Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut is one of the greatest pacifist writers in the world, although criticized by many he still tries to get his message across to the public. Kurt Vonnegut has written many novels in his lifetime the most well known is Slaughterhouse Five, which tells of his experiences somewhat in World War Two. Throughout all his novels he seems to keep the same “recurring Vonnegut theme is the evil that occurs when technology is allowed by man to run rampant. I am the enemy of all technological progress that threatens mankind.”(Saturday Evening Post, May/June 86 pg. 38) Kurt Vonnegut was born on November 11th, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born into a family where the father was a respectable architect, but less than a year after his parents marriage came World War One. “Prohibition ended the Lieber income from brewing and the Great Depression brought a halt to building and hence unemployment to to Vonnegut’s architect father. Looking back on those years, Vonnegut has said that the time of the Great Depression was not particularly hard for him.”(American Writers, A Collection of Literary Biographies, Supplement 2,Part 2 pg 754) Kurt Vonnegut had his first writing experience a Shortridge Highschool in Indianapolis. He then attended Cornell University where he majored in chemistry and biology. After being kicked out of Cornell he then Enlisted in the army. Soon after his enlistment his mother committed suicide and his father died roughly 13 years after. He had become a German prisoner of war in 1944 which was the inspration for his book Slaughterhouse Five. After returning home he began the start of many novels. Many things had affected his life such key items as the Great Depression, his parents dying when he was young, being captured in the war and the death of his 41 year old sister. This would lead him to mock how society would be in years to come. In his first novel Player Piano he makes fun of an electric company that sacrifices humanity for technology. This was set in years to come where scientists and other people of that field were attempting to have machines take over humans jobs. This is the start of many personal experiences that motivate him to either mock society or warn them if they are not careful. In using his own experiences he makes his points more realistic.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that kurt vonnegut is one of the greatest pacifist writers in the world, although criticized by many he still tries to get his message across to the public.
- Explains that kurt vonnegut was born on november 11th, in indianapolis, indiana, into a family where the father was an architect.
- Explains how the great depression, his parents dying, being captured in the war, and the death of his 41-year-old sister had affected his life and led him to mock society in years to come.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's first novel, player piano, makes fun of an electric company that sacrifices humanity for technology. his personal experiences motivate him to either mock society or warn them if they are not careful.
- Opines that kurt vonnegut has long been called a science fiction writer but insists he is not. he preaches that society will destroy itself if technology is going the way it is.
Related
- analytical
- narrative
- explanatory
- Kurt Vonnegutanalytical essayKurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is a contemporary American author whose works have been described by Richard Giannone as "comic masks covering the tragic farce that is our contemporary life" (Draper, 3784). Vonnegut's life has had a number of significant influences on his works. Influences from his personal philosophy, his life and experiences, and his family are evident elements in his works. Among his "comic masks" are three novels: Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kurt vonnegut, jr. is a contemporary american author, whose works have been described by richard giannone as "comic masks covering the tragic farce that is our contemporary life."
- Analyzes how vonnegut's participation in world war ii had a profound impact on his personal philosophy and his ideas about the evils of technology.
- Analyzes how vonnegut portrays his fear of technology in cat's cradle. the focus on technology quickly changes to ice-nine, which has the ability to destroy the world by freezing all its water.
- Analyzes how cat's cradle is an excellent example of vonnegut’s existentialism, which emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in an indifferent universe.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's existential philosophy takes the form of a religion in the sirens of titan.
- Analyzes how god bless you, mr. rosewater exhibits elements of vonnegut's take on technology and existentialism in plot and theme.
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut expresses existential concepts through the compassion of one man for people who feel no self-value. his mother's suicide, places from his life, and his careers influence his writing.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's mother killed herself with sleeping pills while he was in germany during world war ii.
- Opines that suicide has always been a temptation to them, since their mother solved so many problems with it. the child of suicide thinks of death as logical solution to any problem, even one in simple algebra.
- Analyzes how vonnegut made a suicide attempt in 1984, using sleeping pills and alcohol. some one found and saved him, and he adds in his usual tone of slight bemusement.
- Analyzes how fred rosewater's indifferent perspective on suicide appears in god bless you, mr.
- Analyzes how vonnegut uses locations from his life in cat's cradle and in god bless you, mr. rosewater.
