Kurt Vonnegut’s Reading, Boredom, Belonging, and Our Human Responsibility speech at Fredonia College reminds me of my pastor’s sermons, however without a religious aspect. Vonnegut advises this graduating class on how to be good people and lead good lives. The tone of this essay is patronizing, as it is expected for graduation speakers to be wise and impart wisdom into the new generation. This is why most graduation speeches are timeless, such as “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace. He begins the speech with a silly and seemingly dull piece of advice that he uses to start deeper discussion:
“I suppose you will all want money and true love, among other things. I will tell you how to make money: work very hard. I will tell you how to win love: wear nice clothing and smile all the time. Learn the words to all the latest songs. What other advice can I give you? Eat lots of bran to provide necessary bulk in your diet. The only advice my father ever gave me was this: “Never stick anything in your ear.” The tiniest bones in your body are inside your ears, you know — and your sense of balance, …show more content…
Later, he called this If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young.Before fully diving into the beauty of music and its roots, he discussed the corruption of the American government (calling our leaders “power-drunk chimpanzees”), the “idiotic” wars we are/were involved in, and sarcastically noting how war “only made billionaires out of millionaires” progress. Throughout this discussion on war and our government, Vonnegut throws in some insite on how sadness, through war or slavery, made music better, noting “the absolutely priceless gift which African Americans gave to the whole wild world when they were still in slavery”. Sadness and hardship inspired the blues, which paved the way for more modern interpretations like pop and
“I suppose you will all want money and true love, among other things. I will tell you how to make money: work very hard. I will tell you how to win love: wear nice clothing and smile all the time. Learn the words to all the latest songs. What other advice can I give you? Eat lots of bran to provide necessary bulk in your diet. The only advice my father ever gave me was this: “Never stick anything in your ear.” The tiniest bones in your body are inside your ears, you know — and your sense of balance, …show more content…
Later, he called this If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young.Before fully diving into the beauty of music and its roots, he discussed the corruption of the American government (calling our leaders “power-drunk chimpanzees”), the “idiotic” wars we are/were involved in, and sarcastically noting how war “only made billionaires out of millionaires” progress. Throughout this discussion on war and our government, Vonnegut throws in some insite on how sadness, through war or slavery, made music better, noting “the absolutely priceless gift which African Americans gave to the whole wild world when they were still in slavery”. Sadness and hardship inspired the blues, which paved the way for more modern interpretations like pop and