Reader Response Cat's Cradle

A)
I believe that cats cradle serves as a useful message much more than a positive one. In both the speech and in the book, Vonnegut mentions how everyone is sure to die (machine guns that spray death and ice nine) its just how you go about your life that matters. It is not a positive message because Vonnegut is not meaning to convey that life short, he is conveying that your life is probably going to suck but your death is going to suck worse. In Cats Cradle, he expresses, through Jonah, how little hope one could have.

Book 14 of Bokononism
What could a thoughtful man hope for Mankind given the experience of the past Million Years?
Nothing.

This expresses how hopeless Vonnegut sees mankind and the world, which is also expressed through his speech via statements such as

"I know that millions of dollars have been spent to produce this splendid graduating class, and that the main hope of your teachers was, once they got through with you, that you would no longer be superstitious. I'm sorry—I have to undo that now. I beg you to believe in the most ridiculous superstition of all: that humanity is at the center of the universe, the fulfiller or the frustrator of the grandest dreams of God Almighty.
If you can believe that, and make others believe it, then there might be hope for us. Human beings might stop treating each other like garbage, might begin to treasure and protect each other instead. Then it might be all right to have babies again."

B)
Rule #1:
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

This rule refers to to author writing to the reader. Vonnegut's books tend to be quick reads, especially Cats Cradle. While this was an assignment so I HAD to read, I am glad I did. My time did not feel wasted in doing so. By writing in such an amicable manner, that draws the reader in, Vonnegut can get the story across easily and coherently, and the same goes for the themes in the book.

Rule #6

Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Out of all 8 rules, this is the one that Vonnegut follows most closely. Even if the characters do not move on, survive, the reader still, through indirect characterization, gets a sense of their person. For example, when the old couple died with the falling bit of fortress, the faced it hand in hand, and we as readers knew that they were strong, and that they had accepted their fate. The use of this, throughout Cat's Cradle, he enhances the characterization and the plot. As awful things befalling the character assists in the plot, as well as the point that society is pretty much evil, vonneguts use of sadism is key to the book as a whole.

Cat's Cradle Review Sheet

Themes:

Religion

The human Condition

Fate

Protaganist:

Jonah

Antagonist:

The world

Society

Minor Characters:

Angela

Newt

Frank

Papa

Bokonon

Dr. Breed

Mona

Crosbys

Felix Hoenikker

Unique Style and Structure:

Written about writing a book

Quotes:

As it happened—"as it was meant to happen," Bokonon would say—

14th book of bokononism

Title: What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?

Only verse: Nothing.

Symbols:

Ice-Nine

Religion- bokononism

Conflict:

Man vs. Society

Man vs. Self

Ending: Everyone dies except for a few- they survive by melting ice nine

Tradgedy-

I dont think so as they survive despite everything, also not the focus of the book

The Stranger By Albert Camus Part 2 Review

The  idea of splitting this book into two parts is very interesting. It creates a divide between the two parts of Meursault's life we get to experience as writers. The first half is the happier (obviously) and the second is more depressing and cold and sterile. Meursault's thoughts seem very compartmentalized and the feelings we do see at towards the end disgust us. He is probably sociopathic. When he doesn't believe in lying, it isn't because he is a truthful honest man, and it isn't because he believes he deserves his fate, it is because he just doesn't know why he did. At the very end of the horrific experience, he state how he wants many people to come and scream at him in hate at his execution, because it is the only way he knows that people could appreciate his existence. Also towards the end of the book, he state how he understood Maman, how she tried to start her life over and it came to end, all he wants now is to live more, live longer, live over again. This is a drastic change from before where it seemed he wanted nothing (with the exception of sex with Marie) and he  didn't have a drive to do anything in his life, he was just letting it take him where ever it wanted to; like a boat drifting on a lake. Overall, I enjoyed trying to delve into his mind and understand in the first part of the book, in the second it became a sick horror you just couldn't stop looking at and reading and considering. Even though it was scary and sketchy, it was still a very well written book and I would recommend it.

Part One of The Stranger

The Stranger by Albert Camus is a very interesting book. For one, Albert Camus is a very interesting author and person in general. He has an intriguing view on life and how it works, for all manner of people. One way this pops up over and over in The Stranger is how Meursault, the main character, is seemingly emotionless after his mother's death, and how that continues through his life.

Although I am only through Part 1 of the book, I am completely fascinated and drawn into this piece of writing. Although it may seem bland and boring to some, I am intrigued by the inner workings of Meursault's mind. I would love to understand his true thought process, and the only way to do that is by gleaning every last detail out of this book. Although Camus has been writing with Meursault narrating via stream of consciousness, he doesn't elaborate much on the transitions between thoughts. I think that Meursault is a fascinating character and want to delve even deeper into this book to try and find out more about how he works. I also wish to find out if he ever discovers and accepts emotions, because I can understand how easy it is to simply ignore their existence in your own being. Overall, I would deem this book fascinating and well worth the read so far. It leaves you pensive and curious and over all very contemplative about the complexities of life and the human condition.