Introduction to Short Stories Essential Question

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, is considered one of the most influential American novelists of the twentieth century. He blended literature with science fiction and humor, the absurd with pointed social commentary. Vonnegut created his own unique world in each of his novels and filled them with unusual characters, such as the alien race known as the Tralfamadorians in Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).

Other novels/stories:

The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963), Breakfast of Champions (1973), Jailbird (1979), Deadeye Dick (1982), Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage (1981), and Timequake (1997).

Biography
November 11, 1922 - April 11, 2007

Vocabulary

• Vigilance: (noun) watchful especially to avoid danger
• Luminous: (adjective) bathed in or exposed to steady light
• Doozy: (noun) something that is unusually good, bad, big, severe, etc.

Story Elements to focus on…

• Climax - Why does the author spend so much time on the climax?
• Motive/Conflict - What is it about the main conflict that causes Harrison to behave the way he does?
• Theme/Symbolism - How does the symbol of the handicaps help the reader understand theme?
• Tone - How does the author’s choice of words cause the reader to feel shocked?

“The Bet” by Anton Chekhov

One of Russia's greatest writers, Chekhov began his career writing jokes and anecdotes for popular magazines to support himself while he studied to become a doctor. Between 1888 and his death he single-handedly revolutionized both the drama and the short story. Near the end of his life he married an actress, Olga Knipper. He died from tuberculosis in 1904, age 44.