Slaughterhouse-Five 2 (Quarter 3)

            I decided to continue reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In this section of the book, the readers are introduced to the Tralfamadorians, an alien race that abducts Billy. They teach him about time’s relation to the world, which can also be understood as the fourth dimension. These aliens describe time as looking at a mountain range because they can see all of it simultaneously. One interesting part of the story is when Billy asks if the people of Tralfamadore fear the humans or deem them unwise due to the horrible wars on earth. The Tralfamadorians reply that even an advanced civilization like theirs has had excessive amounts of violence. Billy also inquires whether or not the universe is destroyed by violence. It is revealed to him that, in fact, a Tralfamadorian test pilot experimenting with a new kind of fuel creates an explosion that wipes out everything in existence. There was an allusion in this part of the book to a novel called Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann. The plot has to do with maltreatment of women and substance abuse. Even after looking it up, I am not sure why Vonnegut chose this exact book to include, but I believe that there must have been a good reason. He then compares it to Tralfamadorian novels that have small clumps of words that represent events. All of the words are meant to be read at the same time to produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. Slaughterhouse-Five is definitely becoming more interesting to read. I am looking forward to finishing it.

Slaughterhouse-Five (Quarter 3)

            Over Christmas break, I started to read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I was inspired to read it after reading his Cat’s Cradle. This book is about a man named Billy Pilgrim, who becomes “unstuck in time”, which means that he uncontrollably travels to different times in his life. Though the book is fiction, it is based off the author’s experience during World War II. The book can be seen as anti-war because Vonnegut spends a lot of time talking about the horrors of war. The first chapter of the book is not part of the story. It is actually how Vonnegut’s research and inspiration for writing the book. The story of Billy Pilgrim is very nonlinear as the events occur at random periods of the man’s life as opposed to chronological order. I was confused in the beginning of the story because of the structure of the plot. Also, the transitions between different times were unclear. One interesting quote from this section is when Billy says “When a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral.” Taken literally, this quote is about Billy Pilgrim’s time travelling and abduction by aliens. However, I believe that this quote is supposed to mean that even after people die, they can still be “alive” in the memories of the living. Vonnegut is basically trying to tell his readers that as long as they remember loved ones who have passed away, they are technically not “dead”. This book is not yet as interesting as Cat’s Cradle, but I still cannot wait to read the rest of it and to find out about the man shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that was not his, who was foreshadowed in the beginning.

A Momentary Longing To Hear Sad Advice from One Long Dead (Quarter 3)

            For our poetry essay, I decided to read the works of Kenneth Koch. One poem of his is titled “A Momentary Longing To Hear Sad Advice from One Long Dead”. It is about the author’s reflection of his time spent with his former teacher, Delmore, who has passed away. Though his full name is never mentioned, this is an allusion to Delmore Schwartz, a twentieth century American poet and short story writer. Koch also makes allusions to Finnegans Wake, James Joyce’s final novel, and Pogo, a comic strip created by Walt Kelly. The poem includes unusual sentence structure. This makes it feel awkward to read, but the structure makes the reader focus on exactly what Koch is trying to say. It seems to me that the theme of this poem has to do with the desire for the unobtainable from the past. The theme becomes apparent in line nineteen where Koch writes: “I want to hear him tell me something sad but however true.” Koch wishes that he could have Delmore give him advice, but this is impossible due to Delmore’s death. The ending of the poem confused me. Koch writes: “But here read this happy book on the subject. Not Delmore. Not that rueful man.” I am not sure whether this is supposed to mean that the subject of the happy book is not Delmore because he is rueful or that Delmore could not read the book because he is dead. I suppose that the ending is up to the audience’s interpretation. That may actually be true for the entire poem as its meaning is rather vague. After reading this poem, I feared that the rest of Koch’s works would have a similar sentence structure. However, this is not the case. I am looking forward to reading more of Kenneth Koch’s poems.

