Ginzulitzer Prize, and goodbye!

It seems that this project is reaching an end, after all I am on the final post and after this one wraps it up. So it goes. But before the final blow, I am going to discuss what I thought of another's blogger's blog. And the winner is... * drum roll please! * my friend Vy's blog: http://viidragon.wordpress.com .

I will discuss the ideas, topics and stylistics of Vy's three blog posts.

When there’s a will, there’s a way. But when there’s Billy Pilgrim, there’s Paul Lazzaro 

I have to agree, Vonnegut is a genius in thinking up a nut case like Paul Lazzaro. I mean this man is completely messed up as proven by his raping, murdering, and threatening tendencies. I really enjoyed the amount of language you incorporated in your detailed account of your disgust of Paul Lazzaro. Vonnegut really does leave it for us to guess how he wound up to be this way, but you make a fine guess. 

The feeling that I were Paul Lazzaro as I was reading it-- it made the post personal. You  addressed him and try to tell him in a semi-friendly manner to stop being a mental nut case, and go seek some therapy. I admire you for it, but I really wouldn't suggest you pulling through if he was actually alive... as you might walk to your front door one day and be shot in the groin. (yay). 

But on the topic of how he actually became the thing he is now, I do sympathize with him. I mean, all the murderers, criminals and horrible monsters that are out there were children once. And they were raised to be like this either through abusive parents or horrible experiences. So in the end its not REALLY their fault, they're just victims of society. If I was in charge of Lazzaro's sentencing or punishment, I would think that sending him to death penalty or life in prison is unfair. Rather, he should be sent to some kind of therapy institution where his deep emotional problems would be addressed and he would be able to recover from whatever made him like this.

Poo-tee-weet. Twitter, twitter.

Haha! It is quite unsatisfactory to end a book like this with the chirpings of some bird. However, I think that the bird had its own significance: that there was really nothing left to say about war. War is war. Perhaps I'm over thinking it and Vonnegut just intended to end the book with something random.

You should read one of my earlier blog posts where I discussed how I thought Vonnegut just had a severe case of writer's block and decided to mix together his life experience, his beliefs and a few ideas to make a satisfactory book with quite a bit of un-needed filler. Considering the man took years to write this book, its not surprising that he's hasty to just get it over with and leave us unhappy with the ending, (unless he meant it to be that way, in which case props to him even though I don't understand!).

And yes, Vonnegut did have a view interesting quotes in there that really did supplement the book. Each one was thought provoking and aided the "Fate" idea. The picture were... interesting. Vonnegut likes strange pictures though (ahem horses and breasts)!

Like a fireworks display!

Woah! What a gruesome introduction, even for something reflecting Vonnegut... "the cherry colored liquid..". I can imagine it slowly diluting itself in the pool... many thanks for that image, Vy! And you definitely did not write "So it goes!", gah. A joke too far. It relays the message quite well, the idea of fate and upcoming doom. Although your friend might of deserved it if 'she and her boyfriend where making out with someone! However I feel that might of been a typo.

Very Billy Pilgramish set of mind there. But also so very obnoxious! You should at least of warned your cheating friend, I mean if its you that are going to die, its your own choice! But anyways... I enjoyed your descriptions of Vietnam. I felt some nostalgia as you wrote about this vacation. I don't really understand how this is connected to the experience with your cousin however. 

Congradulations Vy! You're literature has just been analyzed. It has received the Ginzulitzer Prize. Just a few notes before I hand it out. I really enjoy your forth-right style which had much sarcasm and because of this was entertaining to read. Your ideas were very interesting and I agreed with you for the majority of the points. Your posts feel extremely genuine and personal and thats something you should preserve since thats how readers can relate to you. Good job blogging!

And on that note, I'd like to thank everyone who read my blog posts, (including those from China, Denmark, Netherlands and South Korea... I wonder where you found my post though!). Its been an interesting experience sharing my thoughts of a considerably good book. On on that note-

So it goes.

-Daniel

For All Your Vonnegutian Needs

At long last, my final post. The lucky blog that I have selected to review is one of the most creative blogs that I have read this unit. My final post is dedicated to Zach's blog on Slaughterhouse-Five.


