Outside Reading: Cat's Cradle #2

     So far in Cat's Cradle (pages 72-144) many new things have happened. One of the main things that I took notice of, however, was that Kurt Vonnegut once again chose to introduce a fictional representation of society through his explanation of the Republic of San Lorenzo. This country is very small, and very different from other societies in ways such as government, law, and ethnicity. Apparently, and I'm still not quite sure if this is true, the penalty for all crime in the city is a hook through your stomach, which keeps everyone in order. Even the people seem surreal, as one woman named Mona Aamons Monzano, who is supposedly one of the most beautiful women on earth, is described as having the dark skin of an African while having "platinum" blonde hair. Given how obscure this new place is, I think that it connects strongly with Postmodernism, as it gives much interpretation of the society and its relationship to the rest of the world up to the reader. I find that Vonnegut always leaves some gaps in his explanation of these fictional representations in order to leave some interpretation up to the reader, and I enjoy this freedom as I am reading greatly.
     I noticed a connection to Romanticism as well in the effort Vonnegut puts into describing the island of San Lorenzo. He paints a very clear picture of the island being marshy, uneven, unattractive, save how the entire island supposedly makes a near perfect rectangle. He gives similar detail in his description of Franklin Hoenikker's model city that the narrator finds in Jack's Hobby Shop. This also gives an artistic air to Frank Hoenikker, which is a somewhat Romantic quality.
     This reading focused much more on America as a whole than the last, which helps the reading connect to my American Literature definition. When the narrator (presumably Vonnegut himself, though I could be wrong) talks with the Minton couple on the plain ride to San Lorenzo, the Mintons discuss how they had written a letter from Pakistan insulting the way America interacts with other countries. They criticize America by saying that instead of forcing other countries to love the United States, the they should just learn to accept other countries' disapproval. Though I think this makes a stronger connection with the theme of the story and the overall message Vonnegut is trying to convey about the atomic bomb and American morality, I saw it as important mainly in the way it showed how many Americans think, relates to the American identity portion of my definition.
     I should note that Vonnegut also discussed the origins of Bokonon and Bokononism briefly as he was reading a sort of San Lorenzo encyclopedia. Bokonon turned out to be a black person, which I thought was interesting considering that the book was written around the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
     I hope to read more about Bokononism later on in the book, because much of this fictional religion is still unknown where I am now.

Outside Reading: Cat's Cradle #1

     I had recently read a book called Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, and I found his humor as well as his unique perspective on world events to make the book enjoyable. Because I enjoyed this book so much I decided to choose Cat's Cradle, also by Kurt Vonnegut, as the book for my second quarter. Throughout what I have read so far (pages 1-72) Vonnegut has not disappointed in terms of comedy, and the topic of science and World War II has kept me interested.
     Similarly to his invention of Tralfamadorians in the book Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut has created a fake religion in Cat's Cradle called "Bokononism," which I still don't fully understand. However, in the book he talks about how this religion has given him a different, more enlightened perspective on the universe, giving several quotes from a the fictional religion's book that attribute to the ideals represented by the religion. This connects strongly with Postmodernism, since Bokononism seems to be very unique and very much against the societal norm, which are both qualities of the Postmodern philosophy.
     Another part of the book which I have found to resemble Postmodernism is the focus of the story, Dr. Felix Hoenikker. This man is very depicted as extremely intelligent, to the point where they sometimes refer to him as inhuman. In addition to this quality, however, he is very different from everyone else in terms of how he views and interacts with the world. He interacts with society in ways which are unexpected and abnormal, and asks questions which aren't normally asked. For these reasons, Dr. Hoenikker is almost an embodiment of Postmodernism. Though he is innocent and immature for the most part, many people view him as a killer due to his work on the atomic bomb, and whether or not the main character in the story believes this himself has yet to be seen.
     This book is focused mainly on Postmodernism, so it doesn't connect with readings we've done in class very much. However, if I had to connect it to one of our class readings, I would say it is most similar to "Young Goodman Brown." In "Young Goodman Brown," the protagonist demonstrates conflict over whether to view society as good or evil, which is similar to the moral issue demonstrated by the atomic bomb in Cat's Cradle.
     My American Literature definition doesn't demonstrate too much similarity to this story so far. My definition discusses mainly the American Dream and the foundations of American identity throughout the time periods we're studying, and so far most of what I've read focuses mainly on the individual. There have been a few places where Vonnegut has humorously written that most of American society is ignorant and such, but this isn't something that I can reasonably apply to literature.