Kenneth Koch Personal Reflection

            I have been reading poems by Kenneth Koch recently. At first, I thought that his writing style was bizarre and confusing, especially in “A Momentary Longing To Hear Sad Advice from One Long Dead”. Koch’s writing initially made me think that he was alive in the nineteenth century, but in fact, he passed away in 2002. After reading some more of his poems, I started to like what he was doing with the structure. Several of his works that I have read are not on topics that the regular poet writes about. For example, in “Talking To Patrizia”, Koch just complains about his ex-girlfriend and expresses why he kicked her out of his house. Though this poem’s meaning can be taken literally, Koch manages to add his own style to it. While I would not necessarily say that I enjoy reading Koch’s poetry, it is definitely starting to grow on me.

This is Water

            Being a senior in high school, I am constantly thinking of the future and what it will be like. What will my life be like in college? What will my life be like after college? What kind of job will I get? Will I even get a job? I already know that a white collared job will probably be boring and challenging, but this video made me realize that other aspects of adult life could be mundane as well. As an adult, I will have to do dull tasks such as doing laundry, grocery shopping, and scheduling dentist appointments. These things will likely make me yearn to be an irresponsible child again. This is why I am trying to enjoy having as few responsibilities as possible right now. For some reason, my parents and guidance counselors seem to disagree with this idea. I realize that sometimes good things can come from mundane chores. They keep me busy and help me to have a greater appreciation for free time. In his talk, David Foster Wallace demonstrates that errands are not always terrible. He says that they give us time to think about our lives and the lives of others. He also points out that everyone else you see in traffic or in lines at stores is probably going through the same thing as you, maybe even something worse. Though it can be hard to think that life does not revolve around you, it does not. This is why I think it is ridiculous when people get mad at workers at fast food restaurants. Working in one of those places must be bad enough without rude customers. Wallace’s talk has certainly opened my eyes and made me feel better about the future, as I am sure it has done for many others.

Oedipus Rex (Quarter 2)

            In literature class this quarter, we read Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, a Greek playwright. The main character, Oedipus, learns from the oracle that he must drive out something evil from Thebes in order to save it. He deduces that he must find and exile the murderer of the former king, Laios. Through another clairvoyant and the accounts of eye witnesses, Oedipus learns that he killed Laios. Therefore, he blinds himself. The theme of blindness is used a multitude of times throughout the play. For example, the blind prophet, Tiresias tells Oedipus what has happened, but Oedipus refuses to believe him. Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being the one who is blind. Then after Oedipus finds out the truth, he stabs his eyes in order to blind himself. It is hard to tell if he does as an act of bravery, to punish himself, or an act of cowardice, to not have to see what he has done. I believe that it is more courage because Oedipus follows through with his promise to punish Laios’s killer. This play is widely agreed to be a masterpiece, but I do not fully agree. Everything in the plot seems to be impossibly convenient. I think that if this story were written now instead of in ancient times, no one would think it was anything special. Furthermore, the odes, while they are supposed to connect the reader with the story, are not really necessary to understand what is going on. However, one good thing about the play is that Oedipus is the perfect example of a tragic character. He is a great king at first, but then he becomes an incestuous murderer and is forced to blind himself. I still do not think that Oedipus Rex is as wonderful as people say it is, but I am still glad that I got the chance to read it.

Cat's Cradle Journal 3 (Quarter 2)

            I finished Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In the end, the ice-nine falls into the ocean, and the world ends. The ocean turns to stone, and tornadoes tear up the land. The narrator survives by hiding in an underground dungeon with Mona, his new wife. It is implied that most, if not all, of the rest of humanity has perished, but no one can be sure. In the final chapter of the novel, the narrator finally meets Bokonon, who is writing the last sentence of his book. He writes that if he was younger, then he would “write a history of human stupidity … climb to the top the top of Mount McCabe… [and die] grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who.” The story’s conclusion is open-ended, but the reader can infer that the narrator does exactly what Bokonon suggests. I could not have predicted that the book would end this way, but it was foreshadowed. The narrator had stated several times that he felt irrationally compelled to climb Mount McCabe, but he did not know why. Also, Frank Hoenikker tells the narrator that no one has ever climbed Mount McCabe, simply because they have not felt the need to do so. There is a chilling scene after the narrator returns to the surface, when he sees the citizens of San Lorenzo have committed mass suicide at the suggestion of Bokonon, though Bokonon himself still lives. Mona tells that the narrator that Bokonon would never follow his own advice because he knew how worthless it was. Naturally, the narrator views this as a terrible atrocity. However, Mona sees everyone’s deaths as an appropriate response to the circumstances and kills herself as well. I believe that this is a good representation of the madness that goes with the horror of the situation. I really enjoyed reading Cat’s Cradle and might even consider reading it again someday.