Censorship S*cks
In this blog post, Zach makes a number of good arguments, all of which I can agree with. Zach starts by making the claim that "a book that generates talk or “controversy” for whatever reason is a good book" and I concur; if a book leaves a reader with a lasting impact, whether positive or negative, it has done its job. Vonnegut even provides the reader with a disclaimer in the first chapter, claiming that his novel would castigate the atrocities of war. From this warning alone, one can determine that the book will likely contain violence and profanity, and an individual that opposes both should put the book down and read something else.


Another point that Zach makes is that the severity of the "controversial" content is ridiculously low. As a reader, I did not realize that I was reading content that was "out of line" until it was pointed out to me, due to the fact that profanity and sexual references have become so common in society today. Zach writes that the F-bomb is dropped constantly in schools today, as students use is as a verb, noun, or adjective whenever need be. However, "when this “profane language” is written down in a book for people to read, alarms go off." An unfortunate characteristic of society is that it holds a double-standard for realistic literature; an author is expected to depict society as truthfully as possible, yet he/she is expected to leave out all of its negative aspects. As "controversial" as some of the content may seem, it is required in order to uphold the realism (besides the aliens and time-travel) of the novel.


Multiculturalism > COMPLETE Assimilation
Once again, I agree with the ideas presented by Zach in this post. Vonnegut appears to be an author who writes more for himself than others; he has nothing to prove. For this reason, I believe that he would have nothing to gain from casting the Germans under a better light. As Zach states, "[Vonnegut]  just wrote it how it was, and how he saw it." From Vonnegut's experiences as a POW, one can assume that he came in contact with Germans quite often. To Vonnegut, the Germans themselves were not the enemy; their leaders were the ones waging the war. In Zach's own words, Vonnegut "gives the enemy a face" to demonstrate that the Germans were 'people' too.


I also shares Zach's views on the issue of assimilation, as everyone should be proud of their culture and past. Even though everyone should be proud of their heritage, many individuals aren't, as their culture could be associated with countless stereotypes. In Vonnegut's case, Germans were given a bad repute in North America, due to the fact that they were viewed as corrupt and barbaric. As Zach states, assimilation in never justifiable, and cultural conformity is the coward's way out.


What Would Vonnegut Think?
I concur that Vonnegut would approve of our blogging assignment due to the fact that we're "doing exactly what he did, except in a different form." As Zach states, "Whatever message [Vonnegut] wanted to voice, he would voice it through writing. And that's basically what a blog is: having an opinion and then voicing it by posting it for the entire world to see." If Vonnegut were still alive, I'm confident that he would have been a blogger instead of an author. As I already mentioned, Vonnegut wrote more for himself than others, and his novels were used as a means of getting his ideas across. With the expansion of the Internet, it has become easier for an individual to do just that, as setting up a blog in today's day and age takes no longer than a few minutes. Even though blogs may not be as successful as novels, "the message [offered by a blog] kind of gets transferred from one person to another." Although it would be much slower, a blog could still make as much of an impact as a novel. Due to the fact that we're offering our ideas for the world to see, just like Vonnegut did before us, I believe that he would approve of our efforts.


And so conclude my blogging days. Somewhere in my living room, a dog barked.


-Arshdeep

Just for the Sake of Curiosity

If I could make one change to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, I would turn Billy Pilgrim into a dynamic character. Billy is a stoic guy; he remains indifferent no matter what goes on around him. Billy appears to lacks the complexity that most humans possess; knowing that his life will be tolerable serves as his only motivation. If Billy were to somehow become dynamic, the novel would be entirely different.

For one thing, a dynamic Billy would never be viewed as an outcast among his fellow soldiers. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy is depicted as a boy trapped in the body of a man; he is too innocent to understand all that is going on around him. In the novel, the American army believes in the survival of the fittest, and as the least resourceful soldier, Billy is left to fend for himself. Had Billy been dynamic, he would have developed a "Kill or be killed" mentality that would earn him 'respect' among his comrades. This newly earned respect would help make his stay as a prisoner more bearable.

As a dynamic character, Billy would also be easier to take seriously. One of the few traits that Billy portrays as a static character is that of remoteness and one cannot tell if he's seeing something in real life or in his mind. As a result, some consider his ability to time travel a sham. Had he been a dynamic character, Billy would be easier to relate to, and less people would question his credibility. Billy would also be able to convey the feeling of time travel through other traits.

If I could, I would change Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim into a dynamic character, just to see how different the novel would become.

