In my opinion, Slaughterhouse is a novel about America. As mentioned in a previous writing assignment, vonnegut is from a North American working class city and believes that life is fully lived if you are rewarded for working hard and earning your way through life. Taking the easy way out is not exactly in Vonnegut's playbook. Since War is one of the main themes and that Slaughterhouse is known to some as 'an anti-war novel', I believe most people around the world who read this would still obtain the war aspect of the novel after reading. An exception would be people from countries that were not involved in WWII. In this case, the theme of war would be more difficult to grasp for them unless they have been educated of it to a certain extent.
There are topics mentioned in the novel that people from around the world probably wouldn't understand; such as the living conditions at certain points in time of the novel (throughout Billy's life) wherever Billy was at each time. Another example would be the American army. Many people from around the world would not know how the American army works and what it would be like to be in the American army compared to another country.
Many people might become offended by this novel from around the world because of the combination of Vonnegut's content and context. Slaughterhouse may be misinterpreted as if Vonnegut is making fun of the war, which is a very sensitive subject to many people around the world. Everyone has their own beliefs based on their upbringing and past experiences and those beliefs of theirs might contrast with the way Vonnegut chose to present the novel, which could lead to the people being offended. One can assume that Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse roughly based on his own experience in the war, based on reading chapter 1, and since not everyone's outlook or experience in the war is the same, it can cause conflict.
In my opinion relatability is an aspect that Vonnegut adds to this book which I liked very much. I believe it shows how harsh reality can be and how the reader can relate to Billy and the hardships he experiences, I know i did. I think that people from around the world might not neccessarily relate to Billy as well as a North American would.
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Writing Assignment #7 - Jake
Expanding more on writing assignment #6, I think the scene where Billy is watching the tape on the projector of a battle in the war backwards would serves as a good repesentative of an essential part of the movie that would be able to represent the book in a movie quite accurately. In this scene, Billy is looking back at the war after already being through it himself. Slaughterhouse is viewed by some as an anti-war novel, even though Vonnegut says that war is inevidable, in chapter one. At the same time, Vonnegut does not want war. After being through WWII, he has seen some of the worst images that a human could see, such as mass amounts of dead bodies from bombs and other causes. Another theme is fate (there is no free will). This scene represents that because the person who watches the tape already knows what happens, and what has happened up to that, similar to how Billy sees his own life. He is looking back on the tape, as he does in his life. In the tralfamadorian perspective, there is no order or events, they all just happen at once. There is no time. Because the tape is being played backwards, there is no order to things compared to if it were to be played forwards. The way the author describes this scene made me feel as though all of the negative aspects of the battle were being turned into positive ones. The bombs were going back into the planes, the ground was being put back together, people were coming back to life, and so on. For this reason, this scene was actually one of my favourite pieces of writing in the entire novel. Everything was being put into its right place. Vonnegut created a beautiful contrast here because the war and that particular battle was gruesome, hideous, and terrifying but he made it graceful, optomistic, and beautiful.
As soon as I decided to choose this particular scene in the book, I immediately thought of "The Scientist" music video by Coldplay.The entire video is backwards. Much like the scene, it is one of my favourite music videos I've ever seen.
Near the end of the video (which would actually be the beginning), the singer was in a car crash, but it is shown in reverse. I think that by putting this in reverse, it actually shows the beauty in what had happened. Even though it was a brutal crash, and the girl who was sitting in the passenger seat died from it, it was shown backwards so she actually did not die in the video. She was dead, and at the end she was living. It was quite elegant to me as i watched the wind shield come back together, and the car gradually increasing in condition while rolling up the hill. The end was happy in the video, but in reality the end was terrible, and the same goes for the tape that Billy watched. That's the beauty of it.
As soon as I decided to choose this particular scene in the book, I immediately thought of "The Scientist" music video by Coldplay.The entire video is backwards. Much like the scene, it is one of my favourite music videos I've ever seen.
Near the end of the video (which would actually be the beginning), the singer was in a car crash, but it is shown in reverse. I think that by putting this in reverse, it actually shows the beauty in what had happened. Even though it was a brutal crash, and the girl who was sitting in the passenger seat died from it, it was shown backwards so she actually did not die in the video. She was dead, and at the end she was living. It was quite elegant to me as i watched the wind shield come back together, and the car gradually increasing in condition while rolling up the hill. The end was happy in the video, but in reality the end was terrible, and the same goes for the tape that Billy watched. That's the beauty of it.
Monday 18 April 2011
aaron wang <3
hes a beautiful boy no doubt about it
and from a beautiful boy came a beautiful blog
ever since i first saw aarons blog i was in love with it
everything about it i appreciate
and thats why i decided to do my last entry on his blog!
lets begin
hes a beautiful boy no doubt about it
and from a beautiful boy came a beautiful blog
ever since i first saw aarons blog i was in love with it
everything about it i appreciate
and thats why i decided to do my last entry on his blog!
lets begin
aarons thoughts on the censorship of books mirror mine exactly
in almost every respect, i agree with his comments and im quite impressed with the quality of his arguments
the letter by ulga hoffstadder i thought was very effective for the post
it was completely absurd and it made me question people and what they valued in literature
i think its disgusting that anyone might ever write a letter like that about green eggs and ham!
after reading the post, it is apparent that aaron feels the same way
he focuses on parents and their paranoia, which i agree is probably the largest contributor to banned books in north america
when aaron continues by comparing books to other more modern forms of entertainment, he underlines the overreactions being made over the former
there are terrible things being shown on tv and in movies and on the internet but they hardly get the same treatment as a controversial book
aaron really gets into it when he points out that the unbiased nature of literature would be lost through censorship
he states that if all controversial topics were banned, only an unfair and partial sample of ideas would be available
english is supposed to be a field where any idea may be expressed, but censorship really undermines that objectivity
aarons excellent use of examples and well thought out arguments are why i feel this is a fantastic post
in almost every respect, i agree with his comments and im quite impressed with the quality of his arguments
the letter by ulga hoffstadder i thought was very effective for the post
it was completely absurd and it made me question people and what they valued in literature
i think its disgusting that anyone might ever write a letter like that about green eggs and ham!
