I think that Epictetus has some logical and selfless rules or ideas but some of the ideas seem very unreasonable and can't be done easily. Some ideas like the fact that you have to be humble and try to live a simple life is very good advice especially in present day. People take all their luxuries in life for granted and I think it would be very interesting to see them try to enforce those ways of life and see if they can religiously live that way.
50. Abide by whatever task1 is set before you as if it were a law, and as if you would be committing sacrilege if you went against it. But pay no attention to whatever anyone says about you, since that falls outside what is yours.
The quote 36. If you undertake some role beyond your capacity, you both disgrace yourself by taking it and also thereby neglect the role that you were unable to take. seems very restricting to me because it doesn't motivate you to push yourself. It implies that you should only take up a task that you know you can successfully complete. It seems a bit contradictory to previous statements since he encourages people to try their hardest but I think that if you try to work towards an almost impossible goal with all you will and force it shouldn't really matter if you succeed or not. This statement is not letting people develop their full potential and it is quotes like these that make me dissagree with Epiectetus' theories.
miércoles, 27 de febrero de 2008
martes, 26 de febrero de 2008
Epictetus: The Handbook Part 2
Epictetus' strongest belief is that all the bad things that happen to us we bring upon ourselves. I think that his way of thinking is the essence of Stoism because to be a god you have to accept things and not fight the current. I agree with the fact that you bring misfortune upon yourself but i think that this view should be more flexible. People want to make a difference and change their future. What i like about the Stoic way of thinking is that it encourages people to take responsibility for their actions and to only accept a task in which you know you will succeed. It also promotes self discipline and determination by telling the reader that you have to be willing to conform your lifestyle in order to fulfill your goals. If you fail it will be humiliation and this motivates people to responsibly make the best decisions and put in 100 percent effort. This is mentioned in number 29.
One of the points that I liked very much and seems quite debatable is
27. Just as a target is not set up to be missed, in the same way nothing bad by nature happens in the world. This goes along with his theory that nothing bad happens unless we medle with nature. For example if I am playing a sport and I drop the ball, I have altered the course of the game because now my team may have lost possesion so I have accidentally medled with nature. But, is this valid? Is it my fault I dropped the ball? Maybe I was being lazy and didn't run for it but what if it was just and honest mistake? Then I don't think it is justifiable to fault me for an unintentional mistake. This quote is saying that a target is not made to be missed but no one succeeds at everything they do, it's human error. So I think that as long as you try your hardest to hit that target you are not causing bad things. The only way we can make this quote completely true is by not doing anything at all so that there is absolutely no chance of me missing the target at all. This is one of the reasons why I don't always agree with Epictetus, it seems like with his theories the only way we can be completely faultless is by not doing anything at all.
One of the points that I liked very much and seems quite debatable is
27. Just as a target is not set up to be missed, in the same way nothing bad by nature happens in the world. This goes along with his theory that nothing bad happens unless we medle with nature. For example if I am playing a sport and I drop the ball, I have altered the course of the game because now my team may have lost possesion so I have accidentally medled with nature. But, is this valid? Is it my fault I dropped the ball? Maybe I was being lazy and didn't run for it but what if it was just and honest mistake? Then I don't think it is justifiable to fault me for an unintentional mistake. This quote is saying that a target is not made to be missed but no one succeeds at everything they do, it's human error. So I think that as long as you try your hardest to hit that target you are not causing bad things. The only way we can make this quote completely true is by not doing anything at all so that there is absolutely no chance of me missing the target at all. This is one of the reasons why I don't always agree with Epictetus, it seems like with his theories the only way we can be completely faultless is by not doing anything at all.
lunes, 25 de febrero de 2008
Epictetus: The Handbook
Do not seeks to have events happen as you want them to,
but instead want them to happen as the do happen,
and your life will go well.
This quote from Epictetus' handbook is a condensed explanation of the Stoic interpretation of how we should live our lives. The Stoic beliefs pushed people to accept the obstacles that came their way and to always adapt to the situation to be in harmony with nature. In this case nature means the way things are and this is the way they are meant to be, almost like a person's predetermined fate that they should never fight. This idealism was to help people be more sastified with their lives and to accept the things they couldn't change so that they had absolutely no reason be unhappy because all the things that they have control over is perfectly aligned with nature. The Stoic believe that we have to curb our desires according to the way the external world is so that we can't long for the unreachable, thus staying perfectly content.