-Arshdeep

Entry #2a∑6/M - Tralf. 2.255,2.2

How very peculiar! Look at that earthling, in its natural environment. How strange they look, with those things they call fingers and toes, and limbs and arms. Its much easier to have one of those ripped off. Much better to have a simple body like I. How weird it is how they live. Surrounded by the video boxes and the food chiller. And it defeats me how they can live in the noxious environment of Nitrogen and Oxygen. They must of evolved to avoid reacting with Oxygen... I have to go see how thats done at Timequake. Ah, I see already. In fifteen bijers, I will go and see how it is.

What a dull thing it is. Life that is. There is nothing interesting because we already know everything. We know whats going to happen, what has happened, and what will ever happen. And we will always know. Always. I think I like the human approach better where they don't know. This thing called 'Fate' and 'Free Will'. I wish I was that stupid. Ignorance is indeed bliss.

Always knowing everything, always being aware. I would end my life right now if I didn't know that I wouldn't actually end. I would just be in a bad position at that particular moment. I wonder how earthlings see. How very flat they must view the world. I guess we were designed to be like this.

You earthling, this is my attempt to convey to you how we Tralfamadorians feel and know all. It is strange to use this weird language of humans, where everything is looked at one by one to give sense and not as a whole to impart experience and feeling. You really are queer things.

-Daniel

Welcome to the Tralfamadore Zoo

Welcome to the Tralfamadore International Zoo. Please keep your hand and eye in the shuttle at all times. Although all of you already know what's in store, please try to act mildly surprised when you see all the creatures.

As you all already know, we are now passing the Womboozles. At this moment in time, the Womboozles always have and always will be licking their toes. The Wamboozles have been brought in from the planet of Satercury, where their numbers are limited. These Womboozles will turn to look at you for exactly three seconds before resuming with their interesting activity.

We are coming up to the Wookiee wildlife zone next. As you all know, the Wookiees are known as the 'People of the Trees' and are covered in a thick coat of hair. These creatures come from the planet Kashyyyk, and are loyal and devoted creatures. These Wookiees will not move an inch in the thirty seconds that we will observe them.

As I'm sure you all know, the next territory is that of the Na'vi. The Na'vi are among the tallest creatures we have at our zoo, reaching heights of up to 3m.  They have come, and always will come from Pandora, and are similar in appearence to humans. They are, however, much faster, stronger, and more agile than their human counterparts.

The human exhibit is the last exhibit of the day. As you all know,we currently have two humans in confinement here at the zoo, neither of whom are remotely interesting at all.

I hope you all enjoyed your predetermined visit to the Trafamadore International Zoo. I hope you had, and always will have, a wonderful time.

-Arshdeep

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

When Kurt Vonnegut published Slaughterhouse-Five in 1969, the United States were in the midst of a war in Vietnam. Vonnegut's novel had instantly received negative feedback, as it contained what critics claim to be anti-American sentiment. Vonnegut was viewed as a heretic for belittling American ideals.

Instead of criticizing Vonnegut, Americans should have thanked him. In the year 1969, America had established itself as a war-loving nation in the world, due to the fact that it had taken part in several wars after WWII. Although many Americans held high views of themselves, residents of other nations looked towards them in fear. America's image in the world was becoming increasingly tarnished. With the release of 'anti-war' books, such as Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, America had re-established its image in the world. It had become a country that "could go to war, and protest going to war at the same time" giving it the image of a "nation founded on saying one thing and doing another."

America could have its cake and eat it too.

Work Cited

"I'm A Little Bit Country." Parker, Trey, and Matt Stone. South Park. Comedy Network. 9 Apr. 2003. Television.

- Arshdeep

Vonnegut, You Tricky Guy

"One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn't his" (1).

"I think the climax of the book will be the execution of poor old Edgar Derby. The irony is so great. A whole city gets burned down, and thousands and thousands of people are killed. And then this one American foot soldier is arrested in the ruins for taking a teapot. And he's given a regular trial, and then he's shot by a firing squad" (4).

"Derby's son would survive the war. Derby wouldn't. That good body of his would be
filled with holes by a firing squad in Dresden in sixty-eight days. So it goes." (83).

You know what I'm getting at.

All throughout the novel, the only suspense that Vonnegut left the reader was regarding the death of "Poor old Edgar Derby," who was to be shot by a firing squad for stealing a teapot. As a reader, I was lookin forward to reading about his trial and hearing the reactions of his fellow Americans. In my mind, I had pictured an ending similar to that of the movie 'Hart's War', where the American leader goes out with a bang. Elected as the American leader, I assumed that Derby would follow a similar path, one that would have an everlasting impact on me, as the reader.