after reading the post, it is apparent that aaron feels the same way
he focuses on parents and their paranoia, which i agree is probably the largest contributor to banned books in north america
when aaron continues by comparing books to other more modern forms of entertainment, he underlines the overreactions being made over the former
there are terrible things being shown on tv and in movies and on the internet but they hardly get the same treatment as a controversial book
aaron really gets into it when he points out that the unbiased nature of literature would be lost through censorship
he states that if all controversial topics were banned, only an unfair and partial sample of ideas would be available
english is supposed to be a field where any idea may be expressed, but censorship really undermines that objectivity
aarons excellent use of examples and well thought out arguments are why i feel this is a fantastic post
~
aarons post titled knowledge = no knowledge was a post i enjoyed very much
there are several things i like about it
first of all, this was my runner up quote for my own blog
i very much wanted to do write about this quote but ended up choosing the one about semicolons
this topic is interesting to me because im someone who absolutely loves learning
i know many people dont understand that, but its true
i love to learn
that fact is why i actually enjoy going to 8 of my 9 classes everyday
its why i research things at home and read books and ask questions
naturally, i found this idea of knowledge being a measure of wealth interesting
so yeah, the topic itself was the first reason i enjoyed the post
in addition, aaron constantly asked questions throughout this post
they werent short easy to answer poorly thought out questions
these questions were advanced and thought provoking and deep inquiries that made me pause for long periods of time to think
i think its safe to say that any blog post that leaves the reader deep in intense thought qualifies as an excellent piece of writing
the quote in the middle of the post also got me thinking
i would not have remembered that quote if it had been me writing, and i think the quote proves exactly what aaron was saying
it's an exceptionally effective quote and i think it really strengthened his argument
not only that but the quote he ended with was thought provoking
i do wish he had indicated who said it, but i suppose i can always ask him in person
i think thats the only thing i didnt like about the ending quote
and of course, who could not appreciate the paranthesized comments and connections?
all of those related topics again made me pause and think
occassionally id have to stop and look one up, which would lead me down many more paths of learning and thinking
aarons post titled knowledge = no knowledge was a post i enjoyed very much
there are several things i like about it
first of all, this was my runner up quote for my own blog
i very much wanted to do write about this quote but ended up choosing the one about semicolons
this topic is interesting to me because im someone who absolutely loves learning
i know many people dont understand that, but its true
i love to learn
that fact is why i actually enjoy going to 8 of my 9 classes everyday
its why i research things at home and read books and ask questions
naturally, i found this idea of knowledge being a measure of wealth interesting
so yeah, the topic itself was the first reason i enjoyed the post
in addition, aaron constantly asked questions throughout this post
they werent short easy to answer poorly thought out questions
these questions were advanced and thought provoking and deep inquiries that made me pause for long periods of time to think
i think its safe to say that any blog post that leaves the reader deep in intense thought qualifies as an excellent piece of writing
the quote in the middle of the post also got me thinking
i would not have remembered that quote if it had been me writing, and i think the quote proves exactly what aaron was saying
it's an exceptionally effective quote and i think it really strengthened his argument
not only that but the quote he ended with was thought provoking
i do wish he had indicated who said it, but i suppose i can always ask him in person
i think thats the only thing i didnt like about the ending quote
and of course, who could not appreciate the paranthesized comments and connections?
all of those related topics again made me pause and think
occassionally id have to stop and look one up, which would lead me down many more paths of learning and thinking
~
my favorite post on aarons blog is definitely aaron wang: boy genius
this was his 4th assignment, the warped narrative one
the first thing i noticed about the post was the voice
while reading i can hear aaron as if hes sitting next to me in chemistry ignoring mrs zuk and reading the post aloud
thats how awesome it is
aaron makes his mark in his writing in an unmistakable way
now once i was smiling like an idiot (because who doesnt smile when they think about aaron wang?) i got down to actually reading
in the first paragraph i particularly enjoyed the comment about name age and counting by two
i think this captured vonneguts style very well as when billy is introduced, vonnegut does something very similar
all of billys irrelevant background information is shared at the start of the novel
aaron mimics this style very well, it left me quite impressed
in the following paragraph, aaron's way of phrasing the cutting and observation of blood left me with vivid images in my head
i was able to feel exactly like a 6 year old would
he captured the thought process of a child very well, and this realistic description made my imagination construct a perfect setting
again, aaron imitates vonnegut well, as vonnegut also uses very fitting descriptions to make a scene come alive in my head
a great example of this was when vonnegut described how reproduction was not the main business of the evening
that line completed the scene for me and it felt as if vonnegut captured the moment perfectly
the following paragraph about aaron in the car made me once again feel as if aaron were right next to me
r stands for really fast was the written version of aarons personality i feel
as an aside, i liked the entire storys plot changes and transitions
this was the first time the plot changed so thats why i mentioned it now
now in the next paragraph, again aaron imitates vonneguts style very well
the description of ellen screams vonnegut in my opinion
the change into hamzehs bio class followed by the charlie and the chocolate factory pondering amused me
i thought the post ended excellently
it reminded me of both aaron and vonnegut
vonnegut ends slaughterhouse five with poo-tee-weet
both endings have very little to do with the actual story
it reminds me of aaron because, well, aaron would think of something like that
fabulous post in my opinion, id give it a gold star anyday
http://www.wheatleyidol.com/Gold%20Star.jpg
~
aaron wang is a brilliant writer and an excellent blogger
i really enjoyed going through his posts and checking his blog whenever i could
he did a fantastic job and i very much liked going through his posts and offering my opinion on them
so i guess this is my last post
tata
- jakevin
ps this felt like writing the longest report card comment ever
my favorite post on aarons blog is definitely aaron wang: boy genius
this was his 4th assignment, the warped narrative one
the first thing i noticed about the post was the voice
while reading i can hear aaron as if hes sitting next to me in chemistry ignoring mrs zuk and reading the post aloud
thats how awesome it is
aaron makes his mark in his writing in an unmistakable way
now once i was smiling like an idiot (because who doesnt smile when they think about aaron wang?) i got down to actually reading
in the first paragraph i particularly enjoyed the comment about name age and counting by two
i think this captured vonneguts style very well as when billy is introduced, vonnegut does something very similar
all of billys irrelevant background information is shared at the start of the novel
aaron mimics this style very well, it left me quite impressed
in the following paragraph, aaron's way of phrasing the cutting and observation of blood left me with vivid images in my head
i was able to feel exactly like a 6 year old would
he captured the thought process of a child very well, and this realistic description made my imagination construct a perfect setting
again, aaron imitates vonnegut well, as vonnegut also uses very fitting descriptions to make a scene come alive in my head
a great example of this was when vonnegut described how reproduction was not the main business of the evening
that line completed the scene for me and it felt as if vonnegut captured the moment perfectly
the following paragraph about aaron in the car made me once again feel as if aaron were right next to me
r stands for really fast was the written version of aarons personality i feel
as an aside, i liked the entire storys plot changes and transitions
this was the first time the plot changed so thats why i mentioned it now
now in the next paragraph, again aaron imitates vonneguts style very well
the description of ellen screams vonnegut in my opinion
the change into hamzehs bio class followed by the charlie and the chocolate factory pondering amused me
i thought the post ended excellently
it reminded me of both aaron and vonnegut
vonnegut ends slaughterhouse five with poo-tee-weet
both endings have very little to do with the actual story
it reminds me of aaron because, well, aaron would think of something like that
fabulous post in my opinion, id give it a gold star anyday
http://www.wheatleyidol.com/Gold%20Star.jpg
~
aaron wang is a brilliant writer and an excellent blogger
i really enjoyed going through his posts and checking his blog whenever i could
he did a fantastic job and i very much liked going through his posts and offering my opinion on them
so i guess this is my last post
tata
- jakevin
ps this felt like writing the longest report card comment ever
Sunday 17 April 2011
Writing Assignment #6: Novel as a Play - Jake
I do not think the novel would work as a play for a number of reasons. I think that plays are theatrical and enthousiatic whereas this book is very nonchalant and plain. There are certain scenes of the book that would be very hard to portray in a play. For example, the scene where Billy is watching a tape of a battle in the war backwards. Or when Billy was a child, and was thrown into the Y.M.C.A pool. Since the overall dimeaner of Slaughterhouse is showed by Vonnegut in almost a boring way, I think that a lot of close up shots without music would help display the Vonnegut-ness of the novel if it were to be made into a film. In a play, close up shots are not possible and when there isn't much music in a play, it becomes less entertaining for the audience. Because of this, I do not think the audience will receive the full effect of the Slaughterhouse, the novel, if it were to be made into a play.
