That being said, it's time for your blog post on Vonnegut. Please respond to the following prompt as a comment to this post no later than Wednesday, March 17, at noon.
Are you enjoying reading this book? Why/why not? What theme/story from Vonnegut's writing interests you the most? Propose a thesis that you might like to work on for Project Three. What supporting material would you use for this thesis? What story/stories do you intend to focus on? What is your favorite animal? What other concerns do you have for Project Three?
For Wednesday, be sure to also read the story "Report on the Barnhouse Effect." It just so happens to be one of my favorites.
Well, isn't this beautiful...this was going to be the topic of my free response, but I guess I will have to conjure up something else!!! (ha, ha)
ReplyDeleteI am very much enjoying Vonnegut's writing. At first I was not looking forward to reading his work because I am very much anti-science fiction. But, even though I don't agree with much of his outlook on life, his symbolisms and characters that he choses to get his messages across are brilliant. In each of the short stories that I have read so far he has chosen interesting topics that spark debate, and/or allow the reader to think outside of the box. Each story so far has a broad message that he is trying to get across to the reader, but I also find very interesting that he also typically has a character in each story that he uses to get across another message, or life lesson. For example in the Euphio question, we all pretty much agreed that he had a message of being able to buy instant happiness and the question of would we or wouldn't we do this and what are the effects of being able to do this. But, did you also notice that the character of Lew sent a message to what extent some might go to in order to be rich? Clearly the message Vonnegut is using his character for is "money is the root of all evil". Lew doesn't care if people starve to death, he just sees dollar signs when he realizes that once people experience euphio nothing else will satisfy them the same way the euphio does and they will crave more and more which in turn will make Lew rich. The use of Vonnegut's characters and his possibly "underlying messages" will be the thesis that I will be working on for project three. I will mainly be using the character of Diana Moon Glampers, since she is a character that is used twice in his stories, but is portrayed differently in each. The stories that I plan on using is Harrison Bergeron and God Bless you Mr. Rosewater. I will probably reference other writings of his depending on where my research takes me, because he does mainly portray women stereotypically. I say mainly because the first strong female character he ever wrote about in his stories wasn't until 1987 when he wrote Blue Beard.
My favorite animal is the white tiger, not only is it a beautiful animal, but a very strong animal and unique.
My main concerns for project three is of course time. I feel I might have bit off a little more than I can chew. I have found several references that I still need to review, and it's not that I put this project off. I originally started writing on a different topic, but after a class discussion his characters (especially his view on female characters) has really sparked my interest, so I scrapped my original paper and started from square one with this thesis.
I am very much enjoying reading the monkey house. I also like the discussions in class because whatever was not clear in reading the book becomes clear after class. I especially liked the story from today, The Euphio Question. It brought about so much conversation and a good class discussion. I love being in classes like that. This story might put a bogus thing out there, however, it really addresses issues that people in our society today go through everyday. Should you do drugs, should you rely on something or someone for happiness? Things that cross people’s minds every day. I especially like this particular story, and I plan on using it to help my thesis, which is probably going to be something to do with “no pain”. “No pain” is used in all of his writings and I am going to focus on how he tries to get this message across. I am going to use outside sources to help my statement and make a more solid and stable defense. I might go forward and connect the no pain thesis to how it affected his life and how he dealt with the things that happened in his life that were painful. I am a little apprehensive in how my paper might actually come together. I want it to be a complete and finished paper that I am proud of. I am not very good at writing thesis papers, however. I did them in high school, but that was so long ago. I am a little scared that my paper with be not clear or fall short of what is expected of me. And my favorite animal is definitely penguins :]
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Vonnegut so this reading for me hd been great. The short stories are more then entertaining because they all have their own little hidden meanings. For project 3 I think i'm going to focus on how Vonnegut's life influenced his writings and i'm going to use the stories we've read in class so far as well as a few I'll read on my own. I think i'm going to indulge in finding out a little bit more about Vonnegut's experiences with authorities and what makes him happy in his life. I will openly admit that I have not done enough research for this paper yet. That's why my evening has been dedicated after writing this to do such. I don't really have concerns with this paper I feel like once I get it started it shouldn't be too hard to finish up. I just hope I can find enough legitimate information on Vonnegut. My favorite animal has been and always will be Moose. I think they're awesome with there big antlers and lanky legs.