"Somewhere in there the poor old high school teacher, Edgar Derby, was caught with a teapot he had taken from the catacombs. He was arrested for plundering. He was tried and shot. So it goes" (214).

After building up 213 pages of suspense (from the third sentence onward), I feel as though I've been slapped in the face by Vonnegut's cruel reality. There are no heroes in war. No matter how reputable an individual may be, what he/she ends up with is not always what he/she deserves. Edgar Derby didn't "go out with a bang."

No one ever does.

-Arshdeep

My Non-Vonnegutian Novel

If I were to write a novel, it would be comparable stylistically to Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five; my style of writing is somewhat similar to that of Vonnegut. Stylistically, my novel would follow many of 'Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction,' as it will start off near the end, with the main character at the lowest point of his/her life. The character would be presented an opportunity to reestablish him/herself in society, and he/she will embrace it. During the process of reestabishment, the character will go through a series of flashbacks that will show how he/she ended up in the condition that the reader found him/her in. I'm not quite sure how I would end the novel yet, seeing as I do not want to make the same 'mistake' as Vonnegut, and leave the reader without a lasting impact.

Due to the fact that many of the novels that our class have read this year criticize the left wing, my novel would demonstrate the dangers of the right wing and take a blow at capitalism. My main character will be a once successful individual who ends up in th gutter. The character goes from being an arrogant and obnoxious prick to being a grateful and opportunity seizing hobo. Another character will be a stereotypical capitalist, who tries to bring himself up at the expense of others. The genre of the novel would be drama more than anything else.

Although I'm not quite sure of the details, the basics of my novel are in place.

-Arshdeep

My Completely True Fictional Warped Narrative

The boy watched terrified from the crowd as it made its way towards the group. The boy was convinced that it was not human, as its nose was red and round, resembling a beetle he had seen earlier that day, and its skin was dead white. The boy was especially afraid of its smile, which was painted and fake. The thing turned towards the boy and called for him. The boy tried to seek refuge behind his friends, but failed, as they laughed and urged him forward. The thing called for him again, this time the boy inched his way towards the front.

The boy's heart began to race as he made his way towards the thing, and he was convinced that its smile was growing increasingly larger. The boy stopped and tried to turn around, but his friends wouldn't allow it. In the end, the boy was standing next to the thing, not knowing what to expect. The boy watched as the thing turned towards him and held out a flower, but he made no response. The thing pushed the flower closer to the boy, but the boy didn't budge. The boy could feel his legs trembling as the thing put the flower close to the boy's face and started to laugh. FWOOSH. A stream of water gushed from the flower and hit the boy's face. All he could hear around him was the sound of laughter.


When the boy opened his eyes, he had realized that he was no longer a child, but a teen seated among a laughing crowd. There had been tears falling from the teen's eyes, but they were not painful tears. The teen was confused. He sat up straight in an attempt to find the source of this happiness.

The source appeared to be a short, brown man standing on the main stage. The teen felt bad for the man who was getting laughed at by hundreds of people, yet the man seemed happy himself. The man just kept on talking and the crowd kept on laughing. Suddenly, the lights faded, and the man walked off stage. The teen's sympathy for the man had just gone up, as it appeared that he had given up. The crowd was no longer laughing, and was only clapping, as if to raise the man's self-esteem. The teen gloomily got up and joined the rush at the exits. People were pushing and shoving all around the teen in an attempt to force their way out of the building.


When the crowd finally dispersed, the teen found himself as a young child all alone in the mall. The child had no idea what was going on, or where to go. He could see his parents in the distance, yet he had no desire to walk towards them. They seemed upset, as if they had lost something, and they would probably yell at him if he somehow upset them even more. The child took a seat on a bench and watched from the distance, as his parents scurried to and from different stores. His parents seemed to remind him of the ants in the movie 'A Bug's Life', always working and never resting. The ants in the movie only stopped working so hard when the Warrior Bugs defeated their oppressors. Maybe the child's parents needed a hero like the Warrior Bugs, and he, the child, could be that hero.

The child made his way over to his parents, who had just come out of another store, and called for them. The child's mother turned around to see her lost child walking towards her, and ran towards him. The child's plan had worked. His parents had stopped working so hard and walked with him, hand-in-hand, out of the crowded mall. Somewhere in the distance, security alarm went off.

-Arshdeep

What's so Controversial?