The time warps that Billy experiences would be very challenging to show because costume changes would have to be made and it would be hard to find multiple actors that look similar, but are at different ages to show the different points in Billy's life. During the show, the curtains would have to constantly open and close every time Billy becomes stuck in time. The background scenery would have to constantly be changing when the times change.
Because of these things, I do not think Slaughterhouse would make a good play.
The time warps that Billy experiences would be very challenging to show because costume changes would have to be made and it would be hard to find multiple actors that look similar, but are at different ages to show the different points in Billy's life. During the show, the curtains would have to constantly open and close every time Billy becomes stuck in time. The background scenery would have to constantly be changing when the times change.
Because of these things, I do not think Slaughterhouse would make a good play.
Writing Assignment #3 - Jake
Although some books may be very offensive to certain readers, I believe that can bring out the best in a novel. Often times, the most offensive and vulgar forms of entertainment to one person may be extremely captivating to another. Also, a strong reaction to a piece of text may not always entail negativity. For this reason, I think literature that provokes strong reactions should not be banned or censored.
In Slaughterhouse, one of the main themes is "fate or free will". There is no God for Billy, or any higher power of any kind. Because of this, readers who are religious may be offended by those things. Also, people may interpret Vonnegut's version of the war in the novel as inaccurate and inappropriate, but that can happen with most war novels, I guess. Personally, I have not read many books that were viewed as barbaric to others. However, I have seen multiple movies that could fit under that category.
Another novel that could be considered controvercial that the class read this year is Brave New World. Being published in 1932, where society was very conserved and even mentioning sex in public was inapropriate. Also, morality and religion were highly valued. Brave New World stood for the exact opposite of society in the 30's. Huxley wanted to 'wake up' society, if you will, by showing them the vulgar reality in consumerism.
Similarly to Slaughterhouse, The Da Vinci Code (film) was also interpreted as anti-religious, harshly criticized by the roman catholic church, and was protested to be banned. This reaction essentially did very little harm to the films success. In its opening weekend, it earned $230 million worldwide. Another, less serious, film that brought up a large contraversy was Borat. Let me get this straight, I do not agree with anything that the film stands for, nor am I accepting of it. But at the same time, the purpose was for comedy only. It was also very successful and has a gross revenue of $261.5 million.
In Slaughterhouse, one of the main themes is "fate or free will". There is no God for Billy, or any higher power of any kind. Because of this, readers who are religious may be offended by those things. Also, people may interpret Vonnegut's version of the war in the novel as inaccurate and inappropriate, but that can happen with most war novels, I guess. Personally, I have not read many books that were viewed as barbaric to others. However, I have seen multiple movies that could fit under that category.
Another novel that could be considered controvercial that the class read this year is Brave New World. Being published in 1932, where society was very conserved and even mentioning sex in public was inapropriate. Also, morality and religion were highly valued. Brave New World stood for the exact opposite of society in the 30's. Huxley wanted to 'wake up' society, if you will, by showing them the vulgar reality in consumerism.
Similarly to Slaughterhouse, The Da Vinci Code (film) was also interpreted as anti-religious, harshly criticized by the roman catholic church, and was protested to be banned. This reaction essentially did very little harm to the films success. In its opening weekend, it earned $230 million worldwide. Another, less serious, film that brought up a large contraversy was Borat. Let me get this straight, I do not agree with anything that the film stands for, nor am I accepting of it. But at the same time, the purpose was for comedy only. It was also very successful and has a gross revenue of $261.5 million.
Writing Assignment #2 - Jake
"Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand."
This quote stuck in my head because I personallly think that it represents Vonnegut perfectly based on my experiences while reading Slaughterhouse. Earlier in exploring this novel, the class went over a powerpoint about Vonnegut and his life. One of the main topics that caught my attention was that he had always mentioned how he loved Indianapolis and how it made him who he was. As a man from the working-class city of Indianapolis, vonnegut understands that life is tough and will always be tough. He knows that in order to achieve success, you must work hard for it and that you can't always get what you want. In this quote, I think Vonnegut is trying to say that life will not be full of magic and mythical things. Reality is reality no matter how you slice it and there will always be negative things in life, no matter how much money you have and how successful you are. From observing the text of Slaughterhouse, I think that Vonnegut is a very 'matter-of-fact' kind of person and after doing some surface research, I found out that he was an athiest. I think that this quote is also saying that nothing is real until you prove it, which could be a 'stab' (if you will) at religion in general. There are billions of religious people around the world, but in reality, nothing is certain. Those people don't know for sure if there is a God, or Allah, or Buddha, or anything. I believe that this is the message Vonnegut is trying to get accross by using this quote.
This quote stuck in my head because I personallly think that it represents Vonnegut perfectly based on my experiences while reading Slaughterhouse. Earlier in exploring this novel, the class went over a powerpoint about Vonnegut and his life. One of the main topics that caught my attention was that he had always mentioned how he loved Indianapolis and how it made him who he was. As a man from the working-class city of Indianapolis, vonnegut understands that life is tough and will always be tough. He knows that in order to achieve success, you must work hard for it and that you can't always get what you want. In this quote, I think Vonnegut is trying to say that life will not be full of magic and mythical things. Reality is reality no matter how you slice it and there will always be negative things in life, no matter how much money you have and how successful you are. From observing the text of Slaughterhouse, I think that Vonnegut is a very 'matter-of-fact' kind of person and after doing some surface research, I found out that he was an athiest. I think that this quote is also saying that nothing is real until you prove it, which could be a 'stab' (if you will) at religion in general. There are billions of religious people around the world, but in reality, nothing is certain. Those people don't know for sure if there is a God, or Allah, or Buddha, or anything. I believe that this is the message Vonnegut is trying to get accross by using this quote.
