A Layman Philosopher

If, in reading this essay, you immediately assume me to be a higher authority and get swept up in all I say you’ve missed my point entirely. Often, when we read essays pertaining to text, we are mesmerized by the implicit authority given to the author and just nod, sheep-like. It is easy to fall back into this child-like pattern when reading Invisible Cities William Gass’ essay on Italo Calvino’s book by the same name. His prose is like an acquired taste, it flows easily and enjoyable in spaces, but it is overly dense and pretentious in others. Often, it feels more like a short story in the making than a critique on another work. His undercurrent of supremacy makes it easy to agree blindly a sentiment that is aided by the fact that Gass has several correct and insightful points, such as pointing out there are nine circles of hell and nine groupings in Invisible Cities. He also parallels the lives of Marco Polo and Dante, and finally points out that the edition Calvino must have read of Marco Polo’s travels and that its illustrations of Asian cities and its effect on him. As much as I agree with all that, I don’t agree with his thesis, which states that in Invisible Cities more of a story to pass the time, as Polo’s stories were, a book “shaped by the mouth and meant for the ear” more than a book with a meaning hidden within it. Gass’s essay spends more time on Polo’s life story (he often seems to forget that the travels in Calvino’s tale are fictitious) than Calvino’s book and seems to imply that Invisible Cities is a long and pretty poem, rather than the more complex, philosophical work it actually is. He also seems to believe that the meaning is often clouded by the words and that we alter our perceptions of writing so quickly that the true meaning of the book is a great unimaginable unknown, a hidden book within the book

Invisible Cities is a short, nearly poetical book, but it pertains more to the realm of philosophy, as it takes a banal piece of life (the city) and looks for a deeper current of meaning and human feeling. It also has no deep secret, rather the words are there for themselves, the meaning is clear, and the open-ended questions are left to the imagination of both the reader and the author. The cities invite questions about death, life, routine, habit and unconscious human thought, the way we slip into a great pattern without ever noticing it. Calvino talks about human nature, invites us to question it, and even easily laughs at it, all the while sensing his own place inside of the tumult of human existence. He also has place for beauty and also has a sense of the right twist of phrase to let his meanings come across, as when he describes the city of Beersheba, where he warns against false piety and greed masquerading as lofty ambition. Or the city of Perinthia (my personal favorite) where Calvino pokes fun at the curious human devotion to religion, and the fact that we know nothing about our Gods, but an idea we have arbitrarily created. As he says, for all we know the gods are what we would view as monsters.

Monsters and death and other such elements of despair crop up along the text, but as any philosopher (or perhaps just an inquisitive mind, like the five-year old that asks “Why?” over and over) Calvino has room for both sides of life, good and bad, ugly or beautiful. Like Dante, he adds a touch of beauty without taking from the overall meaning of the text. Unlike Gass I don’t think beauty makes a text like this empty poetry, but instead all the more moving. In describing the people on the street in the city of Chloe an inner poet writes “A tattooed giant comes along; a young man with white hair; a female dwarf; two girls, twins, dressed in coral” (51) The details give the reader a rich mental image, but it also serves to show human diversity, and then expose the underlying sexuality that binds all people to each other, even without realizing it. In Chloe, fantasies have already bound them, and will always keep them so. Calvino’s skill is reminiscent to Dante’s, who, in his heavily moralistic and often violent tale, also adds the needed artist’s hand. His little brushstrokes of beauty make such a gruesome text bearable (after all, it does describe Hell) such as in the final lines of the final Canto “Until I saw, through a round opening, some of the things of beauty Heaven bears. It was from there that we emerged, to see-once more-the stars.” (Canto XXXIV, lines 136-139)

As a reader, one doesn’t have to search for hidden meaning in beauty. In general, it is already there. Gass believes that one cannot find a deeper meaning to Invisible Cities but I believe it is readily apparent. It is of course not spelled out in big block letters, but the meaning is easy to grasp. The book is an invitation to reflection on human life and to be open to questions it. Calvino plays the role of a good friend elbowing you in the ribs to whisper a clever observation on the scene in front of you. The word in this text serves its purpose, it leads your ear to the author’s lips. For example in Inferno Dante comes across two figure caught in a flame one tells him “When I sailed away from Circe” (Canto XXVI lines 90-91) he never explicitly states who it is, but the reader knows it is Ulysses, the same way he never points out the poetic justice in his punishments (like flatterers being submerged in excrement) but the reader knows it is there.