The Stoics press the idea that what is ours is under our control and cannot make us discontent because we have the power to change it. They also state that we shouldn't be plighted by the things in life that we cannot change because it will only make us negative. Also they say that life is organized by the cosmos meaning that everything is the way it is and happens the way it does because that is exactly how it is meant to be, just like the number two will always follow one. The Stoics believe that by us doing these things we can then be inching towards the "ideal" human being, basically this way of acting is a process where we work to improve ourselves. We want to reach our "ideal condition" to live in complete satisfaction with ourselves.
I think that some of Epictetus' ideas seem slightly impossible because it is human nature to fight the current instead of just going with the flow. We wont just let the worst things wash over us because we want to achieve a better demeanor, also in more modern times people are more rash and less religious or disciplined. These rules aren't so effective for the twenty-first century because we aren't worried about achieving godly perfection. I had trouble understanding some of the rules that he wrote because they go around in circles and some seem to be contradictory. I think that some of Epictetus' ideas were well thought out but they are too stand-offish. You aren't allowed to have serious, lasting relationships with earthly things because they don't belong to you but are "borrowed" and he says that after death are "given back". Overall I think that his way of thinking is too unattached and I don't know if this dettachment could really be the way to achieve godliness.
but instead want them to happen as the do happen,
and your life will go well.
This quote from Epictetus' handbook is a condensed explanation of the Stoic interpretation of how we should live our lives. The Stoic beliefs pushed people to accept the obstacles that came their way and to always adapt to the situation to be in harmony with nature. In this case nature means the way things are and this is the way they are meant to be, almost like a person's predetermined fate that they should never fight. This idealism was to help people be more sastified with their lives and to accept the things they couldn't change so that they had absolutely no reason be unhappy because all the things that they have control over is perfectly aligned with nature. The Stoic believe that we have to curb our desires according to the way the external world is so that we can't long for the unreachable, thus staying perfectly content.
The Stoics press the idea that what is ours is under our control and cannot make us discontent because we have the power to change it. They also state that we shouldn't be plighted by the things in life that we cannot change because it will only make us negative. Also they say that life is organized by the cosmos meaning that everything is the way it is and happens the way it does because that is exactly how it is meant to be, just like the number two will always follow one. The Stoics believe that by us doing these things we can then be inching towards the "ideal" human being, basically this way of acting is a process where we work to improve ourselves. We want to reach our "ideal condition" to live in complete satisfaction with ourselves.
I think that some of Epictetus' ideas seem slightly impossible because it is human nature to fight the current instead of just going with the flow. We wont just let the worst things wash over us because we want to achieve a better demeanor, also in more modern times people are more rash and less religious or disciplined. These rules aren't so effective for the twenty-first century because we aren't worried about achieving godly perfection. I had trouble understanding some of the rules that he wrote because they go around in circles and some seem to be contradictory. I think that some of Epictetus' ideas were well thought out but they are too stand-offish. You aren't allowed to have serious, lasting relationships with earthly things because they don't belong to you but are "borrowed" and he says that after death are "given back". Overall I think that his way of thinking is too unattached and I don't know if this dettachment could really be the way to achieve godliness.
sábado, 23 de febrero de 2008
Chapter 9: Slaughterhouse-Five
I was overall disappointed by Slaughterhouse-Five's ending. I was expecting to find out by the end who was the narrator and what was his relationship to Billy Pilgrim, how Billy had become unstuck in time and why, all these questions I was anxiously waiting to get answered and when I began the last chapter I was so excited to find out who that narrator was! The final chapter did pull the entire story together by bringing up the characters first mentioned in the beginning. Looking back to the first chapter the author did mention many of the important characters, the reader does not know what these random names have to to with the plot but I think it was a good way to make an introduction. In the first and last chapters the narrater talks about himself in the first person and he mentions himself a few time during the rest of the story but I still don't know how he could get into Billy's mind and know when he was time travelling and where to. At first I thought that the narrator must then be Billy Pilgrim and he was using a very strange way to describe his experiences but that was not possible since in the sixth chapter when the narrator mentions himself the says that someone behind Billy had spoken and then tells us that that was him.
One thing that left a strong impression on me was the poem on Montana's locket, the same poem that Billy had on his office wall. It was a very strange coincedence. I think that the poem binds them especiall in their interesting situation. They are both in Tralfamadore and all they have is eachother, I think that the key line in the poem is "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." because they are stuck in Tralfamadore all alone and they are making the best they can of their circumstances. I think that the poem applies very strongly on Billy's life because of all the obstacles that have been thrown in his way. Sometimes he has not been able to fulfill the poem but I think it is both Billy's and Montana's driving force and pulls them closer because of yet another similarity of opinion.