Friday 15 April 2011
whats in a name
kevin - something about a sexy irishman
mylastname - looks like a lion
sexy fierce irish lion, that describes me perfectly
hahaha
seriously though, i commend vonnegut for naming his protagonist what he did
billy pilgrim is an excellent choice for the guy
why you make ask?
well
billy is a common name
theres nothing special about it
personally, i cant help but think of goats
but thats just me
its an everyday name for an everyday guy
your average man
billy is nothing to be amazed at
hes not special or anything
hes just there
throughout the novel we get the idea that billy is just there
he was in the top third of his class when he graduated
his wife is just a girl that he married
hes an optomotrist
he isnt special at all
and thats perfect for him
his name and his character are one and the same
now pilgrim
this is where it gets even more interesting
billy is a time travelling tralfamadore visiting europe invader
a pilgrim is pretty much a voyager, although usually its for religious reasons
thats brilliant
no one else has ever travelled in time in slaughterhouse five
billy is the first person to have ever done so
he is constantly jumping around in time going from one moment to the next
in addition, he goes to tralfamadore, a plant that is 446120000000000000 miles away
hes again the first one there and the only one save for montana wildhack
more realistically, he is also a soldier in wwii that goes off to europe
he was accustomed to his american way of life and then hes just thrust into war
all of this exploring and discovering and pioneering must be exhausting for billy
he travels so much, more than your average pilgrim
even within europe he goes to several cities through multiple countries
that alone is quite a bit of pilgramage
throw in the extra planet and the fourth dimension and youve got quite the pilgrim
i think that vonnegut is more witty and attentative to detail than he lets on
im quite pleased by his choice in character names
i think that vonnegut made an excellent decision when naming his protagonist
billy pilgrim is definitely an average traveler
kevin - something about a sexy irishman
mylastname - looks like a lion
sexy fierce irish lion, that describes me perfectly
hahaha
seriously though, i commend vonnegut for naming his protagonist what he did
billy pilgrim is an excellent choice for the guy
why you make ask?
well
billy is a common name
theres nothing special about it
personally, i cant help but think of goats
but thats just me
its an everyday name for an everyday guy
your average man
billy is nothing to be amazed at
hes not special or anything
hes just there
throughout the novel we get the idea that billy is just there
he was in the top third of his class when he graduated
his wife is just a girl that he married
hes an optomotrist
he isnt special at all
and thats perfect for him
his name and his character are one and the same
now pilgrim
this is where it gets even more interesting
billy is a time travelling tralfamadore visiting europe invader
a pilgrim is pretty much a voyager, although usually its for religious reasons
thats brilliant
no one else has ever travelled in time in slaughterhouse five
billy is the first person to have ever done so
he is constantly jumping around in time going from one moment to the next
in addition, he goes to tralfamadore, a plant that is 446120000000000000 miles away
hes again the first one there and the only one save for montana wildhack
more realistically, he is also a soldier in wwii that goes off to europe
he was accustomed to his american way of life and then hes just thrust into war
all of this exploring and discovering and pioneering must be exhausting for billy
he travels so much, more than your average pilgrim
even within europe he goes to several cities through multiple countries
that alone is quite a bit of pilgramage
throw in the extra planet and the fourth dimension and youve got quite the pilgrim
i think that vonnegut is more witty and attentative to detail than he lets on
im quite pleased by his choice in character names
i think that vonnegut made an excellent decision when naming his protagonist
billy pilgrim is definitely an average traveler
- jakevin
the scene where billy watches the wwii film backwards would be excellent to see on film
this part of the book was quite moving
i thought it felt very innocent
the idea of having the video backwards really intrigued me as it shows an almost childish way of seeing war
not to mention billy and his extrapolating
having every human shrink into a baby until only adam and eve remained was absolutely incredible
i had to put the book down and just think for quite some time after reading this passage
since i found this part so interesting, i would really like to see a film adaptation
its always nice to see someone make your imagination a reality (think harry potter and lord of the rings films)
watching those reinforced the connections i had with those books
in the same way, seeing the film version of this scene would really click with me
this particular part works even better than most too
it is presented in the novel as a film so of course it would be fitting to make it in the movie
the visual effects described in the passage really tickle the imagination
they are perfect for recreating in a movie adaptation
the visual stimulation would be very welcome
it would be cool too see the bombs dropping and the explosions and bullet shooting all in reverse
and of course the shrinking of people into babies would be awesome as well
i sound like an excited five year old in this post but thats just because im quite eager to see the scene
ive heard from others that this part of the novel is not actually in the movie
im disappointed
i think they cut out arguably the best scene of the novel
it is perfect for a film adaptation so i have no idea why they cut it out
this part of the book was quite moving
i thought it felt very innocent
the idea of having the video backwards really intrigued me as it shows an almost childish way of seeing war
not to mention billy and his extrapolating
having every human shrink into a baby until only adam and eve remained was absolutely incredible
i had to put the book down and just think for quite some time after reading this passage
since i found this part so interesting, i would really like to see a film adaptation
its always nice to see someone make your imagination a reality (think harry potter and lord of the rings films)
watching those reinforced the connections i had with those books
in the same way, seeing the film version of this scene would really click with me
this particular part works even better than most too
it is presented in the novel as a film so of course it would be fitting to make it in the movie
the visual effects described in the passage really tickle the imagination
they are perfect for recreating in a movie adaptation
the visual stimulation would be very welcome
it would be cool too see the bombs dropping and the explosions and bullet shooting all in reverse
and of course the shrinking of people into babies would be awesome as well
i sound like an excited five year old in this post but thats just because im quite eager to see the scene
ive heard from others that this part of the novel is not actually in the movie
im disappointed
i think they cut out arguably the best scene of the novel
it is perfect for a film adaptation so i have no idea why they cut it out
- jakevin
Sunday 10 April 2011
slaughterhouse five is an excellent novel
it touches upon topics and explores points of view that are rarely looked at
it has been criticized and condemned and banned and whatever else they can do to a book
in north america, this novel went through a lot of hardship
the sexual profanity and the anti-americanism did not sit well with some americans
not only that, but slaughterhouse five could be seen as glorifying the enemy
all vonnegut does is write about germans with some compassion
he does not agree with nazism, he just understands that a soldier is a person no matter which army they belong to
i believe that the compassion he shows would be received warmly in germany
the fact that he is also of german descent would also make german readers feel more connected
im sure they would appreciate not being looked at as evil twisted humans
on the flip side of that would be the books british or french acceptance
like the americans, they might feel that the book glorifies the war and the enemy
no matter what though, i think any european country would learn a lot from reading slaughterhouse five
i myself had never heard of this dresden bombing and i was shocked to find out how horrible it was
im sure that european readers would also be shocked if they did not know anything about this before
every country in europe was affected by wwii so i think that readers would be interested in what slaughterhouse five has to say
its important to remember that europe is a westernized continent
north america and europe have similar cultures (in some respects)
i doubt slaughterhouse five would create more controversy in europe than it did in north america
in other parts of the world however, slaughterhouse five might be banned even more
before i continue i just want to clarify that i dont mean to offend anybody
im making these conclusions based on my knowledge
my knowledge about anything is very limited, as there is just so much to know and i cant know it all
so if my ignorance offends you, im very sorry
you can fight me if it makes you feel better
okay, back to what i was saying
i cannot see slaughterhouse five being sold at all in middle eastern countries
something about a book with an entire page dedicated to a sketch of breasts doesnt seem to fit with that culture
i feel that middle eastern cultures tend to be more conservative, and therefore they would not like this book
again, because it touches upon ideas that arent conventional, i dont think the society would embrace it
in africa, i really dont think there would be any interest in this book at all
im fairly certain that most people in africa have more pressing matters than to think about wars from 70 years ago
similarly, i cant see the book having a huge reception in asia
im sure that it would still be censored more than it is in north america, but i dont think anyone would care
i realize this sounds like a pretty weak argument, but im serious
no one would care if slaughterhouse five was published in those places!