If critics from the year 1969 (the year that Slaughterhouse-Five was published) were to somehow travel forward in time to the year 2011 and watch an episode of South Park, they would all surely weep for humanity. In the 49 years since the publication of Slaughterhouse-Five, the public's view of what's controversial has changed significantly; swearing, violence, and sexual references have become so common in movies and video games today, that it would take effort to find a completely complaisant movie or game. In fact, I'm sure that there is more swearing on an elementry school playground during recess than there is in all of Vonnegut's novels combined.

In society today, kids are reading less and less. Book censorship has become less of an issue today than it was a decade or so ago. Controversy and censorship do, however, remain a priority for other media. Some of the most successful movies, TV shows, and video games in today's society contain content that most would find controversial and/or offensive. Grand Theft Auto 4 is an example of such a video game. When GTA 4 was released in Spring of the year 2008, it had sold more than 3.6 million copies on its first day, and 6 million within its first week of release. GTA 4 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, as it has received awards from every major video game critic. The game was also the cause of a great deal of controversy, as public figures, such as Hillary Clinton, and organizations, including MADD, spoke out against it. The game is said to have inspired a series of crimes by youth after its release in 2008. These crimes include the murder of a taxi driver in Thailand by an 18 year-old student who "wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game." The incident resulted in the subsequent ban of the game in Thailand. The actions of one individual resulted in the ban of a game in a nation. Doesn't that seem a little extreme?

-Arshdeep

So it DOESN'T go

Vonnegut's text is littered with filler such as recycled jokes that are funny at first, grow old and older and yet even older. This is the dark humor that many people find Vonnegut has and is part of his style. However, I think its more recycled filler.

Vonnegut said so himself: That he did not know what to write about in his novel, and thus it took him a very long time to write Slaughter House 5. He manged to finally complete the book by dumping his beliefs, parts of his real life and filler to create the novel. Sometimes great things are made when you mix random things in a mixing bowl, sometimes delicious ideas and literature is born this way. But in the most cases... not.

Vonnegut's SH5 is one of those pieces that may have been an accidental wonder from the mixing bowl. But this does not mean that its perfect. What I found was most annoying in the book is the amount of filler, which made the book less exciting. Some of the filler that I am talking about is of course, "So it goes", which is always repeated at one's death. After the first few times it happens, you get the pattern and think its just the way the story is being narrated. But after the phrase is infinitely repeated through-out the novel, it starts feeling like something to fill in the space.

Apart from the jokes, I find that there are a number of events in SH5 that are pointless to say the least. An example of this is the pornographic picture that Weary had and was also found in the bookstore. I simply don't see significance of this is. Another element that I considered to be fluff was the whole scene with  the dull woman at the party, where she engages in conversation with Trout. Or again, the same recycled character re-appearing as Lily Rumfoord in the book. Whats the point with these pointless characters and fluff?

Writer's Block happens to all of us. It happened to Vonnegut as he was writing his book and he decided to write repetitive and pointless material in his literature which generally retracted from the book. His book is good, it was one of those rare occasions when the random mixing bowl produced something noteworthy, but perhaps Vonnegut should of polished his book more and removed the boring repetitive stuff.

So it doesn't go (with so it goes)
-Daniel

Warped Narative

I attempted to write a Warped Narrative following the pattern of Billy's time travels. I noticed that Billy traveled always from a moment of pain, to another similar moment. Here's what I tried to replicate (its purely fictional) and it has a Brave New World vibe (where it gets confusing and shorter as you continue forward.)

---

An unbreakable silence envelopes the room. The gentle sound of papers is heard as people hold their breathe. "I'm ready... There's no need to fear...!", I think. Slowly the distribution occurs, painfully slowly. Beads of sweat start running down my face. It finally reaches me. I reach over, hands quivering, head hot, as I start to turn it ov...

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. An enormous motor starts and the cabin begins to shake. "Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for take off". I sit back, observing a number of little cars going down the runway towards us. Suddenly, the engines turn off. It is evident why, seven police men have entered the plane and they walk bruskly. I watch as they get close, wondering whether there's some terrorist or something on the plane. They stop at my isle and they look at me, and say "You're coming with us!". I stare, and stand up and they painfully grab my arm and shove me forward. My hand feels as if its about to fall off, they're not gentle...

I am walking down the street when, suddenly a crippling throbbing poker-hot pain attacks my head. I fall to the ground and I see...