I was very let down by the book's ending because of all the unanswered questions that I will never find out. I think that the author should have included explanations because I'm still puzzeled as to why Billy time travels and if he relives a scene of his past can he do something to change a bad event that he knows is going to happen? Can he alter the outcome of his future or does he just repeat certain events in his life. I also don't understand how Billy can still time travel after he has been shot, does that mean that he is immortal? I think that the authors message is really that as long as memories live even a a deceased person is alive, just like the fourth dimension but he showed it in an extravagant confusing way. I prefer more straight-forward books but, Slaughterhouse-Five had good content and was intriguing and captivating, but I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending, it ruined the book for me!
One thing that left a strong impression on me was the poem on Montana's locket, the same poem that Billy had on his office wall. It was a very strange coincedence. I think that the poem binds them especiall in their interesting situation. They are both in Tralfamadore and all they have is eachother, I think that the key line in the poem is "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." because they are stuck in Tralfamadore all alone and they are making the best they can of their circumstances. I think that the poem applies very strongly on Billy's life because of all the obstacles that have been thrown in his way. Sometimes he has not been able to fulfill the poem but I think it is both Billy's and Montana's driving force and pulls them closer because of yet another similarity of opinion.
I was very let down by the book's ending because of all the unanswered questions that I will never find out. I think that the author should have included explanations because I'm still puzzeled as to why Billy time travels and if he relives a scene of his past can he do something to change a bad event that he knows is going to happen? Can he alter the outcome of his future or does he just repeat certain events in his life. I also don't understand how Billy can still time travel after he has been shot, does that mean that he is immortal? I think that the authors message is really that as long as memories live even a a deceased person is alive, just like the fourth dimension but he showed it in an extravagant confusing way. I prefer more straight-forward books but, Slaughterhouse-Five had good content and was intriguing and captivating, but I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending, it ruined the book for me!
jueves, 21 de febrero de 2008
Slaughterhouse-Five vs. Gulliver's Travel
There were two big similarities that I found in Gulliver's Travel and in Slaughterhouse-Five. Both the main characters in the story wanted to change the society they live in and both were unhappy in their current situation. In the book Gulliver's Travel the main character detests his people and admires the Houyhnhnms whom he finds very superior to his own kind. The Main character in Slaughterhouse-Five admires the Tralfamadorians and wants to change the "earthling" way of thinking because of all his experiences with sophisticated Tralfamadorians. Billy finds the human race unsophisticated and naive compared to the Tralfamadorians. Also both are unhappy, the author of Gulliver's Travel hates his people and has been banished from the ones he loves and admires. Billy has had an unfulfilling and uneventful life, he has been lonely most of his years and doesn't value his life, neither does the narrator from Gulliver's Travel.
Both stories also have imaginary places and people. In Slaughterhouse-Five there are aliens or Tralfamadorians and their planet Tralfamadore. In Gulliver's Travels there are imaginary places like countries that no one has heard of and strange creatures like the Yahoos, the Houyhnhnms, the Asses. We have no idea what species they are either and the creatures in Slaughterhouse-Five and in Gullivers travel are somewhat left to the readers imagination. Lastly in both books the characters go to places where they are seen as strange or unsophisticated creatures which influences their reasons as to why they want to change, to become a more advanced individual.
Other than these few similarities I find the two stories very difficult to connect because they are so different, structurally, the content, and the themes. I found Gulliver's Travel very confusing because of all the strange characters and terms, that there may have been some information linking the two books that I may have missed. Overall I prefered Slaughterhouse-Five because it was more straigh forward and was a more enjoyable read.
Both stories also have imaginary places and people. In Slaughterhouse-Five there are aliens or Tralfamadorians and their planet Tralfamadore. In Gulliver's Travels there are imaginary places like countries that no one has heard of and strange creatures like the Yahoos, the Houyhnhnms, the Asses. We have no idea what species they are either and the creatures in Slaughterhouse-Five and in Gullivers travel are somewhat left to the readers imagination. Lastly in both books the characters go to places where they are seen as strange or unsophisticated creatures which influences their reasons as to why they want to change, to become a more advanced individual.