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ReplyDeleteOverall, this book is pretty dark, many about the darker side of humanity or in a dystopian future. It is an interesting read, though, and much like most short story and science fiction writers, he seems focused on morality. Questioning morality, proposing his own by arguing against others, showing what he believes human nature is. This will probably be my thesis, that Vonnegut, for the most part, writes stories based around morality, similar to morality plays of older ages. This should be an easy topic for me to make a paper on, should I not procrastinate too much.
The thought of science fiction reading to me was originally distasteful and not a genre I was interested but after reading for of Kurt Vonnegut’s short stories I am surprisingly intrigued. His futuristic ideas of euphoria were mind blowing to me. What I found most amusing was his bizarreness, such as the concept that a man and a woman could maintain a relationship through acting out plays. While reading his work I can’t help but ask myself “ where does this guys come up with all of this?” Vonnegut’s theme that I find most appealing is the idea of euphoria it almost gave me chills how the last paragraph the narrator’s tone changed from being under the euphoric spell. It left me wondering what happened to humanity and how reckless happiness had the capability to cause endless destruction. Although I am extremely interested in the stories so far I am still an amateur on all of Vonnegut’s theme due to lack of research and not being in class, therefore I will most likely be pondering the idea of which theme I would like to elaborate after a class discussion. I love watching animal planet, and the animal I find most favorable is the lion. I really wish I had a lion cub as a pet that would be awesome. My biggest worry for project three is figuring out a thesis once I get that down I think it will be a lot easier to just go from there and find facts that support my argument. I often struggle with spelling and getting my point across without distracting from the original idea which is another obstacle I might face when completing project three.
ReplyDeleteIm really not a big fan of reading books, but this book actually is not that bad. Vonnegut keeps you iterested in the songs and keeps them interesting. The past story The Euphio Question was very interesting and got me thinking what if something like that could really happen and would I use it if it was real? The stories get readers thinking and gives us really good discussions in calss. The different opinions of our classmates are very interesting and I like having discussion. Now for project three I haven't really started thinking about it to much, but some ideas I have for my thesis are maybe writing about how all his ideas have to do with some part of his family, or about how is home life influenced his writings. And my favorite animal would have to be a panther. When they are cubs they are so cute and fluffy.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying reading this book. I usually do like science fiction to a point and Vonnegut's I believe I some of the best I've read. I like the way he uses characters to explain a way he thinks or how he sees people, it's a great way to understand the writing and it keeps you interested the whole time. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do for project three exactly but I'll probably compare and contrast two of the stories including Harrison bergeron which has been my favorite story so far out of te ones we have read for class. I will probably use quotes that are similar between the stories to comparetjem then search for summaries to find differences between them. I will search books and the internet to find the underlying differences that I cannot find myself in the stories and also add in my own differences and similarities that I found interesting in the stories or that I think mean something other than what is stated. My favorite animal is a dolphin I'm not sure why really but it just is. I really have no other concerns about project three other than hoping for a good grade and trying to find reliable sources to use to back up my writing and help me find things to add to the paper.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying reading this book very much. The reason being it is differnet from what i usually read (not in school lol) but it captures my attention and i very much wanna continue reading. I think this book have a lot of things that I like as well as some i dont agree with, and then it wouldnt necessarily be not agree with but some things i dont understand. I dont have one certain theme that I am interested in but i like that the stories can make me laugh but also have a seriousness to them to make me think. I think my thesis will be what makes him write like this instead of using real life examples, or are these real life examples? Vonnegut makes me think that maybe he did think things like this were really happening in his mind. There is no disclaimer that states this not real to him.. For my thesis i will most likely read more stories from him to see if all his stories are a type of science fiction/funny stories. Then compare and contrast. The stories i will use will definately include Harrison Bergeron, i loved this story and it amde me think ALOT. I really dont have a favorite animal but cheetahs are cool. The only other concern i have is being able to make it last 5 or 6 pages
ReplyDeleteI actually am enjoying this book. I really am not a big fan of reading but this book kind of gets me excited to read it. It’s interesting and I like how it ties in science! I also enjoy our class discussions on the book. They get pretty interesting. For project three I think I want to focus on the science aspect of Vonnegut’s stories. That is my favorite part of all of the stories. I want to use Harrison Bergeron because it was the most interesting to me. I was just kind of like WTF the whole story. I couldn’t figure out if I liked it either. I may use the Euphio Question. I’m still waiting to read more to decide on project three. I am nervous about this project. I am going to the writing center twice to get help with it and I may need other help. I am not a fan of citing things and using outside sources although I believe I can do it pretty well.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I don't have a favorite animal. I really like all of them. Baby tigers are cute and monkeys and elephants and sharks and dolphins and giraffe's :)
Overall, I'm enjoying this book so far. I like both of the stories because they both have an extreme in it that makes you think what if that actually happened would you be able to decide what to do. Like in Harrison Bergeron if you happen to be a more attractive, stronger person, there is more limits set on you to be equal. Which is completely ridiculous cause in all honesty how can one man tell you how to live your own life. After saying that i would also rip off those handicaps. Also, in euphoria i like it because it gave our class a good discussion and it opened up different problems whether to actually activate the euphoria or not.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite story though is euphoria because it made me really think about whether i would push the button or not to activate it. If there was a time limit, and evidence to prove that there's no side affects then yes i would definitely push the button.