Question number one: Describe, in detail, the nucleotide chains associated with the development of polymerase in accordance to... I surrender to the knowledge that I will fail, my head is throbbing. I begin writing slowly, erase and then continue. We never learned this! Sweat is pouring off my face as I skip the first few questions and  then...

Tick. Tick. Tick. A grey room, with a large analog clock above me. I count the seconds. It seems that they have forgotten about me. I've been in here for hours already, this must be inhumane... Quietly at first, a beat starts playing... Its familiar. Louder... louder it plays... until... BABY BAB...

A panic envelopes my head as I realize, I cannot answer any question. After reading every single one, and writing an introduction, "The reason for the ____ is because", I am at a loss to what to do. I look around me. Everyone is writing quickly. I look down...

BABY OHHHH, BABY BABY BABY OHHH! What is this?!! Is this some kind of new torture? Get me out of here! I stand up, and walk to the mirror and start knocking. The music is getting louder and loud...

I fall to the ground, and I see a thug kicking me, and grabbing my wallet. I kick back except that I am a terrible position to defend myself. My head feels like its been split into two...

The door opens, behind it is a janitor painting the walls with the stereo. A man walks in, "Sit Down".

I close my eyes, thinking about the material I reviewed a few hours before. My eyes sting at the sight of the paper.

-Daniel

To be or not to be?

A little background research reveals to us that the book reflects Vonnegut's life. Vonnegut was part of a wealthy German family that immigrated to the United States and forced itself to be assimilated because they were ashamed of their German heritage. This led Vonnegut to be excluded from the culture.

I would have to say, that Vonnegut defends his ancestry, even though he wasn't exposed to it in childhood. We can see that his book tends to bash the American Army while putting the German Army and British Army in a more positive light. Vonnegut continuous to write about the generosity of the German people, such as when a family let the Americans sleep in their home and provided food for them after the bombing of Dresden. I would hypothesize that Vonnegut is irritated at not having the opportunity to experience his roots.

Now, coming out of Dresden, and out of the scope of Vonnegut, I think that assimilation is eventually inevitable to some degree but is still wrong. We should know where we came from, what past shaped not only our genetics but our customs and belief systems. It is part of our individual identity. Therefore, I think you're throwing a part of yourself away when you try and assimilate.

Sure, there will always be people who think one culture or one ethnic group is worse than another, but should you change based on the beliefs of those idiots? Absolutely not. You are entitled to be whoever you are, and you shouldn't trouble yourself with what delusions some people have. In Vonnegut's case, his grandparents may have assimilated because of the dangers posed (such as hate crime, loss of business) from being German. However, they should have at the very least still practiced their traditions at home, not revealing to the outside world.

As our world becomes more connected, as more people immigrate and learn new languages, we will constantly assimilate. But what is important is to still hold your own traditions and background in mind, and avoid the years to scrape them away.

-Daniel

Confucius Says...

"Humor is an almost physiological response to fear."

Fear is a paralyzing sensation that can overwhelm an individual at any given moment. In most situations, fear is difficult to cope with, as it often results in stress and anxiety. One such way that an individual can deal with fear and stress is through laughter and humour.

Laughter is a medication that is pleasent, free, and easy to use. A good laugh is the quickest and most dependable way of restoring balance back into the life of an individual. Laughter is often associated with humour, which allows one to view a situation from a less arduous perspective. Humour also helps an individual remain optimistic in an emotionally demanding situation.

In Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim is a character who laughs through adversity. Perhaps the most frightening moment in Billy's pre-determined life is when he gets assaulted by Ronald Weary, yet he laughs through the entire incident (51). Billy never lets stress or anxiety get the better of him, and laughter both dissolves distressful emotions, like anxiety, and allows one to relax, reducing stress.

-Arshdeep

A novel of my own...?

If I were to write my book, it would be far different from Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five. There are a number of things I don't really enjoy about the book, including the lack of suspense. Vonnegut seems to think that there  should be no suspense in novels so that people can brew on the ideas of the novel presented. I don't think this is correct. By removing suspense, (Vonnegut reveals the entire plot in the first and second chapter) Vonnegut removes an integral part of the entertainment.

If I were to write my own novel, I would stay away from basing my book off of morals and philosophy for the reason that nearly every idea has been thought up, explored and criticized. I would write my book based on entertainment, a fantasy book no doubt. I don't think that there would be much for me to base the book on, other than perhaps some of the characters. The majority of it would be inspired by my own creativity. One of the books I very much enjoyed was the Eragon cycle. It was one of those amazing series that have their own world and fantasy. Yet, the public does not learn anything other than the ability to connect with the world being explained and perhaps receive entertainment.