i think thats fair enough
oh and australia is westernized too, so pretend its part of europe
and of course, penguins cant fly or read
they can just be tickled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wTWWjYTe1I&feature=player_embedded
it touches upon topics and explores points of view that are rarely looked at
it has been criticized and condemned and banned and whatever else they can do to a book
in north america, this novel went through a lot of hardship
the sexual profanity and the anti-americanism did not sit well with some americans
not only that, but slaughterhouse five could be seen as glorifying the enemy
all vonnegut does is write about germans with some compassion
he does not agree with nazism, he just understands that a soldier is a person no matter which army they belong to
i believe that the compassion he shows would be received warmly in germany
the fact that he is also of german descent would also make german readers feel more connected
im sure they would appreciate not being looked at as evil twisted humans
on the flip side of that would be the books british or french acceptance
like the americans, they might feel that the book glorifies the war and the enemy
no matter what though, i think any european country would learn a lot from reading slaughterhouse five
i myself had never heard of this dresden bombing and i was shocked to find out how horrible it was
im sure that european readers would also be shocked if they did not know anything about this before
every country in europe was affected by wwii so i think that readers would be interested in what slaughterhouse five has to say
its important to remember that europe is a westernized continent
north america and europe have similar cultures (in some respects)
i doubt slaughterhouse five would create more controversy in europe than it did in north america
in other parts of the world however, slaughterhouse five might be banned even more
before i continue i just want to clarify that i dont mean to offend anybody
im making these conclusions based on my knowledge
my knowledge about anything is very limited, as there is just so much to know and i cant know it all
so if my ignorance offends you, im very sorry
you can fight me if it makes you feel better
okay, back to what i was saying
i cannot see slaughterhouse five being sold at all in middle eastern countries
something about a book with an entire page dedicated to a sketch of breasts doesnt seem to fit with that culture
i feel that middle eastern cultures tend to be more conservative, and therefore they would not like this book
again, because it touches upon ideas that arent conventional, i dont think the society would embrace it
in africa, i really dont think there would be any interest in this book at all
im fairly certain that most people in africa have more pressing matters than to think about wars from 70 years ago
similarly, i cant see the book having a huge reception in asia
im sure that it would still be censored more than it is in north america, but i dont think anyone would care
i realize this sounds like a pretty weak argument, but im serious
no one would care if slaughterhouse five was published in those places!
i think thats fair enough
oh and australia is westernized too, so pretend its part of europe
and of course, penguins cant fly or read
they can just be tickled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wTWWjYTe1I&feature=player_embedded
start at like 50 seconds in
- jakevin
Saturday 9 April 2011
i really enjoyed slaughterhouse five
really
i did
but there are several things id change
first of all, the ending
okay what was up with that
i mean the whole book got me excited and then it just ended
while i do understand that vonnegut has his style and what not, i still think the ending could have been much better
there is hardly any detail and it seems mostly irrelevant
i couldnt help but get the feeling the vonnegut just quit at that point
i get that, it happens
to me, sometimes i put my heart and soul into a project, then right at the end i just die
i stop caring
and so i just wrap it up and go do something else
perhaps thats what happened to vonnegut
who knows?
okay so to sum it all up, i wish vonnegut had expanded the ending and made it more exciting/fulfilling for the reader
second, i really, really, really, really, really wish there was more detail about the historical events
again, i understand that slaughterhouse five is not a history textbook
that sort of thing just fascinates me though, and i think that if this is supposed to be a first person account, there should still be more background information
i hate to say it but simply saying dresden was bombed does not seem acceptable to me
i want to know everything: length of time, dates, number of attacking planes, bombs dropped, etc
there is just too much information missing about the historical parts
it feels like its lacking to me
i still enjoyed it, but i did not like having to do independent research to gather information
there was a huge contrast in style as i stopped mid-sentence to look something up
i felt like i couldnt completely get absorbed sometimes because i was just curious about the facts
having more background information would have made me enjoy slaughterhouse five even more
oh well though
finally, i wish there were less penis references
i mean im totally okay with penises (in case you didnt know i have one)
its just, through some ridiculous bad luck, i stumbled across each penis-related comment while eating
and they came out of nowhere, that was the other thing!
id be there, eating (om nom nom) and then all of a sudden, PENIS TALK
again, im fine with penises, but while im eating? is that necessary?
it is quite unfortunate to have to read about cold showers, shrivelled penises and retracted balls while eating raisins
or reading a description of honey being poured all over a penis in the desert when youre drinking honey lemon tea
it just caught me by surprise
half of it was the fact that i was eating too though
hmmm
shame i wasnt drinking milk when i got to page 209
- jakevin
really
i did
but there are several things id change
first of all, the ending
okay what was up with that
i mean the whole book got me excited and then it just ended
while i do understand that vonnegut has his style and what not, i still think the ending could have been much better
there is hardly any detail and it seems mostly irrelevant
i couldnt help but get the feeling the vonnegut just quit at that point
i get that, it happens
to me, sometimes i put my heart and soul into a project, then right at the end i just die
i stop caring
and so i just wrap it up and go do something else
perhaps thats what happened to vonnegut
who knows?