Other than these few similarities I find the two stories very difficult to connect because they are so different, structurally, the content, and the themes. I found Gulliver's Travel very confusing because of all the strange characters and terms, that there may have been some information linking the two books that I may have missed. Overall I prefered Slaughterhouse-Five because it was more straigh forward and was a more enjoyable read.
miércoles, 20 de febrero de 2008
Slaughterhouse-Five: Chapter 5
In this chapter Billy spends alot of time with the Tralfamadorians and gets a first hand view into their world. He tries to explain to us "earthlings" what seeing in the fourth dimension looks like. I find Billy's description of the fourth dimension intersting and quite plausible. Tralfamadorians see the past, present and future all at once, for example, humans are composed of all the stages of their lives when a Tralfamadorian looks at them.
For the first time in the book we meet Billy's friend and the war veterant's hospital, Eliot Rosewater. Rosewater introduces Billy to the author Kilgore Trout who writes about all kinds of extraterrestrial activity and the supernatural. His science fiction books are especially appealing to Billy because of his experiences with the Tralfamadorians and the fourth dimension. I think it makes Billy feel as though there is one person who may understand what he has been going through and he instantly becomes an avid Kilgore Trout reader. His friend Rosewater seems to be a genuine friend because they both like the same theme of literature and are going through very similar experiences.
Both Billy and Rosewater went to the hospital to find the excitement in life that they had lost. People with such a big factor in common are bound to get along well. If anything they both think similaryly if they like the ideas of Trouts books. I think that for once Billy felt like some one understood what he was talking about or atleast bothered to listen. Maybe because of Rosewater's friend Billy decided to keep living but I think that Eliot Rosewater was a significant person in Billy's life.
For the first time in the book we meet Billy's friend and the war veterant's hospital, Eliot Rosewater. Rosewater introduces Billy to the author Kilgore Trout who writes about all kinds of extraterrestrial activity and the supernatural. His science fiction books are especially appealing to Billy because of his experiences with the Tralfamadorians and the fourth dimension. I think it makes Billy feel as though there is one person who may understand what he has been going through and he instantly becomes an avid Kilgore Trout reader. His friend Rosewater seems to be a genuine friend because they both like the same theme of literature and are going through very similar experiences.
Both Billy and Rosewater went to the hospital to find the excitement in life that they had lost. People with such a big factor in common are bound to get along well. If anything they both think similaryly if they like the ideas of Trouts books. I think that for once Billy felt like some one understood what he was talking about or atleast bothered to listen. Maybe because of Rosewater's friend Billy decided to keep living but I think that Eliot Rosewater was a significant person in Billy's life.
martes, 19 de febrero de 2008
Slaughterhouse-Five: Chapter 6
For me the most memorable part of this chapter was when the narrator mentions himself in one of the scenes. He writes down what he says and even states a little fact about himself pg 148. This makes me wonder who the narrator is and what connection does he have to Billy Pilgrim since he seems to know him so intimately that he can tell what he's thinking. I don't understand how the narrator can actually be there with Billy during the war because it seems to me that the narrator travels through time with Billy. How does he do it? This new development in the story makes me want to continue reading so that I can discover who the narrator is and what is his relationship with Billy.
One thing that I found saddening was how from the beginning of the story we are told that the city of Dresden is going to be bombed but in this chapter the city symbolizes hope. Everyone is so excited to leave captivity and supposedly the city is very beautiful, but I wonder why, if the city was so harmless, it was bombed. Also I would like to find out if Billy knew that Dresden would be bombed while he was there and that is why he survived. I don't like the fact that after billy's huge ordeal his hope is crushed yet again.
Also in this chapter we read who is going to kill Billy and he predicts it fearlessly and we experience his death. I don't think I could give speeches about how my life is going to end with a steady voice like Billy but i think his calmness is thanks to what he learned on Tralfamadore and his time travel. He knows that he's not really dead because he'll wake up in another part of his life or will still be alive in the fourth dimensions. For me, that isn't enough, life is too precious and I would do everything I could to preserve it.
Lastly we discover the address, Slaughterhouse-Five, which is where the americans are staying in dresden and is also the title of the book. My guess as to why this was used as the title is because maybe when the bomb goes off all the Americans are trapped so that the place becomes a slaughterhouse for the Americans. I don't see what is so important about where they are staying to make it the title of the book but hopefully I will find out in the next few chapters.
One thing that I found saddening was how from the beginning of the story we are told that the city of Dresden is going to be bombed but in this chapter the city symbolizes hope. Everyone is so excited to leave captivity and supposedly the city is very beautiful, but I wonder why, if the city was so harmless, it was bombed. Also I would like to find out if Billy knew that Dresden would be bombed while he was there and that is why he survived. I don't like the fact that after billy's huge ordeal his hope is crushed yet again.