Like Dante, who doesn’t need to hit you over with the head with a brick to make his point, Calvino, towards the end of Invisible Cities as Marco Polo and Kublai Khan talk, writes “ Not the labile mists of memory nor the dry transparence, but the charring of burned lives that forms a scab on the city, the sponge swollen with vital matter that no longer flows, the jam of past, present, future that blocks existences calcified in the illusion of movement: this is what you would find at the end of your journey.” (99) The end of the journey draws an obvious parallel to death (often referred to as the end of life’s journey) and this is an image reinforced by bringing to mind a wound and a fatal one at that, as it has stopped bleeding and has solidified, along with the corpse. In death there is also non-time, as a person now finds that their past present and future converge and they are no longer placed in any one of them, but somewhere else altogether. You can no longer live in “the labile mists of memory” or transparent present and there is no longer a future to move towards. Calvino also alludes to the permanent presence or idea of death in regular life, it is like “a scab on the city” a reminder of the coming end, casting a shadow on life and the way a city is organized (i.e. a cemetery) This passage bears eerie resemblance to the passage in Slaughter House-Five, where they arrive at the camp housing British prisoners of war. The human mass is described as liquid, while the dead hobo is described as “[he] could not flow, could not plop. He wasn’t liquid anymore. He was stone” (81) Vonnegut also sees life as a flowing thing (like blood) and dead a cold solid thing, like calcified sore alluded to here. Calvino is so mindful of the human obsession with death that five out of the fifty-five cities deal with the dead. The whole book is of course a subtle allegory as to life itself (a journey not yet at its end, but with an end in mind, and full of unknowns, with no planned path) and it is filled with the quandaries of daily life, such as relationships, superstition, solitudes, confusion, with the point of view of both the reader and the author (with all the questions and ideas that arise) as a backdrop, portrayed by Kublai Khan and Marco Polo.

Invisible Cities is an ode to the quiet philosopher in every man, who wonders quietly about life and death and the complex indescribable relationships between him and every member of his species. Italo Calvino brings forth all those ideas in poetic prose and deep thought. It is not just a pretty book of pseudo-poetry, but a crucial text that should be placed with other works like Epictetus’ Handbook. Without much trouble, or even conscious thought, the reader sees the brilliant insight this text offers into their lives and is invited to open their eyes and further question the world around them. In imitation of the Italian/Cuban author I invite you, my reader, to take a moment and think about what unseen thread wind around you and your city. I dare you.

The Life, The Girl, The Legend. (Photo Essay)

Mr Tangen, Blogger wouldn’t let me put this all in one post (and the format came out wonky anyway), so it’s broken up into several, so just scroll down.

Warning: the following photo essay documents the life of a strange, highly irritable, and annoyingly smart sixteen year old. Read at your own risk.

First off my lair…err room. I decided against cleaning up, it’s more honest. Not pictured, my TV. My room may not be huge but angles are conspiring against me
Next my partner-in-crime and only reliable link to the outside world. I don’t talk to it. Honest. Or at least not often….

Well can you blame me? This is my view…
Another very important bit of my room, my book collection, only partly photographed.
This is my desk, and as you can see I’m a believer in chaotic order. I can find things in there, seriously! Trust me; it’s not half as bad as my drawers
Above it you can glimpse the one true glance into my brain, my almighty dartboard! Essentially anything I like, I pin it there. A close up

Two things I can’t live without. Voltaren. What? I’m accident prone, and I bruise easy!
And Mireyita, without whom I would probably accidentally barbeque my pants. She feeds me too!
And a third that I could live without but don’t want to: Caffeine!!! (It ranks right up there with: BRAAAAAAAAAINS!) Explains a lot, right?
Ok, so here’s a fourth but who’s counting? (Other than me of course) Chocolate! The Toblerone was consumed shortly after the photo was taken

Something I can live without: The elusive older brother, pictured here in a very rare glimpse of it in the wild (Note: our intrepid photographer nearly lost her life getting this shot)
Generally the only trace of its presence is the *gasp* Closed Door!
Favorite body part: My eyes. Yes, I know this might not be the best picture, but I liked it too much to leave out.
Least favorite body part: My feet, pictured in socks to avoid traumatizing the viewer.