okay so to sum it all up, i wish vonnegut had expanded the ending and made it more exciting/fulfilling for the reader
second, i really, really, really, really, really wish there was more detail about the historical events
again, i understand that slaughterhouse five is not a history textbook
that sort of thing just fascinates me though, and i think that if this is supposed to be a first person account, there should still be more background information
i hate to say it but simply saying dresden was bombed does not seem acceptable to me
i want to know everything: length of time, dates, number of attacking planes, bombs dropped, etc
there is just too much information missing about the historical parts
it feels like its lacking to me
i still enjoyed it, but i did not like having to do independent research to gather information
there was a huge contrast in style as i stopped mid-sentence to look something up
i felt like i couldnt completely get absorbed sometimes because i was just curious about the facts
having more background information would have made me enjoy slaughterhouse five even more
oh well though
finally, i wish there were less penis references
i mean im totally okay with penises (in case you didnt know i have one)
its just, through some ridiculous bad luck, i stumbled across each penis-related comment while eating
and they came out of nowhere, that was the other thing!
id be there, eating (om nom nom) and then all of a sudden, PENIS TALK
again, im fine with penises, but while im eating? is that necessary?
it is quite unfortunate to have to read about cold showers, shrivelled penises and retracted balls while eating raisins
or reading a description of honey being poured all over a penis in the desert when youre drinking honey lemon tea
it just caught me by surprise
half of it was the fact that i was eating too though
hmmm
shame i wasnt drinking milk when i got to page 209
- jakevin
Friday 8 April 2011
if i were to write a novel, itd probably end up being called slaughterhouse six
or slaughterhouse kevin
not sure
now before you think im just ripping vonnegut off, hear me out
actually, i think vonnegut ripped me off
his book is about dresden and aliens
they spend a single night in a slaughterhouse and oooooh slaughterhouse five, schlachthof-fünf, yeah yeah whatever
my novel would be much more fitting for the title as itd be about animals and killing them
you see, im not a peta nut, but i dont approve of the way most people get their meat
even if some things are exaggerated in videos, there is more than enough truth in them
i dont think the public knows exactly what their food goes through before they consume it
most people need to learn about what happen, and thats why i feel writing about it would be a good way to teach them
so lets discuss some of the details
for starters, i would pick a realistic genre
im sure thats not the name for it but what i mean by that is no aliens
no time travel
no mating in a zoo (human mating i should say)
i dont think there is room in my novel for that sort of thing
id prefer to keep readers interested by having a genuine concern for the characters
the message of the book shouldnt be buried under the plot of the novel
for that reason id keep it simple and real
for a main character, id probably do something like 1984
i liked how strong winston was even though he was eventually crushed
i think i could go down two routes with this book
on the one hand it might star a human working in a slaughterhouse
i think that itd really relate to readers and they could, along with the character, slowly care for the animals and all that
however, theres still the possibility of telling the story from an animals point of view
if i didnt get to pick between them, id probably do both
tolkeins classic the lord of the rings followed something like 534853 characters, so i think mine can flip flop between a couple
i dont think id have an antagonist
slaughterhouse five didnt really have one and i enjoyed it very much
other than weary and paul, it was hard to have negative feelings for any of the characters
my novel should make people feel bad about the message just as slaughterhouse five did
characters should not be the object of the readers negative emotions
lastly, theres plot
now this is going to sound pretty bad but i have no idea
there are so many avenues for which a plot could take
i dont think i could make my mind up unless i was seriously going to write the book
each time that i thought of a different idea for this post, i could think of a better one
was there a limit? i wondered
i suppose actually sitting down to write the novel would mean eventually id pick a plot
for this post though, i couldnt pick a plot and then post it
id feel like i was cheating the idea of a better plot
perhaps that makes sense
i think it does
so yeah
ps slaughterhouse kevin has a badass ring to it, i might use that as my alias when i take up wrestling or something
or slaughterhouse kevin
not sure
now before you think im just ripping vonnegut off, hear me out
actually, i think vonnegut ripped me off
his book is about dresden and aliens
they spend a single night in a slaughterhouse and oooooh slaughterhouse five, schlachthof-fünf, yeah yeah whatever
my novel would be much more fitting for the title as itd be about animals and killing them
you see, im not a peta nut, but i dont approve of the way most people get their meat
even if some things are exaggerated in videos, there is more than enough truth in them
i dont think the public knows exactly what their food goes through before they consume it
most people need to learn about what happen, and thats why i feel writing about it would be a good way to teach them
so lets discuss some of the details
for starters, i would pick a realistic genre
im sure thats not the name for it but what i mean by that is no aliens
no time travel
no mating in a zoo (human mating i should say)
i dont think there is room in my novel for that sort of thing
id prefer to keep readers interested by having a genuine concern for the characters
the message of the book shouldnt be buried under the plot of the novel
for that reason id keep it simple and real
for a main character, id probably do something like 1984
i liked how strong winston was even though he was eventually crushed
i think i could go down two routes with this book
on the one hand it might star a human working in a slaughterhouse
i think that itd really relate to readers and they could, along with the character, slowly care for the animals and all that
however, theres still the possibility of telling the story from an animals point of view
if i didnt get to pick between them, id probably do both
tolkeins classic the lord of the rings followed something like 534853 characters, so i think mine can flip flop between a couple
i dont think id have an antagonist
slaughterhouse five didnt really have one and i enjoyed it very much
other than weary and paul, it was hard to have negative feelings for any of the characters
my novel should make people feel bad about the message just as slaughterhouse five did
characters should not be the object of the readers negative emotions
lastly, theres plot
now this is going to sound pretty bad but i have no idea
there are so many avenues for which a plot could take
i dont think i could make my mind up unless i was seriously going to write the book
each time that i thought of a different idea for this post, i could think of a better one
was there a limit? i wondered
i suppose actually sitting down to write the novel would mean eventually id pick a plot
for this post though, i couldnt pick a plot and then post it
id feel like i was cheating the idea of a better plot
perhaps that makes sense
i think it does
so yeah
ps slaughterhouse kevin has a badass ring to it, i might use that as my alias when i take up wrestling or something
- jakevin
Thursday 7 April 2011
the sleeping kevin
the bell made its usual sound as kevin walked into class
he was a deprived-looking child - his arms were sticks, his face was awkward, and he walked with an odd shuffle