Besides, as one of my first books, I don't think I would be up to writing something deep and philosophical. However, what I would be interested in following, would be some of Vonnegut's rules:

 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

There is not yet a clear idea of what exactly my fantasy book will be about, but I know that I will apply some of the things I have learned from Vonnegut, and avoid some of the mistakes too. So I suppose the basis of my work would be to entertain my readers, with creativity and fantasy that anyone can appreciate, and of course will lead me to riches! (Perhaps then I can contemplate the meaning of the world, from my lofty heights of my private jet). 

-Daniel

The Limits of Billy

The film Limitless, that I watched an hour ago, provided a fresh grasp at exactly how Billy Pilgrim must have been feeling as he traveled in time . The part that I am referring to about is when Eddie Mora overdoses on the fictional drug 'NZT'.

In Vonnegut's SH5, Billy is constantly moving through-out his life, jumping from one point to another, viewing things erratically (such as watching the war film backwards). This constant time-travel is enough to confuse anyone, as Billy Pilgrim is subjected to viewing his life over and over again. 

There is much debate in the book on whether or not Billy is actually experiencing the time travel and the Tralfamadorians, or it is just the side-effect of a brain-damaging plane crash. I am inclined to the brain-damaging plan crash explanation, (See my other post entitled, 'Who's the Crazy One?'). I have a feeling that as a side-effect of the brain-damage Billy is experiencing close to what Eddie Mora is once he overdoses on the drug: gaps in memory, inability to tell time, and confusion. And perhaps as a side effect of the brain damage, Billy is also having hallucinations about the aliens. 

I think it is very interesting to be put in such a limbo. Imagine to yourself losing your lucidity to erratic memories and absurd beliefs. Billy has gotten used to it because he continuously experiences this. This leads me to the conclusion that we are slaves to our own brains. Billy Pilgrim is enslaved by his beliefs and his memories and likewise, so are we. Our perception is in fact everything to do with our brain. 

I'm probably over thinking what is was Vonnegut was originally trying to write. Yes, the idea of fate is still apparent but what else is apparent is the fragility of our brains, and the importance of them. What is possible, is that Billy's brain just went wacko, and fate is just an illusion. 

-Daniel

Questions with Unquestioning Faith

"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile!" ~ Kurt Vonnegut

There is no question that faith has affected our world greatly: it has served to play a guide to human morals, to instill kindness in the people and to inspire fear in those evil. But in our modern society, could 'unquestioning faith' be something terrifying or vile? Vonnegut certainly thinks so.

I think what Vonnegut is referring to is 'blind faith'. And I have to agree with Vonnegut: There has to be a balance to how much faith you put into the supernatural. On the other side of the merits of faith, we have many wars as a result, murders, and crimes too. People fighting to the death for what they believe in. And I certainly hope that these people who die for what they believe in, actually think about what they believe rather than following it blindly. 

In my opinion, Religion is something that is inherited. Passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter. And I think that this causes a lot of havoc. A child should never have ideals fed to them. They must explore the world for themselves, they must see every explanation there is to offer and only then decide what to believe in: else they're belief will be based on bias, (even if true!). It is something that a child should come to understand themselves, and because in our world, this principle is neglected, we have 'blind religion'. 

A child exposed to this inheritance, will have no other principles to compare with and so will usually unquestioningly follow what they have learned for it is all that they have grown up with. I think this is how Vonnegut views unquestioning faith as something terrible.  Absolute faith is dangerous.

It is quite clear to me that Vonnegut is an existentialist writer: his novel Slaughterhouse Five seems to calmly tell us from the mouths of the Tralfamadorians, who see the world as a plain course of events, that don't matter enough to save. The quote written above enforces his existentialism by pointing out his ridicule of absolute faith.

-Daniel

The joke of censorship

Like many other books, Slaughter House Five has been hit with the ban hammer, and was removed from our school boards, forbade to be taught. But what is really the point...? As we can see, we're reading the book right now, and have read and will be reading other such books which were censored- So the judgement has been overturned, so was there a point in censoring something in the first place?