Relationship Between Slaughterhouse Five and Postmodernism

     Slaughterhouse Five,  by Kurt Vonnegut, is a book in which the styles, origins, and beliefs of Postmodernism resonate very strongly. Perhaps more than any other book I've seen so far, Slaughterhouse Five offers the opportunity for the reader to interpret the story the way that they choose, which reflects one of Postmodernism's key beliefs. The broken chronology of the story, along with a series of unrealistic events like Billy's encounter with the Tralfamadorians, offer plenty of freedom to interpret the meaning of the author's writing in your own way, and to take from the text what you believe is important. In addition to allowing for the unique interpretations of the reader, the author demonstrates many unique interpretations of his own events. For example, on page 69 the author gives dialogue to the German soldiers who have just captured him. Even though he knows no German, he still communicates to the reader the way he interpreted the situation, and how it made an impression in his mind.

     The fact that the story was written on the basis of World War II also relates to postmodernism. As many works of postmodernism were inspired by the war, particularly bombings, and as this book was about the bombing of Dresden, there are many connections between the inspiration for this book and the inspiration of other works of postmodernism. The language, humor, and free-spiritedness of the author throughout also meet my expectations for what I would consider to be Postmodernist literature.

Relationship Between Slaughterhouse Five and my Definition of American Literature

     My definition of American literature mainly focused on the importance of the development of the American identity, as well as American goals that we all share as people of the United States, and how that translates into our literature. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates the views of America in many ways, one of which involves English soldiers. In one part of the story, the author makes an effort to describe to the reader how the American prisoners are looked down upon in contrast to the rest of the Europeans, and yet how Billy remains almost completely indifferent to that fact. This reflects not only the development of Billy's individual identity, which is seen throughout the story in other ways talking about different times in his life, but also the development of the identity of the other American soldiers, who had a similar reaction to the insults as Billy. This connects with my definition because the development of the author's identity affects his perspective, similarly to how my definition involved the impact of American identity and culture on their writings.
     The author's goal in the story makes an even stronger connection to my definition. In the story, his goal is to communicate to the reader the problem of warfare. With warfare being seen as a common and shared problem of the people of America, this relates to my definition in that my definition involves writing based on shared interests of the American people, or for the betterment of the American people. Also, the very Postmodernist style of the writing connects to how I mentioned the change of the culture and goals of the writing throughout different periods of time (with this writing, along with much of the writing of Postmodernism, being strongly tied to the events of World War II).

Relationships Between Slaughterhouse Five and Class Readings

     Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a very intricate and complex story, which has to be analyzed from different perspectives in order to be fully understood. However, once this is done, many relationships can be found between this book and what we have read from our American Literature anthology in class.
     One of these relationships involves "Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God." This story basically involves the idea that if people do not fix their ways, they are doomed to destruction (or, in the case of this work, eternal damnation). Similarly, Slaughterhouse Five discusses the destruction of the bombing of Dresden due to the inclination of humans towards warfare. The book presents the problem in many forms, be it through a flashback of the life of the main character, Billy, or in remembering the main character's time as a soldier and prisoner of war, or in a dream-induced trip to the planet of Tralfamador, where there is no perception of beginnings and ends, and everyone lives is at peace. One quote which I found to be particularly moving occurred in the middle of the story, where Vonnegut writes of Billy's question to the Tralfamadorians on how to end warfare on Earth:

     "So---" said Billy gropingly, "I suppose that the idea of preventing war on Earth is              stupid, too."
     "Of course."
     "But you do have a peaceful planet here."
     "Today we do. On other days, we have wars as horrible as any you've ever sean or read      about.
     There isn't anything we can do about them, so we simply don't look at them." (149-          150)

This resonated strongly with me as a message from the author on how integrated warfare is in the nature of human beings, and think this excerpt served to support the overall message of the book.
     Another story that Slaughterhouse Five relates to is "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavas Vassa, the African, Written by Himself" (quite the lengthy title). It relates to this story mainly because of its emphasis on travel, and the development of the author's views of the rest of society and the world. Though the stories differ in that one focuses on slavery whereas the other focuses on warfare, they both put emphasis on the betterment of society and establishing meaning within their lives.

Symbols (Final Draft)

I generally tend not to worry about myself as a person too much. I think that it's better to always look forward in life and to not be too self-conscious. Occasionally, though, I wonder about how I've grown over the years, and who I am deep down. If I were to assign symbols to myself, they would have to reflect my hobbies and my lifestyle. Therefore, I have selected a handful of symbols that show to others the person I've become.