he played in the school jazz band and had a job
he worked every night
he was tired in school every day
he didnt care
school didnt pay him
his mother did not do very much but his father was usually out of town
he didnt like his family
thats who he was thinking about as he sat down
he scowled and looked outside at the tree
as the door closed, mr lynn started talking
that droning voice
kevin grew even more annoyed
he hated being trapped in the class, forced to listen to garbage
the voice still went on and on
the desk shifted slightly as he put his arms on the desk
they were crossed and soon found his head nestled in them
his eyes closed shut
the voice still droned
a sudden jolt woke kevin up
the engine was still whirring in the background
it had been droning before he fell asleep
actually, it was the reason he fell asleep
he looked down at the food tray perplexed
he turned to the window and looked through the ellipse
the clouds beneath him were golden from the rising sun
a mountain range off in the distance penetrated the sea of white
kevin shook his head and leaned against the window
he was on his way home after visiting his sister
her graduation ceremony had been the week before
she had finished her masters degree in marketing finance
kevin stared at the clouds
he didnt know what to do with his life
he had been plagued by doubts for months
all the thinking was taking its toll
he got up and went to the lavatory
the cool water filled his cupped hands and he splashed it on his face
he let out a deep breath and did it again
he cupped his hands once more
the water was very cool against his face
kevin loved the feeling
he felt alive
kevin kicked his feet and rose to the surface
he rolled onto his back while kicking his feet
when he had floated to the shore, he crawled forward and laid on the beach
the sun felt good on his bare chest
with his eyes closed, kevin smiled a little bit
he wanted to stay lying there forever
so he laid there
suddenly the heat was replaced by a dark cold
kevin could feel tens of thousands of little hands poking him
every second hundreds more were added to the crowd
he opened his eyes and looked up at christine and dajana
his two friends were laughing
they pushed more and more stones onto kevin, burying him even more
the slide above was blocking the sun
the park they were at was empty except for them
that was strange since it was the afternoon of july 1
several pebbles slid off of his chest onto his throat
kevin laughed along with the others
they pushed more stones on top of him
everyone laughed
the weight of the stones made it harder for kevin to breathe
he didnt mind it but for the weight on his arms
they felt heavy enough to fall off
kevin flexed his arm hoping to keep it attached for a while longer
he climbed up the stairs, breathing heavily
the door in front of him slammed open as his saxophone hit it
his arm was exhausted
the instrument was so heavy and he had no energy
outside it was still dark as the sun does not rise for band practice
kevin wanted to be rid of the weight on his arms and the weight on his eyelids
he wished he were lying under the sun on the beach
he just wanted to sleep there
the bell made its usual sound as kevin walked into class
he was a deprived-looking child - his arms were sticks, his face was awkward, and he walked with an odd shuffle
he played in the school jazz band and had a job
he worked every night
he was tired in school every day
he didnt care
school didnt pay him
his mother did not do very much but his father was usually out of town
he didnt like his family
thats who he was thinking about as he sat down
he scowled and looked outside at the tree
as the door closed, mr lynn started talking
that droning voice
kevin grew even more annoyed
he hated being trapped in the class, forced to listen to garbage
the voice still went on and on
the desk shifted slightly as he put his arms on the desk
they were crossed and soon found his head nestled in them
his eyes closed shut
the voice still droned
a sudden jolt woke kevin up
the engine was still whirring in the background
it had been droning before he fell asleep
actually, it was the reason he fell asleep
he looked down at the food tray perplexed
he turned to the window and looked through the ellipse
the clouds beneath him were golden from the rising sun
a mountain range off in the distance penetrated the sea of white
kevin shook his head and leaned against the window
he was on his way home after visiting his sister
her graduation ceremony had been the week before
she had finished her masters degree in marketing finance
kevin stared at the clouds
he didnt know what to do with his life
he had been plagued by doubts for months
all the thinking was taking its toll
he got up and went to the lavatory
the cool water filled his cupped hands and he splashed it on his face
he let out a deep breath and did it again
he cupped his hands once more
the water was very cool against his face
kevin loved the feeling
he felt alive
kevin kicked his feet and rose to the surface
he rolled onto his back while kicking his feet
when he had floated to the shore, he crawled forward and laid on the beach
the sun felt good on his bare chest
with his eyes closed, kevin smiled a little bit
he wanted to stay lying there forever
so he laid there
suddenly the heat was replaced by a dark cold
kevin could feel tens of thousands of little hands poking him
every second hundreds more were added to the crowd
he opened his eyes and looked up at christine and dajana
his two friends were laughing
they pushed more and more stones onto kevin, burying him even more
the slide above was blocking the sun
the park they were at was empty except for them
that was strange since it was the afternoon of july 1
several pebbles slid off of his chest onto his throat
kevin laughed along with the others
they pushed more stones on top of him
everyone laughed
the weight of the stones made it harder for kevin to breathe
he didnt mind it but for the weight on his arms
they felt heavy enough to fall off
kevin flexed his arm hoping to keep it attached for a while longer
he climbed up the stairs, breathing heavily
the door in front of him slammed open as his saxophone hit it
his arm was exhausted
the instrument was so heavy and he had no energy
outside it was still dark as the sun does not rise for band practice
kevin wanted to be rid of the weight on his arms and the weight on his eyelids
he wished he were lying under the sun on the beach
he just wanted to sleep there
-jakevin
Sunday 3 April 2011
its getting cold, burn more books
you know how sometimes you watch a movie or read a book or something and one particular scene never leaves you?
well in the day after tomorrow, ive always found the scene where they have to burn the library books to keep warm amusing
that movie is also the reason i know what chauvinist means
so anyways, as far as burning (and banning) books goes... i am vehemently against it
to anyone that even thinks about doing either to any book, i have no respect for you
actually thats probably the nicer way of saying what i want to
for a better idea check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU
i suppose ive made it clear that i dont think literature that might provoke a strong reaction should be censored
thats absolutely ridiculous
first of all, i think that anything that doesnt get a strong reaction even qualifies as literature
every piece of writing that ive ever read and thought was good made me think
my mood changed while reading, my opinions changed, and by the end i was slightly different
literature should provoke strong reactions from readers
otherwise it isnt literature
then i have to point out, if you dont want to read something, dont
do not instead make it your job to make sure no one else reads it
anyone ought to be able to read whatever they want without someone stopping them
and similarly, nobody has to read anything they dont want to
if you find a book offensive, suck it up and finish it or put the book down
how is banning it a justifiable action?