Also in this chapter we read who is going to kill Billy and he predicts it fearlessly and we experience his death. I don't think I could give speeches about how my life is going to end with a steady voice like Billy but i think his calmness is thanks to what he learned on Tralfamadore and his time travel. He knows that he's not really dead because he'll wake up in another part of his life or will still be alive in the fourth dimensions. For me, that isn't enough, life is too precious and I would do everything I could to preserve it.
Lastly we discover the address, Slaughterhouse-Five, which is where the americans are staying in dresden and is also the title of the book. My guess as to why this was used as the title is because maybe when the bomb goes off all the Americans are trapped so that the place becomes a slaughterhouse for the Americans. I don't see what is so important about where they are staying to make it the title of the book but hopefully I will find out in the next few chapters.
lunes, 18 de febrero de 2008
Slaughterhouse-Five: pages 119-136
One of the sections that stood out the most to me was the scene when Billy is back in his house and his angry daughter Barbara is confronting him about the letters in the newspaper about Tralfamadore. I noticed that this scene has been repeated at least once before, i wonder why the author would include it again. I think that the reason for this is as proof of Billy's time travel because he relives the moment over again and knows the answers to previous mysteries. For example his daughter asks him if he had noticed the cold and he didn't but now he knew why the heat wasn't working, because a rat had chewed through the cable. It must be very frustrating living and reliving your life knowing what will happen every time but not being able to do anything about it!
Another significant event in this chapter is that now there is another human that has also been to Tralfamadore. Billy gets to know Montana, the imported hollywood movie star, in Tralfamadore and for once in his life he has a companion who really loves him and depends on him. She is his only friend on Tralfamadore and she completely trusts him and it seems that this is Billy first love. I wonder if during the time that he and Montana spend together if Billy is married to his "bearable" wife whom he doesn't even know why he proposed to her at all.
I thought the beginning of this section was sad because it would be so difficult to spend the rest of your life with someone you don't really care for. The honeymoon seemed quite regular but when the narrator mentions the couple on the ship that passes i think he was jealous to see so an attractive happy couple. I think that seeing that couple showed Billy that he was still searching for his sense of satisfaction and happiness in life. Until he meets Montana the actress i don't think Billy had a truely happy life. You can see that Billy is trying to get back to his normal life by going back to work at the end of the chapter which should be a good sign but since Billy honestly believes his own stories of Tralfamadore, when he tells others they think he's losing his mind. Billy now thinks like the Tralfamadorians do. He describes human actions as"earthling ways" and talks freely of the fourth dimension. Billy doesn't understand how the "earthlings" can ridicule him because he lived those experiences and what he went through was too incredible to be believed.
Another significant event in this chapter is that now there is another human that has also been to Tralfamadore. Billy gets to know Montana, the imported hollywood movie star, in Tralfamadore and for once in his life he has a companion who really loves him and depends on him. She is his only friend on Tralfamadore and she completely trusts him and it seems that this is Billy first love. I wonder if during the time that he and Montana spend together if Billy is married to his "bearable" wife whom he doesn't even know why he proposed to her at all.
I thought the beginning of this section was sad because it would be so difficult to spend the rest of your life with someone you don't really care for. The honeymoon seemed quite regular but when the narrator mentions the couple on the ship that passes i think he was jealous to see so an attractive happy couple. I think that seeing that couple showed Billy that he was still searching for his sense of satisfaction and happiness in life. Until he meets Montana the actress i don't think Billy had a truely happy life. You can see that Billy is trying to get back to his normal life by going back to work at the end of the chapter which should be a good sign but since Billy honestly believes his own stories of Tralfamadore, when he tells others they think he's losing his mind. Billy now thinks like the Tralfamadorians do. He describes human actions as"earthling ways" and talks freely of the fourth dimension. Billy doesn't understand how the "earthlings" can ridicule him because he lived those experiences and what he went through was too incredible to be believed.
jueves, 14 de febrero de 2008
Chapter 4: Slaughterhouse-Five
For the first time Billy tells us in depth about his abductions by Tralfamadorians and it got me wondering if Billy really was losing his mind like everyone said. The encounter is described by very specific detail but it seems very incredible, being abducted by a ray of light and taken into a world in the fourth dimension. I don't understand how Billy knew that he was going to be abducted on his daugter's wedding night. I also don't understand what is the significance of Billy's abductions, why they happen, how the Tarlfamadorians can be so advanced and why they see in the fouth dimension.