Girliest thing about me: Jewels! I love them, especially earrings. Pictured is my actual jewelry box. (When you open it, it kinda looks like a treasure chest, doesn’t it?)

Least girly thing about me: I can’t stand perfume. (Sorry Mom!)
Favorite piece of clothing: My converse! You can’t beat the classics
Least favorite piece of clothing: This vest. I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it….

Favorite drink: Tea. There’s a possibility I was British in a past life. The photo only pictures the teas I keep in my room; there are more in the kitchen.
Least favorite drink: Coffee. I don’t get it. I’m sorry Starbucks and Juan Valdez, but no. My sweet tooth compels me.
I am most like: My mother, shown by her gift
I am least like: My grandmother, shown by her gift

I watch: Sci-fi TV. And Supernatural. I don’t watch: Soaps. They set my teeth on edge.
I love: War movies and Tarantino flicks. Or any really good dramas.
I hate: Romantic “comedies” and reference movies, like Epic Movie

And finally:

I stay young by: refusing to grow old





. Pictured below: The author, who is best approached if you’re scathingly funny or bearing gifts. Best not approached at all

The Three Stooges, Or Any Clever Title With Three In It

The main difference between these articles is the fact hat they are written for vastly different audiences. One was written for a more teenager-y audience interested in graffiti and the hard life there, the article is more like a novel than an article, and the narrative is more descriptive and lyrical. The one about O’Brien is a little more formal and comes off more news-ish, that is it focuses more on the news it is reporting rather than the character, but still feels close and it is still a character piece so there is more of a personal element, but it still has that sort of stiff, informative feel. Finally, the health article, though still with a more novel-esque writing style feels the furthest, mostly because it does not center around a person and is more about being informative, so the writer has to put in a lot of information. Still, what I liked most is the fact that it shows that you can have a more flowing style and a personal element no matter what or who you write about.

The Lesser of Two Evils

The next two chapters are devoted to ridiculing the British and modern society and systems of government, and here in lies the remark about Queen Anne that is talked about in the introduction, which again is a joke on how obsessed people are with propriety. He also seems to imply that these ineffective systems of government cause a great deal of badness, like all the horrible thing she lists midway through page 198, which the Houynhnhms are not familiar with, and it shown that they also do not know disease or ill health. However the fact that this is unknown to them is not necessarily good either, as a society without these things would imply the ridiculousness of feeling superior, exploiting others and general “badness”. So basically Swift is trying to make people always think what the cost is, and consider that every system of government brings its own evil.

Language of the Master

In the beginning of chapter 3 Gulliver immediately gets to learning the language and says “my master (for so I shall hence forth call him)” Page 182. I think the fact that his learning of the language, not only here but in the other places is not only a way for the writer to express his love and respect for language, but in a way metaphysical, for language is very important to Gulliver, and essential to Swift. It is also another jab at English colonialism, as they imposed their tongue, rather than learning the language of the conquered. This time Gulliver must learn the language of others. The fact that he calls him Master is important because it is a shift in the language he uses to refer to him, which changes to overall tone of the text, and again pokes fun at civilized colonialist nations, as he shows this sort of ownership and system of slavery as ridiculous, brutish, savage and pertaining to animals instead of people.

The Mowgli Syndrome

In Gulliver’s description of the Yahoos, where he describes them being hairy everywhere except for “any hair at all on their buttocks” page 173, which made me immediately think of feral children and anorexics. Feral children (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_children) are basically children who have not been raised in human society, and often have been “raised” by animals, which is to say that they lived with them to provide food and protection. I first heard of them in a Discovery Channel documentary, in which a boy was found living amongst monkeys. He had become hairy all over, except for his buttocks. This was due to the fact that he was not eating as much as he needed to, which made his body become hairy, which also happens to undernourished anorexics, but hair doesn’t’ grow on the buttocks. Feral children do not speak because they have not been taught language, and they often move in animalistic ways and imitate the animals they have been around, as there have been no human examples. A feral girl in Russia grew up in a room with old dogs and cats, so she would bark at the door. The Yahoos are obviously humans who have been in bad conditions, and like the children have taken on animal characteristics in the absence of human examples. Both real and fictional accounts of these kids date back as far as the 1300s, so it is not irrational to think that Swift may have based his portrayal of uncultured humans on these accounts, and it adds to the satirical nature of the piece that the reader recognizes these creatures as humans easily, while Gulliver does not.