because if you cant handle it nobody can
right
specifically with slaughterhouse five, i had nothing that i was offended by
i enjoyed reading the book and had no issues with it
at some parts i did acknowledge that some people might not like reading this material but i was still fine with it
for example, all of the sex related terms and actions might be too much for some people
vonnegut throws them around the book as if theyre nothing but they might not be nothing for certain people
the descriptions (and drawings of) certain body parts can easily be seen as offensive
however, i still feel that if you are offended by it, you need to put the book down
as discussed in class, the sense of anti-americanism is also likely offensive
vonnegut, being an american, was probably looked at as being unpatriotic
he goes and fights for america in wwii and then writes a book that bashes them
i understand why people might find that offensive, but its only because theyre unwilling to accept the truth
vonnegut was writing about reality when he described americans and their behavior
any american who finds that offensive needs to take a step back and reassess the way they see americans
this goes back to my first argument, when i said that reading leaves me as a different person
you need to have an open mind and let what you read help you mold your opinion
you cant just pick a side and firmly believe in it without being open to change
its that sort of behavior that leads to people getting offended anyways
there is truth in vonneguts words, so if an american is offended by that they need to change their mentality
in addition, vonnegut isnt writing an anti-american novel
he does not go on and on about how horrible the americans are
he simply looks at things as they are and describes them when he needs to
vonnegut doesnt look at the germans or british or russians or anyone else with bias
the americans get the same sort of treatment
as far as the other novels we have explored this year, i only found brave new world slightly discomforting
i am an advocate for strong, meaningful relationships
i think that it is infinitely significant to have connections with people that mean more than you can describe
in brave new world, that bond just went to hell and everyone just had sex
that way of life is exactly what i dont believe in
because of that, when i first read about it i didnt enjoy it very much
as i got through that novel, it wasnt as bad, and it made me appreciate the relationships i had
it seems to me that sexual things are the most (potentially) offensive topics in books
slaughterhouse five and brave new world got into trouble because of the references
im very comfortable with the idea of sex, but even i was still troubled with the promiscuity of brave new world
i think its very understandable that people would not appreciate those books
some of my peers i know shudder at the word sex, so i can imagine how they reacted to these novels
1984 i didnt have any issues with
i just thought it was a fantastic book
so yeah thats how i feel about all of this censorship and whatnot
i realize its a confusing mess of jumbled words, but thats what happens when you have nothing intelligent to say
- jakevin
you know how sometimes you watch a movie or read a book or something and one particular scene never leaves you?
well in the day after tomorrow, ive always found the scene where they have to burn the library books to keep warm amusing
that movie is also the reason i know what chauvinist means
so anyways, as far as burning (and banning) books goes... i am vehemently against it
to anyone that even thinks about doing either to any book, i have no respect for you
actually thats probably the nicer way of saying what i want to
for a better idea check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU
i suppose ive made it clear that i dont think literature that might provoke a strong reaction should be censored
thats absolutely ridiculous
first of all, i think that anything that doesnt get a strong reaction even qualifies as literature
every piece of writing that ive ever read and thought was good made me think
my mood changed while reading, my opinions changed, and by the end i was slightly different
literature should provoke strong reactions from readers
otherwise it isnt literature
then i have to point out, if you dont want to read something, dont
do not instead make it your job to make sure no one else reads it
anyone ought to be able to read whatever they want without someone stopping them
and similarly, nobody has to read anything they dont want to
if you find a book offensive, suck it up and finish it or put the book down
how is banning it a justifiable action?
because if you cant handle it nobody can
right
specifically with slaughterhouse five, i had nothing that i was offended by
i enjoyed reading the book and had no issues with it
at some parts i did acknowledge that some people might not like reading this material but i was still fine with it
for example, all of the sex related terms and actions might be too much for some people
vonnegut throws them around the book as if theyre nothing but they might not be nothing for certain people
the descriptions (and drawings of) certain body parts can easily be seen as offensive
however, i still feel that if you are offended by it, you need to put the book down
as discussed in class, the sense of anti-americanism is also likely offensive
vonnegut, being an american, was probably looked at as being unpatriotic
he goes and fights for america in wwii and then writes a book that bashes them
i understand why people might find that offensive, but its only because theyre unwilling to accept the truth
vonnegut was writing about reality when he described americans and their behavior
any american who finds that offensive needs to take a step back and reassess the way they see americans
this goes back to my first argument, when i said that reading leaves me as a different person
you need to have an open mind and let what you read help you mold your opinion
you cant just pick a side and firmly believe in it without being open to change
its that sort of behavior that leads to people getting offended anyways
there is truth in vonneguts words, so if an american is offended by that they need to change their mentality
in addition, vonnegut isnt writing an anti-american novel
he does not go on and on about how horrible the americans are
he simply looks at things as they are and describes them when he needs to
vonnegut doesnt look at the germans or british or russians or anyone else with bias
the americans get the same sort of treatment
as far as the other novels we have explored this year, i only found brave new world slightly discomforting
i am an advocate for strong, meaningful relationships
i think that it is infinitely significant to have connections with people that mean more than you can describe
in brave new world, that bond just went to hell and everyone just had sex
that way of life is exactly what i dont believe in
because of that, when i first read about it i didnt enjoy it very much
as i got through that novel, it wasnt as bad, and it made me appreciate the relationships i had
it seems to me that sexual things are the most (potentially) offensive topics in books
slaughterhouse five and brave new world got into trouble because of the references
im very comfortable with the idea of sex, but even i was still troubled with the promiscuity of brave new world
i think its very understandable that people would not appreciate those books
some of my peers i know shudder at the word sex, so i can imagine how they reacted to these novels
1984 i didnt have any issues with
i just thought it was a fantastic book
so yeah thats how i feel about all of this censorship and whatnot
i realize its a confusing mess of jumbled words, but thats what happens when you have nothing intelligent to say
- jakevin
Friday 1 April 2011
Writing Assignment #1: Fate or Free Will - Jake
Although I have not seen it yet, I came across a film called "The Adjustment Bureau" while watching T.V. the other day. It is a recently produced film, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. It is about a man who catches a glimpse of his future and realizes he does not want what fate has planned for him. Instead he wants "something else". In order to get that "something else", he must pursue the only girl he has ever loved. As he does this, mysterious men contrive to keep the man and woman apart. As you may have noticed, I've posted the YouTube link to this movie's trailer below. Anyways, I thought this film was directly correlated with one of the universal questions of mankind: "Do you decide your future, or is it planned out for you from the beginning? (Fate or free will?)".
Personally, I believe in fate. I think that your life is on a certain path that you were meant to be on from the beginning. No matter how you try to change this path, it is inevidable. I believe that if you were to try and change it, that would be part of the path you are on. For the most part, Billy does not try to change his fate. He is very laxidasical, carefree, and doesn't seem to care about his life. However, he tries to change his path near the end of his life by telling the world about the Tralfamadorians. Although Vonnegut does not mention the public reaction to Billy's speech and radio show, I assume not many people did not believe Billy and ultimately, the change that Billy attempted to make did not make much of a difference in the world and the path that his life was on. This shows that Vonnegut probably believes in the same way as I do.
Personally, I believe in fate. I think that your life is on a certain path that you were meant to be on from the beginning. No matter how you try to change this path, it is inevidable. I believe that if you were to try and change it, that would be part of the path you are on. For the most part, Billy does not try to change his fate. He is very laxidasical, carefree, and doesn't seem to care about his life. However, he tries to change his path near the end of his life by telling the world about the Tralfamadorians. Although Vonnegut does not mention the public reaction to Billy's speech and radio show, I assume not many people did not believe Billy and ultimately, the change that Billy attempted to make did not make much of a difference in the world and the path that his life was on. This shows that Vonnegut probably believes in the same way as I do.
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