Cat's Cradle Journal 2 (Quarter 2)

            I have read some more of Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. This book is really starting to grow on me. However, there are some parts that I do not understand the importance of. One such example is when the narrator is in the cemetery showroom. The narrator meets the brother of a man that he encountered earlier in the book and sees the name of his own ancestors on a tombstone. My guess is that the point of this is to show the narrator that everything is intertwined, but it seems like there could be better ways of doing this. The book starts to really get interesting when everyone arrives on the island of San Lorenzo. Through a strange turn of events, the narrator becomes the new president of San Lorenzo. At the ceremony to celebrate the “Hundred Martyrs to Democracy”, which the narrator resides over, Minton gives a speech that nicely explains the purpose of the book. He abandons his formal speech that he prepared and speaks straight from his heart. Minton starts out powerfully by stating that war murders children. He goes on to say that he believes that there should not fancy ceremonies celebrating children lost at war. Instead, he points out that people can only take part in festivities if “we the celebrants, are working consciously and tirelessly to reduce the stupidity and viciousness of ourselves and of all mankind.” Basically, Minton is saying that instead of focusing on those who died, we should be trying to stop people from dying. This really spoke to me. It also helped me to realize that the purpose of this novel is to make the readers realize the stupidity of our society and to try to change our ways before it is too late. Unfortunately, I doubt that enough people will read this book for it to make any kind of impact on the world as a whole. This novel has certainly changed my views, however. Cat’s Cradle is truly a literary masterpiece.

Cat's Cradle Journal 1 (Quarter 2)

            This quarter, I decided to read Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I did not completely understand this novel, but I will write about what I did get. I actually chose this book because I thought it would give me a lot to write about, but it may have been too deep for me. The plot revolves around the narrator, whose name is hardly ever mentioned, the Hoenikker family, and the island of San Lorenzo where they all happen to meet. The three Hoenikker children each have a piece of ice-nine, which has to potential to destroy the entire world. The other important character is Bokonon, the creator of a religion that is followed by the entire population of San Lorenzo. This religion, Bokononism, was made to mock other religions. Bokonon continually insists that everything he says and writes is a lie. Nevertheless, people still believe him and follow what he teaches. This novel is broken up strangely. The chapters are all pretty short, ranging from less than a page to about three pages at the most. This style makes the book seem choppy and disoriented. Each chapter ends with what can be seen as a punchline. This works well with the abundance of satire in the book. Vonnegut also includes a fair amount of foreshadowing. One example is when the narrator first meets Horlick Minton, the new American ambassador of San Lorenzo, and his wife, Claire. The narrator says that “When it came time for the Mintons to die, they did it within the same second.” Seventy-four chapters later, the Mintons end up falling to their death into the ocean together. Furthermore, the first chapter foreshadows the rest of the book when the narrator says that his name is Jonah, meaning that something has compelled him to be at certain places at certain times. Anyway, I’m really enjoying this book. It makes me want to read more of Vonnegut’s novels.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Journal 4

            One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ends with Chief Bromden killing McMurphy and escaping from the ward. There had been foreshadowing earlier in the book hinting that Bromden would run away from the hospital, so it did not surprise me. However, I had never expected that he would kill McMurphy. I had actually expected them to breakout together. Chief’s motivations are very clear though. McMurphy’s actions lead to the suicides of two of the patients. He also tries to choke the Big Nurse. Chief leaves because he killed McMurphy and tries to get as far away as possible. However, he decides to visit his home town first. This is surprising because I figure that no one could possibly remember him considering how many years he has been in the hospital. I feel that this is an appropriate ending, however. It was rather predictable that Bromden would leave the hospital, but the other events were surprising. Both Chief Bromden's captivity and McMurphy's life ended in the conclusion. This brought about a sense of satisfaction that what needed to be done had been done. Furthermore, I skimmed through the book again and found that there are actually many instances when McMurphy shows signs of being inwardly malevolent. One good example is on the boat, when McMurphy clearly has no intention of giving his life jacket to anyone, even his girlfriend. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the entire time I was reading it. Ken Kesey does a wonderful job of developing characters and creating and utilizing an interesting plot and setting. Hopefully, I will have the chance to read some of his other works in the future. I also want to find books with similar topics and characters. I would definitely recommend this book to others to read for schoolwork or even just for fun. It was truly a pleasurable experience.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Journal 3