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut used his various experiences as a writer to create the narrator for cat's cradle. he also includes writers in the sirens of titan and god bless you, mr.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's family has played a role in influencing his writing. his brother and sister have had some effects on his work.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's brother, kurt, was a successful chemist, so he studied chemistry at cornell university. he used his scientific knowledge to describe the fictitious substance ice-nine.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's sister, who died at age 40, has had a different influence on his writing. she is the perfect reader whom he writes for.
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut's writings owe a lot to influences from his life.
- Explains draper's "kurt vonnegut, jr." world literature criticism: 1500 to the present. microsoft bookshelf 1994.
- Narrates how kurt vonnegut's close up was published in the saturday evening post, may/june 1986.
2044 wordsRead More - Kurt Vonnegutnarrative essayKurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut is an impressive author who combines comic fiction and social satire in his novels. He often writes about the main character Kilgore Trout, who seems to be more like Vonnegut’s alter ego. He has written many books including Player Piano, Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five, Galapagos, Bluebeard, and Fates Worse Than Death. Kurt Vonnegut was born November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis Indiana. His parents were Kurt Vonnegut Sr. and Edith Leiber.
In this essay, the author
- Describes kurt vonnegut as an impressive author who combines comic fiction and social satire in his novels.
- Narrates how kurt vonnegut graduated from shortridge high school, cornell university, and was captured in the battle of the bulge.
- Narrates how kurt vonnegut found time to write and published cat’s cradle, pearls before swine, and slaughterhouse five. his son mark had a schizophrenic breakdown.
- Opines that kurt vonnegut's "player piano" is an intriguing story of the machine driven nation being brought to its knees.
726 wordsRead More - Comparing 2BR02B And Harrison Bergeronanalytical essayVonnegut includes topics of war and violence in his work in order to explain his opinions on such conflicts. “After this battle, Kurt Vonnegut was captured and became a prisoner of war. He was in Dresden, Germany, during the allied firebombing of the city and saw the complete devastation caused by it” (Biography.com). This helps explain my thesis because it shows the hardships Vonnegut
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut composed stories about fictional situations that occurred in futuristic versions of today's world. his stories included violence, both upon oneself and one another, and characters who sought revenge.
- Analyzes how vonnegut included topics of war and violence in his work in order to explain his opinions on such conflicts.
- Concludes that vonnegut conveys physical violence as a way to show how war brings pain and destruction.
461 wordsRead More - Behind Vonnegut Lies A Curtain Analysisanalytical essayKurt Vonnegut Jr. was an ordinary man, a great father and an extraordinary writer. He was born in indianapolis Indiana. As a fourth generation German-American, he would later serve in the Second World War. He had the capability to include spaceships,vulgarity, and childish characteristics while still causing his readers to learn crucial life lessons. Yet the most interesting thing is what was behind his curtain. It is what captivated, intrigued, and how he analyzed the Midwestern region that would eventually differentiate him from other authors. Kurt Vonnegut was inspired by technological advances, the effects of WWII, and humanity.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kurt vonnegut jr. was an ordinary man, a great father and an extraordinary writer. he was inspired by technological advances, the effects of wwii, and humanity.
- Explains that the 1920's are also known as the roaring twenties in american history. the midwestern region prospered under machinery advancements in everyday life.
- Analyzes how kurt jr.'s depression made his family penniless, and the cold war dominated his midwestern life. the arms race left a taste of syfy on many of his works.
- Analyzes how the allied strategy had shifted toward the end of world war ii. they decided to span out bombings throughout the german nation and began with a culturally filled city named dresden.
- Analyzes how vonnegut was an adamant pacifist who was troubled by the glorification brought upon the war. billy pilgrim was broken after the second world war.
- Analyzes how vonnegut loved humanity. he accepted that there were series of events that people could not control, and also understood how it could define them. kurt took this point of view since his mother killed herself in indiana.
- Analyzes how vonnegut found similar qualities throughout the midwest, but it was indiana that he loved. indiana had a rich complex history in its short time of existence.
- Opines that kurt vonnegut was inspired by the midwest as any other midwesterner. he went back to his roots from the midwest to confirm or reflect on his beliefs.
