Harrison’s appearance was Halloween and hardware. Nobody had ever worn heavier handicaps. He had outgrown hindrances faster than the H–G men could think them up. Instead of a little ear radio for a mental handicap, he wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides. 

Scrap metal was hung all over him. Ordinarily, there was a certain symmetry, a military neatness to the handicaps issued to strong people, but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard. In the race of life, Harrison carried three hundred pounds. 

And to offset his good looks, the H–G men required that he wear at all times a red rubber ball for a nose, keep his eyebrows shaved off, and cover his even white teeth with black caps at snaggle–tooth random. 

“If you see this boy,” said the ballerina, “do not – I repeat, do not – try to reason with him.” 

There was the shriek of a door being torn from its hinges. 

Screams and barking cries of consternation came from the television set. The photograph of Harrison Bergeron on the screen jumped again and again, as though dancing to the tune of an earthquake.

 

George Bergeron correctly identified the earthquake, and well he might have – for many was the time his own home had danced to the same crashing tune. “My God –” said George, “that must be Harrison!” 

The realization was blasted from his mind instantly by the sound of an automobile collision in his head. 

When George could open his eyes again, the photograph of Harrison was gone. A living, breathing Harrison filled the screen. 

Clanking, clownish, and huge, Harrison stood in the center of the studio. The knob of the uprooted studio door was still in his hand. Ballerinas, technicians, musicians, and announcers cowered on their knees before him, expecting to die. 

“I am the Emperor!” cried Harrison. “Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!” He stamped his foot and the studio shook. 

“Even as I stand here –” he bellowed, “crippled, hobbled, sickened – I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!” 

Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds. 

Harrison’s scrap–iron handicaps crashed to the floor. 

Harrison thrust his thumbs under the bar of the padlock that secured his head harness. The bar snapped like celery. Harrison smashed his headphones and spectacles against the wall. 

He flung away his rubber–ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder. 

“I shall now select my Empress!” he said, looking down on the cowering people. “Let the first woman who dares rise to her feet claim her mate and her throne!” 

A moment passed, and then a ballerina arose, swaying like a willow. 

Harrison plucked the mental handicap from her ear, snapped off her physical handicaps with marvelous delicacy. Last of all, he removed her mask. 

She was blindingly beautiful. 

“Now” said Harrison, taking her hand, “shall we show the people the meaning of the word dance? Music!” he commanded. 

The musicians scrambled back into their chairs, and Harrison stripped them of their handicaps, too. “Play your best,” he told them, “and I’ll make you barons and dukes and earls.” 

The music began. It was normal at first – cheap, silly, false. But Harrison snatched two musicians from their chairs, waved them like batons as he sang the music as he wanted it played. He slammed them back into their chairs. 

The music began again and was much improved. 

Harrison and his Empress merely listened to the music for a while – listened gravely, as though synchronizing their heartbeats with it.

They shifted their weights to their toes.

Harrison placed his big hands on the girl’s tiny waist, letting her sense the weightlessness that would soon be hers.

And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang!

 Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well.

They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun.

They leaped like deer on the moon.

The studio ceiling was thirty feet high, but each leap brought the dancers nearer to it. It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling.

They kissed it. 

And then, neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time.

It was then that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.

Diana Moon Glampers loaded the gun again. She aimed it at the musicians and told them they had ten seconds to get their handicaps back on.

It was then that the Bergerons’ television tube burned out.

 Hazel turned to comment about the blackout to George.

But George had gone out into the kitchen for a can of beer.

George came back in with the beer, paused while a handicap signal shook him up. And then he sat down again. “You been crying?” he said to Hazel.

“Yup,” she said,

“What about?” he said.

“I forget,” she said. “Something real sad on television.”

            “What was it?” he said.

 “It’s all kind of mixed up in my mind,” said Hazel.

 “Forget sad things,” said George.

“I always do,” said Hazel.

            “That’s my girl,” said George. He winced. There was the sound of a riveting gun in his head.

 “Gee – I could tell that one was a doozy,” said Hazel.

 “You can say that again,” said George.

            “Gee –” said Hazel, “I could tell that one was a doozy.”

 "Harrison Bergeron" is copyrighted by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1961.

Vonnegut is an American Writer.

 

2000 words