The first symbol would have to be cup noodles. Though this symbol might seem unimportant, in reality it encompasses the way I choose to live my life. In the same way that cup noodles is seen as the easy way out when it comes to preparing hot food, I try to choose the easy way out in everyday situations. Cup noodles are one of my favorite snacks, as well, which was another reason I chose it as a symbol. Also, cup noodles are characteristic of a lazy, laid back lifestyle, which is the way my lifestyle has been for the last couple of years. Though I can be serious when the situation calls for it, at the end of the day, I always try to live as carefree as I can, without it influencing my school performance or interfering with my responsibilities.

The next symbol is a computer. This symbol represents not only one of my most valuable possessions, but also one of the main ways I interact with the world beyond where I live. One reason that I use my computer is for communication. Practically whenever I want, I can contact my friends through email, Skype, or a variety of other means. I also use my computer to learn. This may involve something as simple as searching on Google or reading various articles about something I’m interested in. Another way I use my computer is for recreation. Few things are more enjoyable than being able to play games with your friends. This symbol represents how I, and others around me, for that matter, are becoming more reliant on technology. Though this is an item that I don’t need to live, it is necessary if I am to live out my life the way that I choose, which is why I believe it properly symbolizes who I am.

The third symbol I chose is a pencil. I selected this symbol because it is representative in many ways of art. I used to draw very much when I was younger, though not so much anymore. Nonetheless, I am still very appreciative of art, especially when used for shows, books, or movies, and especially when the art in those shows, books, or movies is drawn (like in anime or manga, which is where this mainly applies). Besides art, pencils can also apply to education and learning, as they are often used in school. Writing has been a large part of my academic life, and the pencil is representative of this. I have grown and developed as a writer over the years, and though pencils are not the only tools used to write, I believe they signify my involvement in writing in an effective way.

The fourth and last symbol I decided on is a book. Though I wouldn’t consider myself an avid reader, my life does revolve much around academics and knowledge. I have expectations to learn, both from my parents and from myself. Also, I seek to pursue knowledge so I can be a successful and capable person in the future. Going beyond the book itself, though, I often read articles and stories around the internet. Although reading these isn’t as involved as reading a book, I believe reading these articles and learning from them accomplishes many of the same things. So rather than just being a symbol that encompasses different types of books, this symbol was chosen to encompass all forms of reading.

Though there are many symbols that could apply to me, these symbols represent me most accurately. Cup noodles for my laziness, a computer for my involvement with technology, a pencil for my appreciation of art and writing, and books for my involvement with reading, all help to show others who I am as a person, as well as what I hope to accomplish and how I wish to live my life. Though my symbols may change as my life goes on, these symbols successfully describe my life as of now.

Rough Draft: Symbols

I generally tend not to worry about myself as a person too much. I think that it's better just to move forward with your life and to not be to self-conscious. Occasionally, though, I wonder about how I've grown over the years, and who I am deep down. If I were to assign symbols to myself, they would have to reflect my hobbies and my lifestyle. Therefore, I have selected a handful of symbols that show to others the person I've become.

The first symbol would have to be cup noodles. Though this symbol might seem unimportant, in reality it encompasses the way I choose to live my life. In the same way that cup noodles the easy way out when it comes to preparing hot food, I try to choose the easy way out in everyday situations. Cup noodles are also one of my favorite snacks, which shows something else about me. Also, cup noodles are characteristic of a lazy, laid back lifestyle, which is the way my lifestyle has been for the last couple of years.

The next symbol is a computer. This symbol represents not only one of my most valuable possessions, but also one of the main ways I interact with the world beyond where I live. I use the computer for communication, for learning, for work, and for recreation. This symbol also represents how I, and others around me, for that matter, are becoming more reliant on technology. It is something that I don't need to live, but is something that I do need to live out my life the way I choose, which is why I believe it properly symbolizes who I am.

The third symbol I chose is a pencil. I selected this symbol because it is representative in many ways of art. I used to draw very much when I was younger, though not so much anymore. Nonetheless, I am still very appreciative of art, especially when used for shows, books, or movies, and especially when the art in those shows, books, or movies is drawn (like in anime or manga, which is where this mainly applies).

The fourth and last symbol I would choose would be a book. Though I wouldn’t consider myself an avid reader, my life does revolve much around academics and knowledge. I have expectations to learn, both from my parents and from myself. Also, I seek to pursue knowledge so I can be a successful and capable person in the future.

Though there are many symbols that could apply to me, these symbols represent me in the deepest sense. They describe who I am as a person, as well as what I hope to accomplish and how I wish to live my life. Though my symbols my change as the years go on, for now I think these to be the best.