875 wordsRead More - Kurt Vonnegut Legacyexplanatory essayKurt Vonnegut was an American writer born in 1922. Throughout his career he was primarily known as a satirical writer and often delved into elements of fantasy and science fiction. In the 1950s Vonnegut began his career publishing short stories and soon began his prolific career by publishing his first novel Player Piano (1952). As his career progressed Vonnegut explored other areas outside science fiction which resulted in his work, Cat’s Cradle (1963) and Slaughterhouse-Five; or The Chldren’s Crusade (1969). His later work moved even further away from technology and served as commentary on American social values and society. This resulted in his novel Breakfast of Champion; or Goodbye Blue Monday! (1973). Vonnegut’s legacy was cemented as
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kurt vonnegut was an american writer born in 1922. he was a satirical writer and delved into elements of fantasy and science fiction.
143 wordsRead More - Slaughterhouse-Five: A Peace Novelanalytical essayWar is a tragic experience that can motivate people to do many things. Many people have been inspired to write stories, poems, or songs about war. Many of these examples tend to reflect feelings against war. Kurt Vonnegut is no different and his experience with war inspired him to write a series of novels starting with Slaughter-House Five. It is a unique novel expressing Vonnegut's feelings about war. These strong feeling can be seen in the similarities between characters, information about the Tralfamadorians, dark humor, and the structure of the novel.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut's experience with war inspired him to write a series of novels starting with slaughter-house five.
- Describes kurt vonnegut as an american novelist from indianapolis, indiana, born in 1922. he served in wwii and was captured by the germans in the battle of the bulge.
- Analyzes how vonnegut created billy pilgrim, the protagonist of the story, to express his views about war.
- Analyzes how billy and vonnegut carry many similarities throughout the novel, such as being taken as a pow and witnessing the firebombing of dresden.
- Analyzes how the anti-war message is upheld with the ironies that vonnegut provides in the book.
- Analyzes the irony of the execution of poor old edgar derby. a whole city gets burned down, and thousands of people are killed.
- Analyzes how vonnegut uses science fiction to prove his point. the tralfamadorians are aliens that abduct billy on a clear night 1967.
- Analyzes how vonnegut uses the tralfamadorians to criticize war. they also serve as an escape for billy when he is stressed from his experiences on earth.
- Analyzes vonnegut's use of dark humor in his novel, which reinforces the idea that war is absurd and anchored in the grim reality of the destruction of dresden.
- Analyzes how the novel is truly one of a kind in structure, with dark humor and absurdist time-travel. billy pilgrim is jerked back and forth between past and future.
- Analyzes how the narrative is a series of traumatic events, and the psychological interest of the novel is the attempt of pilgrim to comp with the shadows of horror.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's emotions against war can be seen in the comparison between himself and billy pilgrim, the tralfamadorians, dark humor, and the arrangement of the novel.
- Describes the works of charles berryman and lawrence r. broer. sanity plea: schizophrenia in the novels of kurt vonnegut
- Cites rasmussen, r. kent, vees-gulani, susanne, and vit, marek.
1434 wordsRead More - Vonnegut's Consequality Of Lifeanalytical essayHowever, it is this accumulation of experiences and an unparalleled ability to address the issues of humanity that distinguishes Kurt Vonnegut from the other modern authors. Vonnegut never forces his opinion; he subtly drops hints, asks questions, and slowly allows the reader to decide for themself the implications of his writing. The goal for him is not to change anyone’s perspective, but simply encourage a re-examination of some particular themes. Even though Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle are distinctly different novels, they share many common themes, such as the delicacy of life, the violence of war, and the illusion of free will. By exploring and comparing the presentation of the themes and styles from two of Kurt Vonnegut’s classics, the reader is able to gain a unique insight into both the novels and the author, providing for a fuller understanding of Vonnegut’s intentions and meanings: depicting the true nature of
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how vonnegut questions the fragility of life and the way he depicts the flow of time in his novels.
- Analyzes how the tralfamadorians argue that if humans cannot change anything about time, there is no such thing as free will. billy's life is just another section in the endless cycle of humanity.
- Analyzes how vonnegut draws a fine line between fate and free will as he questions the delicateness of life.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's fragmented writing style emphasizes the fragility of life and the illusion of free will.
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut's ability to address the issues of humanity distinguishes him from the other modern authors.