Another quick note is that I was happy to find I was right as to motivation in the name of the Houyhnhnms

Colonialism

I think Gulliver (and his size compared to the Lilliputians) is Swift’s way of laughing at British colonialism and the way they stomp all over the World, feeling huge when really they are the tiny Lilliputians. That’s why I chose the British lion, which later became synonymous with their colonial exploits. I think he mostly shows it with the gluttonous way Gulliver eats their food and drink (page 13) without considering them and how much he is consuming. The big guy abuses the little guy, the way England abused Ireland. But then Swift makes the joke be on them as he shows them as tiny and conceited and obsessed with stupid things, like cutting their food into mathematical shapes.

The Road Awaits

Gulliver's Travels begins in the form of a letter, and all the implications this holds are held up by a line that says that these are not exactly correct and have been edited for content somehow, whcih gives the feeling that the author wants the reader to try to imagine what really happened. The pace is very brisk and I must admit a little confusing, especially as it uses an older version of english. The narrator refers at length to Yahoos, whom he seems to despise, it seems to refer to a kind of person, which must be stupid and brutish and impulsive, as he compares them to animals and refers to his book, which are of course the following chapters. He also says he now lives on an island. In chapter on the narrator introduces his family. The style is now far easier to follow. He is a surgeon, which is to say a doctor and Swift discreetly uses this to make fun of doctors, by showing how favoritism and mal practice run their trade. Swift also ironically makes the shipwreck happen after many voyages by the narrator, and only when he is now weary of travel and wanting to go home, in a parallel to Ulysses/Odysseus. I thinkt he tiny people on the island are a warning that things that seem little or insignificant can kick up a big mess and a lot of pain. It is also alot about entrapment, and how weighted down by our problems and by what society dictates (for example he does not kill the little men because he is bound by the laws of hospitality). It speaks about how easily oour freedom is taken from us, which is why I chose a trapped bird as my illustration:

Speak No Evil

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/opinion/23banville.html

This article is by an Irish man, who talks about the recent publishing of a report that details the abuse piled on children in insititutions like orphanages, industrial schools and reformatories from the 1930's to 90's in Ireland. It talks about a horror deeper than the sexual and physical abuse suffered by children at these places, but about the fact that the general population knew that these children were suffering and did nothing, in a way that the author compares it to the people of Nazi Germany or the people of Rwanda and Armenia during their respective genocides. As the author says they knew and yet they did not know, they allowed themselves ot be blind to the truth by reasoning that somehow the victims deserved it, and that therefore it should not be mentioned. It really sort of horrifies me that people can be so deliberately yet so unknowingly cruel, and that we continue to see an ever growing expansion of the human capacity for evil. Why do we stay silent when we know somethign is wrong? Even in Colombia people who knew of paramilitary actions said nothing and I have heard and witnessed cases of people knowing about child abuse and saying nothing. It is like a cushioned "Genovese effect" named for a woman, Kitty Genovese who was raped and murdered outside her apartment building. Her neighbors heard everything and some of them even watched. But no one did a single thing to help her. Every day I hope I won't get overwhelmed by the sentiment that we can simply shrug off abuse to others because it does not fall on us directly. This is a hope I hold for all mankind.

Old-Fashioned Love Letters

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25seligman.html?_r=1

In this op-ed a less-talked about side of war is uncovered. In it a woman talks about how contact with her husband was often strained, especially through the use of technology, like phones or webcams. She says that the only way she saved her marriage was to replace those conversation with letters. She explains that in this way she was able to send her feelings in a clear way that couldn't be misinterpreted, without time delays or fear of being cut off. It also gave both of them, and their children a physical thing to hold onto and it allowed them to re-read letters to keep a permanent sense of contact. I chose this article because I thought it was a a great insight into human relationships and the timeless value of a handwritten letter. If there is any doubt, ask high school girls about the letters they recieve and make for their friends. As a society obssessed with technology we may not recognize how older ways may be better and may connect us more progoundly than new technologies. The woman here connected with a man half a world away, and finally established a real connection between him and their children through the handwritten word, and feels it has kept them together. Maybe as a society we need to break out the stationery and get back to hand-written letters.

