Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote a futuristic story, ¨Harrison Bergeron¨, the characters are all ¨Equal every which way.¨ The year was 2081 and everybody in the Utopia claimed to be equal with one another. If you were above average in intelligence you were forced by the handicapped general to wear an earpiece to stop your train of thought, if you were athletic they would put weights on you so you can’t perform your best. In the text Harrison is viewed as a superior person that is so called better than…

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut takes place in the year 2081 where everyone is equal with little to no differences. The story explores the idea of the tall poppy syndrome, a social phenomenon where people are called on and criticised in a negative way for their achievements. The ultimate utopian is where every human being is equal. However, it is later on showed in the essay how the terms ‘equality’ and ‘happiness’ can lead a downward path. In the story, Vonnegut provides the audience with…

child is born, someone has to sacrifice themselves in order for that child to live? This world has evolved so much that scientists have found a cure for aging and people no longer grow old or die from any natural causes. The short story 2BRO2B by Kurt Vonnegut, is about sacrifice and evolution and reveals that when we, as human beings, evolve it will lead to us making sacrifices we wouldn’t make unless it was the last possible option. Every bad situation has been solved and no one has to worry…

Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel by Kurt Vonnegut, brings a new aspect to the image revolving around time, life, and war, as well as how war is perceived. Vonnegut changes the glorified image of war and brings a never before experienced reality into his novel. In the words of noted scholar Josh Simpson, “Slaughterhouse-Five shows two things simultaneously with equally chilling clarity: what war and bad ideas can do to humanity” (Simpson 7). Like-minded, Dr. Ruzbeh Babaee adds, “Vonnegut’s dark…

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…

arguments lead to fights, which then lead to wars. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a somewhat autobiographical, science-fiction novel about the life of a man who learns all that has happened and will happen is already determined, and then only lives his life instead of experiencing it. Vonnegut’s experiences and views before his death caused him to write Slaughterhouse-Five…

Harrison Bergeron written by Kurt Vonnegut and is one of the most recent books that I have read. Harrison Bergeron is a dark book, but I believe the message it gave me was enlightening. It was a suspenseful book that entertains you throughout. The theme that I took from it is that you should never allow yourself to be oppressed by your leaders or anyone of that matter; instead you should fight against your oppressor. Harrison Bergeron fought for his beliefs and died happily, even though his work…

A DUTY DANCE WITH DEATH Kurt Vonnegut’s life was defined by his experiences in the Second World War. In particular, he was affected most by his sentence as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany. While in Dresden, he witnessed the most appalling and unpleasant aspects of human life. Vonnegut survived a barrage of incendiary bombs dropped by Allied forces on Dresden which killed approximately 135,000 innocent civilian lives. Of course, the visions that Vonnegut had of Dresden after emerging from…

other ways death can be hampered, for example, in war. Of course, the climate of opinion is that war is not preventable; however, in his anti-war book, Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses rhetoric to show how society sanctions war to be cataclysmic and damaging to all those involved. In the first chapter of the book, Vonnegut describes a visit he had with…

Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut expands on his humanistic ideals and explores religion in order to analyze the universality of the principals various religions teach. Vonnegut’s presentation of science and religion in a satirical setting serves to illustrate humanities need for these institutions and discuss the full extent of their impact on humanity. Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle uses a fictitious religion, Bokonism, to show how a faith gains its greatest following during difficult times. This enables…