1. What does The Lottery or Harrison Bergeron teach us about the nature of bystanders in a time of crisis?
people will always do what they are told out of fear. especially when authority tells them what they should be doing. if there is some sort of crisis and authority does not direct them what to do, they will just stand and watch or ignore....the bystander effect.
2. Focus on one negative practice/custom/ritual that takes place in our culture and relate it to one of the stories.
hazing!!!!! i relate it to The Lottery because leaders are corralling people into a group to draw for someone to be hurt. this is exactly like how hazing is in colleges.
3. How does fear in individuals play a major role in repressing societies?
fear is the easiest way to control people. if you threaten a population with consequences for not following orders, they will be scared, so they will listen.
4. After reading Harrison Bergeron what actions or characteristics allow individuals to break free from controlling communities.
having a strong intelligence and being observant, so you can learn how to break free. harrison was so powerful on his own he broke free.
5. Using one of the stories what does the connections between violence and control suggest about the human species.
Using The Lottery as an example. it has a hunger games vibe to it. stoning one resident each year seems to be done out of the fact that the authority can do it. they do it as a reminder to the people that they are not in control of themselves, the authority is. the people are disposable and they know they can do nothing to stop the lottery
6. How does society define right and wrong?
through norms and morals defined by the people themselves.
7. Who ultimately decides if someone is doing the right thing or not?
the people within society decide who the deviants are. but authority is ultimately the ones who decide if people will be punished for doing right or wrong
The Lottery
Should we have something similar to the lottery in the dangerous parts of our country such as Compton or Detroit to control the people?
In what ways does our government already assert their authority over us?
How would our society handle an enforced lottery all over the nation?
Harrison Bergeron
should people be encouraged to flaunt what makes them extraordinary?
should people be repressed from showing their skills and abilities to protect the feelings of everyone else?
does the government already punish 'extraordinary' people to keep them repressed?
