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
Sunday, 17 April 2011
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
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
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
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
---
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
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
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