Question

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. —“harrison bergeron,” kurt vonnegut what makes this an example of irony? characters are forced to limit intelligence, which is normally a positive attribute. george is forced to limit his own intelligence, but he does not know it. government officials mistakenly think that they are using radios to limit people’s intelligence. george is extremely intelligent, but his wife, hazel, has an average intellect. complete based on the irony in this passage, vonnegut is critiquing a society that values equality over intelligence respects individuality and freedom overuses artificial intelligence

Explanation:

Irony is when the opposite of what is expected occurs. Here, intelligence, a positive trait, is being limited by law. Vonnegut critiques a society that values equality so much that it curtails intelligence.

Answer:

What makes this an example of irony?

• Characters are forced to limit intelligence, which is normally a positive attribute.

Based on the irony in this passage, Vonnegut is critiquing a society that

• values equality over intelligence