Censorship for the protection of a population is just bogus. No idea, no matter how radical or disgusting should be withheld from an audience on the basis that is is offensive or inappropriate. Truth, is offensive and inappropriate. In fact, life itself is offensive and inappropriate, so how stupid is it hide something that we're exposed to, hiding the truth of things. If someone is offended, thats great! Let them be offended, there's nothing wrong with thinking something is wrong, letting the idea challenge someone's morals makes people think more about what they believe in rather than what they ought to believe in. Maybe they'll even reconsider and adopt the radical idea or else reinforce what they were originally against. Slaughterhouse was censored because of its profanity (blunt, disgusting, inappropriate reality of the world) and critical opinion on the American Army. Criticism never hurt anyone: It might even help fix the problem or just see the view point of someone else. Just because you don't like an idea, doesn't mean you should censor it.

Now that we have established that its bad to censor, we should talk about who censors. All the censoring was done by the administration of school boards... just a bunch of old guys that are pushing their own views on other people. They aren't trained critics of literature, trained censors or anything, and therefore its extremely inappropriate for them to censor! I bet they haven't read half the books that they ended up censoring. And we can see what happened to the books they deemed inappropriate for us: our curriculum is now focused on them and the banning was overturned.

Lastly, censorship just doesn't work. Censoring something makes it into a controversy which makes everybody curious. Which leads everybody to reading the explicit material. It would be far better if they just put a warning that said "may offend, don't read if your morals are weak". Censoring is wrong, it prevents new ideas and opinions, is censored by the wrong people and doesn't even work most of the time. Read every opinion. Make your own decisions. Don't hide the truth. 

-Daniel

Like Bugs Trapped in Amber?

"Are our lives predetermined or are we free to make our own choices?" Is it just me, or is this question awkwardly similar to the one about the chicken and the egg? In truth, there is no way to know. Answers will vary person to person as everyone is free to choose for themselves. In my personal opinion, everything is fated in some way. I do not see fate as a means to an end, but as an end in itself: all the decisions we make will lead us to a predetermined destination.

Fate is a word that gets thrown around a lot. To some it is a way of life. To others it is just another word in the dictionary. It gets used as an excuse for a misfortune. It even puts money in the pockets of astrologers and fortune tellers. In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, fate is used to explain any and every event that takes place. Among those who beleive in fate are the Tralfamadorians, who try to convince Billy that "There is no why...It simply is" (77-88). Billy even admits that "among the things [he can] not change [are] the past, present, and future" (60), due to the fact that "[a]ll moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, [and] always will exist" (27).

My interpretation of fate differs from that of Vonnegut, as I beleive that fate only refers to destination, rather than the journey. In my opinion, only the major events in our lives are predetermined and inevitable, while we get to choose the outcome of all minor life choices.

-Arshdeep

Who's the crazy one?

If Billy isn't brain damaged into hallucinations, than I must be the one who is crazy!

Poor Billy- One moment he's being beaten up by a psychopath, then suddenly reappearing as an optometrist decades later, and next he's being captured by the Tralfmadorians in their space ship to be sent to their zoo. I really sympathize with the guy, but I think all these strange excursions are happening inside Poor Billy's own head. Could Vonnegut be actually telling us that this is happening for real? I suppose so, but one would have to ignore a lot of evidence pointing that Billy is crazier than rhino poo.

I don't think that this fantasy is real because Vonnegut gave a mountain of evidence to why its phony: most importantly that Billy was in an airplane accident where he sustained severe head trauma and was suspected of being crazy by his family. And the reason why his family thought he had lost his grip was because he "thought the time was ripe" to reveal that he had been captured by aliens, Tralfmadorians, who had taken him light years away to show him how time really worked. Here, Vonnegut throws us another clue to why Billy's world is not reality. He explains the weird aliens very calmly with no kind of skepticism, indicating that there is no surprise as he's just looking through the eyes of a crazy man.

Lets analyze Billy some more. His willingness to die at war, acceptance of abuse, unquestioning acceptance of aliens, watching a war movie backwards, all indicate to a person without sanity. 

In the introduction of the book, Vonnegut also hints that Billy is the self-portrayal of himself in his own past, indicating that the story has some truth behind it- Vonnegut did serve in the war and was found behind enemy lines just like our main character Billy. Seeing that Billy's world is based on the real word tells us that quite a few things aren't parallel. Either Vonnegut is telling us that he was as crazy as rhino poo, just like Billy, or else he is telling us a story of a crazed man. Could Vonnegut perhaps be the crazy one??

-Daniel