In this chapter the author continues saying "so it goes" whenever death is mentioned but now phrases from other chapters like "nestled like spoons" are seen again. Also "blue and ivory feet" is a phrase repeated often. The phrase is a simile that comes up whenever people sleeping together is mentioned like on the train in the war and when Billy and his wife are together. "Blue and ivory feet" describes billys feet before the abduction. I associate blue with coldness and darkness and an ominous feeling or uncertainty and the ivory or white with tranquility. This makes me think that Billy is anxious about the abduction but not scared.
Also we get acquainted with new charaters in the book. Small and wimpy Lazzaro, Derby, the teacher who Billy already knows his fate. I wonder what it is like knowing how and when someone dies when they are still alive, Billy's knowledge of Derby's future must have really changed the way he was towards him because he knew too much. After revealing the knowledge of Derby's doomed future the narrator constantly refers to him as "poor old Derby" which helped remind me of the man's dreadful and inevitable future. Billy also knew that he would come to an end because of all the men's promises to avenge Weary by killing his murderer, Billy Pilgrim. Billy wasn't sure of where or when his death would occur but he did know that it was because of Weary who got captured at Billy's expense, that his life would be cut short.
I thought this wasn't as interesting of a chapter as the previous ones because it wasn't as eventful. The difficulties depicted in the chapter make me imagine myself in their situation and see how miserable the war must have been. I still haven't been able to find a connection between Billy's unsticking from time and the Tralfamadorians and the war other than the loss of hope and of the will to live. I think that there has been too much discussion of the war but not enough of the other scenes or phases in his life and i hope to read more about his job, his family life and the planet Tralfamadore.
In this chapter the author continues saying "so it goes" whenever death is mentioned but now phrases from other chapters like "nestled like spoons" are seen again. Also "blue and ivory feet" is a phrase repeated often. The phrase is a simile that comes up whenever people sleeping together is mentioned like on the train in the war and when Billy and his wife are together. "Blue and ivory feet" describes billys feet before the abduction. I associate blue with coldness and darkness and an ominous feeling or uncertainty and the ivory or white with tranquility. This makes me think that Billy is anxious about the abduction but not scared.
Also we get acquainted with new charaters in the book. Small and wimpy Lazzaro, Derby, the teacher who Billy already knows his fate. I wonder what it is like knowing how and when someone dies when they are still alive, Billy's knowledge of Derby's future must have really changed the way he was towards him because he knew too much. After revealing the knowledge of Derby's doomed future the narrator constantly refers to him as "poor old Derby" which helped remind me of the man's dreadful and inevitable future. Billy also knew that he would come to an end because of all the men's promises to avenge Weary by killing his murderer, Billy Pilgrim. Billy wasn't sure of where or when his death would occur but he did know that it was because of Weary who got captured at Billy's expense, that his life would be cut short.
I thought this wasn't as interesting of a chapter as the previous ones because it wasn't as eventful. The difficulties depicted in the chapter make me imagine myself in their situation and see how miserable the war must have been. I still haven't been able to find a connection between Billy's unsticking from time and the Tralfamadorians and the war other than the loss of hope and of the will to live. I think that there has been too much discussion of the war but not enough of the other scenes or phases in his life and i hope to read more about his job, his family life and the planet Tralfamadore.
martes, 12 de febrero de 2008
Chapter 3: Slaughterhouse-Five
I can't imagine how scary it would be waking up in you office with your last memory being of over twenty years ago. When Billy wakes up in his office he has no idea what year it is and asks himself where all the time had gone. It must be difficult waking up and not knowing how you got to this point in your life and missing so much time. In the third chapter we are now inside Billy Pilgrim's head, we've discovered that he now knows that he travels through time. The first assupmtion would be that Billy is losing his mind, no sane person just wakes up in a different decade and I'm sure that the cruelties of war could explain why Billy is going insane. We get to read in depth what happens to prisoners of war in this chapter but ironically enough Billy is more cheerful than ever! I know that if i were in such a hopeless situation I would give up so that my suffering wouldn't continue but instead Billy is friendly with everyone. I wonder why there is such a change in his attitude towards life. His indifference has shrunk while his attitude has improved.
The main theme throughout the entire third chapter is the war, I think that an event so huge must have left a deep impression in Billy's person. I don't understand why he would want to recall all the terrible things that happened during the war but there are great comparisons used to describe life using similes from the war. The war is almost like a literary device in this chapter because everything comes back to it or can be better understood as a result of the war.