            In the third part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy learns what being committed actually entails. He finds out that the Nurse can keep him in the ward for as long as she wants. After talking to the hospital’s lifeguard, who has been there for over eight years, McMurphy decides to clean up his act, so the Nurse will let him leave. McMurphy then learns that most of the other Acutes are not actually committed and could leave whenever they wanted. This surprised me just as much as it did McMurphy. I had assumed that the patients could not escape the ward but wanted to do so, but in fact, exactly the opposite was true. My reading changed at this point in the story. This is a plot twist that I did not expect in the slightest. It really made me look at the characters differently, especially their motivations. I believe that the Acutes do not want to leave the hospital because they have gotten used to life in the ward and are afraid of the outside world. We see this later when McMurphy convinces Bromden, the doctor, and eight of the other patients to go deep-sea fishing. The patients are extremely uncomfortable for a while around other people until they discover that others are actually afraid of them. “Never before did I realize that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power. Think of it: perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become.” The characters realize that their illnesses can instill fear into normal people and can be used to control them. I usually think of psychological afflictions as a severe weakness, so it is interesting that it can be seen as a positive as well. I look forward to finishing this book.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Journal 2

            The second section of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, deals with McMurphy getting used to his life in the ward and the group meetings. In these meetings, the Acutes, which are the patients who can still be cured, verbally attack each other with the instigation of the Nurse. McMurphy makes a bet with the other patients that he can make her lose her temper by the end of the week. He begins to oppose Nurse Ratched in every way possible. One of these ways is by voting to watch the World Series. Evenually, Chief Bromden raises his hand. I figured that he would eventually reveal the fact that he is not deaf, but I did not expect it to happen so soon. It seems to me that the author is trying to show the human side of the patients. Even though they have mental illnesses, the Acutes are still very similar to normal men. One important quote is “He who marches out of step hears another drum.” This basically means that just because you do not believe what society tells you, you are not necessarily crazy. McMurphy is trying to tell the other patients that they are not actually insane. However, the other patients refuse to believe this. I noticed that the book has four parts. There are chapters of varying lengths in each part. It makes the book seem less orderly like the mind of an insane person. Anyway, I am really enjoying this book so far.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Journal 1

            I am reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. The main character, Chief Bromden, is a patient in a mental hospital that is run by Nurse Ratched. The Big Nurse, as the patients call her, is obsessed with having complete control over the ward and its inhabitants. Randle McMurphy, a former hustler and conman, soon transfers into the hospital from a prison. He causes trouble for the Nurse and the aides. However, interactions between characters and the inner monologue of Bromden seem to be more important than the story itself. There are many sections of the book that do not move the plot forward, such as when Chief Bromden goes on and on about the “Combine” and his other delusions. The Combine is like a part of the government that seeks to control everyone’s thoughts and actions by installing devices into their brains. The most important quote in the beginning of the book (and maybe even the entire story) is the last sentence in chapter one when the narrator, Bromden, says “It’s still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.” Apparently, the readers cannot trust what they read, which makes sense considering most of the characters are mentally unstable. This quote is demonstrated when Chief talks about how he always sees the ward covered in fog, which the other patients obviously are not able to notice. Bromden does not realize that he is crazy though. He simply believes that the others have been successfully brainwashed by the Combine. So far, I do not really identify with the text. Nevertheless, I do feel sympathy for the characters. I actually decided to read this book because my brother read it for his senior literature class and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am sure that I will like the book as well.