I havent put much thought into writing this yet i probably should though!
My favorite animal is the tiger. It fierce, strong, and smart. Also, i probably like it because it was our school mascot.
I thought i would hate this book because it is kind of difficult to read. But i have learned that i actually like the book a lot. The first two stories we read were very interesting. Very Dark, but very interesting.I like that he always has me thinking "what if". Because what if all this crazy stuff he writes about actually happens. I don't know what i would to honestly. Im not sure exactly what i want to do for a thesis yet. I like both of the stories we have read so far, and i got equally good lessons out of both of them. My concern for project 3 is getting another average grade. I am ready to get a good grade on a paper! I really don't like comparing and contrasting in papers, hopefully this one is not so bad because Vonnegut is somewhat of an interesting person. I will most likely use the euphoria story in some way in my paper. I had a lot to say about that specific story, and im sure everyone in class would agree.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite animal is a spider monkey. I like how they can be pets, and they kind of look like little people.
I personally like monkeys, but the book titled welcome to the monkey house took that perception away. during reading the stories within the book, i come to notice there are several different aspects concerning the short stories compiled together. first, vonnegut fuses humor and tragedy along with grim futures and hilarious satires. he also makes fun of certain methods and governments by presenting the question "what if ?" to his readers.
ReplyDeletelet's look at the way the monkey house story is compared to the Harrison Bergeron story. here are two types of control: the control of the populace vs. the control of thought. also, there are two types of anarchists: Billy the Poet, a brilliant and seductive man, and Harrison, a gorgeous gorrilla who could beat Thor in looks. these two masterminds challenge the societies of both stories and are percieved as the villain by the ones in charge. however, their roles are reversed when Harrison proves his point and makes the woman in charge look like a total douche and Billy proves his point to a 63-year-old-virgin that sex equals procreation and understanding of the human flaw.
Political figures are either crazy or right, and it is because of them that dictators are removed from power.
this is also a free response of mine.
The name of the book didnt really come out and give me a good feeling about where the story was gonna go. Usually you can tell by the name generally what the book is going to be about but this book had be puzzeled. Personally im still a little iffy on whether i like the book or not, it does keep you guessing quite a bit though. The thing i like best about it is how it brings up good class discussions, i like a class that interacts with each other more than just sitting there listening to a teacher lecture about who knows what. The last class felt like everyone was involved and no one was off in their own little world so i defintely enjoy how the book brings up lots of topics to kinda debate around. The plus side on this book is it talks a lot about what society is and its dirty little secrets that sometimes people over look, so its brings a good perpective to mind on what life is really about. It gets you thinking about what it could be and how it could be worse so then again we know we dont have it so bad. All in all i really enjoy reading the book and then coming to class to fully understand the concept in which i just read.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying Vonnegut's writings because short stories are what I enjoy reading the most. I hate writing long stories because I lose interest real quickly. Short stories capture my attention better. The theme in Vonnegut's stories that interests me the most would be funny, but still serious. He uses comedy to make the serious parts seem less serious; just like I did in my Project #2. My thesis for Project #3 is probably going to be "Funny, but still serious." I am going to use his stories that he uses this theme and explain why it helps the story. I intend to focus on Harrison Bergeron. My favorite animal would have to be a liger. A lion and a tiger. My concerns for project 3 are the time I will have to finish this project, the outside resources I will have to use, and the implementing of the stories into the paper.
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