The character Weary reappears in this chapter and he is no longer the arrogant, terrifying teenager but instead he is downtrodden and cowardly. The way he is acting shows his selfishness, all he worries about are his feet and is completely oblivious to his surroundings. I think seeing Weary in this state makes Billy see how ridiculous the guy is without his weapons. Seeing Weary defeated I wouldn't be intimidated by him any more but I don't think Billy would mock or abuse of his state either. I don't think that Billy hates Weary because the previous chapter said that Billy wasn't an angry person which is a very helpful trait in war if you want to stay alive!
The prayer on Billy's wall:
GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,
AND WISDOM TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
I think this prayer had alot to do with the occurances in the story. I think that when Billy was not caring about his life or what would happen to him he was accepting that his situation couldn't be changed. He demonstrated the first phrase better in the third chapter by being cheeful and compliant. He was accepting his current situation and seemed to be making the most of it. But I think that if Billy had taken a bit more control over his life and courageously trying to change what he could his life wouldn't be as chaotic. In my opinion that prayer summarized to Billy the way he had been living his life.
The main theme throughout the entire third chapter is the war, I think that an event so huge must have left a deep impression in Billy's person. I don't understand why he would want to recall all the terrible things that happened during the war but there are great comparisons used to describe life using similes from the war. The war is almost like a literary device in this chapter because everything comes back to it or can be better understood as a result of the war.
The character Weary reappears in this chapter and he is no longer the arrogant, terrifying teenager but instead he is downtrodden and cowardly. The way he is acting shows his selfishness, all he worries about are his feet and is completely oblivious to his surroundings. I think seeing Weary in this state makes Billy see how ridiculous the guy is without his weapons. Seeing Weary defeated I wouldn't be intimidated by him any more but I don't think Billy would mock or abuse of his state either. I don't think that Billy hates Weary because the previous chapter said that Billy wasn't an angry person which is a very helpful trait in war if you want to stay alive!
The prayer on Billy's wall:
GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,
AND WISDOM TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
I think this prayer had alot to do with the occurances in the story. I think that when Billy was not caring about his life or what would happen to him he was accepting that his situation couldn't be changed. He demonstrated the first phrase better in the third chapter by being cheeful and compliant. He was accepting his current situation and seemed to be making the most of it. But I think that if Billy had taken a bit more control over his life and courageously trying to change what he could his life wouldn't be as chaotic. In my opinion that prayer summarized to Billy the way he had been living his life.
Chapter 2: Slaughterhouse-Five
The second chapter of "Slaughterhouse-Five" begins as a descriptive narrative about this new character, Billy Pilgrim. This chapter doesn't seem to have any relation to the previous one but instead is describing the two newest main characters in vivid detail. The chapter beings with the narrator saying, "listen, Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time" this introductory sentance seems very irrelevent but is later explained. This chapter starts in a very choronological order through big events in Billy's life. The event most discussed in chapter two is the second world war which is also where Billy became unstuck from time.
I think that the reason why Billy became unstuck from time was because he was completely hopeless and didn't even want to continue living. This reminded me of Dante's Inferno because Dante is at a point in his life where he is lost and confused just like Billy and so some extreme event happens because of his loss of hope. In the poem Dante's Inferno, Dante gets taken through hell while Billy navigates through time. In two very different ways i think that Dante and Billy are seeing into the future, one more literally than the other. Both Dante and Billy know what will happen to them atleast at the end of their life times.
Later on in the chapter the chronological order disappears and we are no longer reading a description of Billy's life but we're in it. We are following billy through the war and even when he moves through time. Even though we don't know what is happening in each scene when the time changes, I think it is a very obvious way of doing foreshadowing. I also found it very interesting how the author chose to add dialogue to the narration. Another thing that I discovered was that whenever death is mentioned in the chapter the author adds, "so it goes" which he said was what Tralfamadorians say when someone dies. I think that by adding that the author is always bringing up the fourth dimension and doing a small comparison of "Earthling" thinking versus Tralfamadorian thinking.
I think that the structure of the chapter near the end becomes very random, confusing and even repetitive. The repetition is to empasize certain events like the war. The randomness may be telling the reader that they have to remeber each event and may be foreshadowing how the story goes on. I think that the skipping of scenes makes the book more interesting since now we are expecting to learn more about each event. So far I think the book is rather interesting and eventhough at times I have to go back and read over certain scenes it is written in a very captivating way. I got a very clear introduction of Billy Pilgrim, not only what happens to him during his life put his personality and background. Also the other character that is mentioned alot, Weary, is very vividly portrayed as a young, fearsom teenager with a very twisted mind. I'm still not quite sure if Weary is of much importance to the story but he did save Billy's life so he may move through the book along with Billy. I think that the second chapter was a "hook" chapter to get the reader interested and I'm curious to know what happens next in Billy's jumbled life.