1318 wordsRead More - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jranalytical essaySlaughterhouse-Five: Why War Should Never Happen Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a World War II veteran and author of the literary masterpiece Slaughterhouse-Five, was one of the many there to witness the destruction of the city of Dresden located in Germany, and one of the few to survive to tell the gruesome details. Most of his writing was used to encourage those with anti-war mindsets to take a stand, and to inform everyone else of the damage that is done when a nation goes to war. He uses his books to remind people that war is gruesome, gory, and violent, and the glamorous aspect of it is simply a disturbed part of one’s imagination that truly does not exist. He reminds people of the visceral hatred that comes with the package of war; of how Germans used the fat of dead Jews to make soap and candles and how there was a scarce food supply for prisoners during the second World War, or possibly any war for that matter. The fire-bombing of Dresden lead to the unnecessary deaths of over 60,000 civilians and prisoners of war (POW’s).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut jr., a world war ii veteran and author of the literary masterpiece slaughterhouse-five, used his books to remind people that war is gruesome, gory, and violent.
- Analyzes how vonnegut discusses various themes and topics in his novel slaughterhouse-five, but the biggest topic he focuses on is the after effects of war.
- Analyzes how billy pilgrim has come unstuck in time and gone to sleep a senile.
- Narrates how he has gone back through that door to come out another one in 1941.
- Narrates how he has seen his birth and death many times.
- Analyzes how the time travel aspect of the novel is simply a metaphor of how billy pilgrim is struggling with letting go of his past.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's novel slaughterhouse-five informs the reader of why a nation should never go to war.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's quote, "the colonel coughed, and then he said to billy, 'you one of my boys?'" reinforces the fact that most of the so-called "men" fighting the war were actually children.
- Analyzes how vonnegut conveys the message of where the violence of war will eventually lead any nation.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's slaughterhouse-five is an anti-war book that has opened the eyes of many by explaining that war isn't a joke, but something that should be taken seriously.
1401 wordsRead More - Kurt Vonnegut - The Man and His Workanalytical essayKurt Vonnegut – The Man and His Work One of the best, most valuable aspects of reading multiple works by the same author is getting to know the author as a person. People don't identify with Gregor Samsa; they identify with Kafka. Witness the love exhibited by the many fans of Hemingway, a love for both the texts and the drama of the man. It's like that for me with Kurt Vonnegut, but it strikes me that he pulls it off in an entirely different way. Kafka's work is a reaction to his mental anguish, which is kind of like Vonnegut, who has dealt with the bulk of his personal hardships throughout his career, but those hardships are not his sole motivation.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes hume, kathryn, and robert merrill's critical essays on kurt vonnegut.
- Analyzes how kurt vonnegut's work is a reaction to his mental anguish, which is similar to that of hemingway.
- Analyzes kurt vonnegut, jr.'s motivations for writing and striving to get his writing read, and the quest for "soul-deep fun."
- Opines that robert weide is writing a screen adaptation of sirens of titan and kurt is still speaking, touring, and doing his visual art.
- Analyzes how vonnegut's early life has shaped his writing. his pessimistic outlook is influenced by his father, his mother, and his uncle alex.
5175 wordsRead More - War and Heroism in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Fiveanalytical essaySlaughterhouse Five is not a book that should be glanced over and discarded away like a dirty rag. Slaughterhouse Five is a book that should be carefully analyzed and be seen as an inspiration to further improve the well-being of mankind. Vonnegut makes it clear that an easy way to improve mankind is to see war not as a place where legends are born, but rather, an event to be avoided. Intelligent readers and critics alike should recognize Vonnegut’s work and see to it that they make an effort to understand the complexities behind the human condition that lead us to war.
In this essay, the author
- Defines war as a state or period of usually open and declared fighting between states or nations. even the most intelligent of us hold some rather nave notions of war.
- Analyzes how roland weary sees war as an adventure, not a time where horrible atrocities are committed and massacres take place. the english officers at the pow camp make war look stylish, reasonable and fun.
- Analyzes how vonnegut uses irony to strengthen the readers' contempt for war. the bombing of dresden provokes the reader to be outraged at the tactics that man uses just to make sure the enemy will lose.
- Analyzes how vonnegut is trying to make a valiant stand against popular culture and the glamorization of war.
- Opines that slaughterhouse five should be carefully analyzed and be seen as an inspiration to further improve the well-being of mankind. intelligent readers and critics alike should recognize vonnegut’s work and see to it that they make an effort to understand the complexities behind the human condition that lead us to war.
780 wordsRead More