1.) Bystanders will do what everyone else does. They just watch and accept things as they are because it's always been that way. And people are brainwashed to think that that way is the best way, and that change would only make things worse.
2.) I think "The Lottery" is almost like our draft. It isn't being used right now, but it still wasn't necessarily fair. Those people didn't want to be chosen. Same for Mrs. Hutchinson, she didn't want to be chosen, but she was literally stoned to death (at least that's what I assumed happened to her). Our draft did some what of the same thing, putting people on the line to potentially die.
3.) I think fear represses society because we are often times afraid of change. Like how Mr. Warner brought up that they had always done the lottery, so why stop now. I think that sort of mentality was in everyone at the town square. Why didn't they say it was bad idea? Because none of them wanted change? Were they afraid of consequences from change? Sometimes we get so stuck in our old ways.
4.) In the actual story itself, he breaks through by being strong and smart. In today's age, it is really hard to break free from controlling communities. Even if you escape your controlling community of judgmental people, you will more than likely end up in the same situation, only in a different part of the world. There are so many stigmas, stereotypes, rules, regulations, standards, and chains that keep us down from being who we are. I think the only way to get over all of those things, is to just pretend they don't exist and get on with your life. You can't actually escape it, but maybe in your mind you can.
5.) It suggests that we are threatened easily. We don't like being overpowered, but we also can't really defend ourselves when that happen. We are forced into feeling belittled by others. In "Harrison Bergeron" they were threatened and forced into something they didn't want to be, but they didn't know that didn't want to be how they were. They were brainwashed into thinking that who they were was perfect. Everything was "equal". The handicap general controlled their lives, and they didn't care because they didn't know any different. And when Harrison finally decided to try to change things, he was punished for in anyways. So why try to change things if you will be punished for it.
6.) We define right and wrong through a court system. But in average society, we define right and wrong based on what we do. There might be something that I don't do, that other people do do, and so I think it's wrong. But they probably think it's wrong that I don't do that thing. So I think we base what's right and wrong based on our morals, or what the government tells us.
7.) Society and the norms ultimately decide it. I wish I could say that I can decide if my own decisions are right or wrong, but it isn't. I can think whatever I want, but if it's not society wants, than my opinion is probably irrelevant.
Questions:
"Harrison Bergeron"
1.) Are we brainwashed into thinking we are on the top end of society? Or are we actually?
2.) Should we all be equal, or would that technically make things less equal, like in this story?
3.) Do you think that the government hinders us in ways that we aren't aware of in order to possibly slow us down?
"The Lottery"
1.) What do you think the purpose behind the lottery in that story was for? Why did they play it?
2.) Why do you think some of the villages stopped? Did they finally come to their senses, or maybe it just became a faded tradition?
3.) Is Mr. Warner similar to some people today, and do you think that the community was afraid of him, or did they actually think the lottery was a good idea? Did he maybe brainwash them into thinking it was a good idea?