I think that the reason why Billy became unstuck from time was because he was completely hopeless and didn't even want to continue living. This reminded me of Dante's Inferno because Dante is at a point in his life where he is lost and confused just like Billy and so some extreme event happens because of his loss of hope. In the poem Dante's Inferno, Dante gets taken through hell while Billy navigates through time. In two very different ways i think that Dante and Billy are seeing into the future, one more literally than the other. Both Dante and Billy know what will happen to them atleast at the end of their life times.
Later on in the chapter the chronological order disappears and we are no longer reading a description of Billy's life but we're in it. We are following billy through the war and even when he moves through time. Even though we don't know what is happening in each scene when the time changes, I think it is a very obvious way of doing foreshadowing. I also found it very interesting how the author chose to add dialogue to the narration. Another thing that I discovered was that whenever death is mentioned in the chapter the author adds, "so it goes" which he said was what Tralfamadorians say when someone dies. I think that by adding that the author is always bringing up the fourth dimension and doing a small comparison of "Earthling" thinking versus Tralfamadorian thinking.
I think that the structure of the chapter near the end becomes very random, confusing and even repetitive. The repetition is to empasize certain events like the war. The randomness may be telling the reader that they have to remeber each event and may be foreshadowing how the story goes on. I think that the skipping of scenes makes the book more interesting since now we are expecting to learn more about each event. So far I think the book is rather interesting and eventhough at times I have to go back and read over certain scenes it is written in a very captivating way. I got a very clear introduction of Billy Pilgrim, not only what happens to him during his life put his personality and background. Also the other character that is mentioned alot, Weary, is very vividly portrayed as a young, fearsom teenager with a very twisted mind. I'm still not quite sure if Weary is of much importance to the story but he did save Billy's life so he may move through the book along with Billy. I think that the second chapter was a "hook" chapter to get the reader interested and I'm curious to know what happens next in Billy's jumbled life.
jueves, 7 de febrero de 2008
Answers To Blog Questions
A. I think that the main difference between a blog and a book is content. Books are written out with an order and a structure. Moreover books usually have one main topic which is discussed throughout. Blogs are written at random, they use slang, don't have to have a structure or punctuation or even a single topic. Blogs can skip through themes and genres and don't have to explain themselves, they don't even have to make a point. A blog is a series of random comments and people discussing whatever comes to mind.
B. Before blogs were pages linking relevant information together and was mainly informative. Today blogs are used for gossip, politics, news, socially and to get noticed. People can even unite under one idea and try to throw people out of office. A great example of a very effective way of using a blog was the idea of a world-wide peace march against the Farc. The idea spread and in on February 4th, dozens of countries held a march. This was organized all thanks so facebook!
C. I would read a blog to get simple information qucikly like world news or gossip and for communication. The biggest issue about blogging is how biased the comments are and I worry about the accuracy. Blogging is also a simple way to keep in touch with people abroad.
D. Yes there is a reason to doubt the objectivity of a blog. A blog is usually made to express one's opinion or to defend a view making a blog comply with the writer's perspective not actual facts. The news blogs may be less opinionated but even journalists subtly make the news biased. Just the fact that they can pick and choose what news they want to post is not giving the readers all the information. Even news can be chosen to fit certain factors to suit the writers and the company.
E. If I had my own blog I would title it somethink like "Suzy's Corner" and under it, I would write "click here and tell us what you think about a certain topic".
B. Before blogs were pages linking relevant information together and was mainly informative. Today blogs are used for gossip, politics, news, socially and to get noticed. People can even unite under one idea and try to throw people out of office. A great example of a very effective way of using a blog was the idea of a world-wide peace march against the Farc. The idea spread and in on February 4th, dozens of countries held a march. This was organized all thanks so facebook!
C. I would read a blog to get simple information qucikly like world news or gossip and for communication. The biggest issue about blogging is how biased the comments are and I worry about the accuracy. Blogging is also a simple way to keep in touch with people abroad.
D. Yes there is a reason to doubt the objectivity of a blog. A blog is usually made to express one's opinion or to defend a view making a blog comply with the writer's perspective not actual facts. The news blogs may be less opinionated but even journalists subtly make the news biased. Just the fact that they can pick and choose what news they want to post is not giving the readers all the information. Even news can be chosen to fit certain factors to suit the writers and the company.
E. If I had my own blog I would title it somethink like "Suzy's Corner" and under it, I would write "click here and tell us what you think about a certain topic".
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