Red Balloon

For my secong painting I chose the one in the middle. This one does not seem to be trying to portray an image from real life or a religious or philosophical lesson unlike the other painting I analyzed. Instead it seems to be more content with just being, and being pleasing to look at, not to mention stimulating. However the artist does use soft colors and a lack of people to give the painting a more calm and peaceful look. The main focal point of the image is of course the red hot-air balloon, as it is not only the largest object, but it has the most solid red which is also the strongest in the painting. The artist also uses a surreal style, but balances the colors on both sides of the image.

Christ, I Presume?

The painting I picked to blog on is the last one. I believe it has a religious connotation and the man that is the focus point is Jesus. This assumption is due to the style, which pertains to an era where most paintings were religious in nature and the portrayal of the man, which is the way in which Jesus is generally portrayed. I believe the scene being dipicted here is "Las Bodas de Canaa" (I don't know how to say this in english) where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding at the behest of his mother, Mary. The lesson this scene is used to teach is that Christ has saved the best wine for last, which means Christians will be rewarded at the end of a good life. I believe it is this scene because the food on the table and all the people and the sleepy possible enebriated man all support a party. The artist has used composition in way that he makes Jesus the main focal point, even with all the chaos around him, and juxtaposes his wise calm with the party-goer's frantic ridiculousness and lack of self-control. Jesus is the focal point not only because he has deliberately been placed prominently in the center of the painting but also his shirt has the lightest color, so it draws our eyes. The artist has also balance both sides of the image by dressing the men at either end in similar colors. The artist has also painted the things below the table as small and not very eye catching so one will see them later as details and not be distracted by them when one first sees the image.

Surrogate Children

Loulou is another surrogate child for the childless Felicite and again her deep emeotions are present in the pain she feels when he is mocked. She is fascinated because he reminds her of her nephew, another surrogate child and like earlier she gives a lot to the bird to recieve nothing in return except more pain. She also becomes deaf but is still servile. She is also so devoid of personality that her sins are trivial and inconsequential, even then she needs to directiosn of others as she has no will of her own. Even her room looks like a temple for the lives of others that she sees as greater and in charge. She depends on the parrot because it is helpless and cannot grow like the children and that's why she tries to get it stuffed, because she can't bear that loss. Even then her isolation from the outside world is evident. She lives almost entirely in her head with no outside communication and does her tasks in an almost sleepwalking state. The only tangible connection she has is Madame and the less tangible connection of her dead parrot which begins to color her almost fanatical religiousness. After the loss of Madame she lives totally disjointed form the outside world. She is unloved and her health grows progressively worse and when she dies no one will mourn. Even her stuffed parrot is beginning to decay, leaving her all alone. Even the end, despite Felicite seeming somewhat glad is sad in the sense that it is the anti-climatic end of the poor and uneducated.

Simple? Really?

When I started A Simple Heart I notice that the beginning sets up an air of mystery. Why would she be so loyal and for so long to mean Madame Aubain? And why only for the half century, has she died or will she quit? And what is she like exactly? Felicite, despite being the main character takes a while to show up. However she is obviously a dedicated and hardworking person and she must be old and a good servant to be so envied. When she does appear she is like a robot, dedicated only to work. Again my main intesrest in reading is finding why she's so dedicated. Also, the fact that the description of Madame's life and her house makes it clear that Felicite's life is defined by her employers and she has almost no identity of her own. Her life is later revealed to be sad and hard, with the only love she had known to be one of deception that was almost thrust upon her. She is almost to grateful to Madame and she seems fascinated with the children probably because she wants some of her own, which she'll never have, she also shows this devotion to her sisters children. Because of this she even heroically saves their lives and sees it only as her duty. Her religiousness is shown to have a childlike innocence and a grasping need to feel connected to soemthign greater than herself. The later loss of the children to school take more away from her identity as they were the only ones that exposed her to an outside world. Often the text implies her limited intelligence and education, which makes it easy for the world to take advantage of her and influences her deep emotion, like the heartbreak over her nephew's death or the profound gratitude towards Madame. Thsi links Felicite and Madame in a sort of unhealthy but unbreakable relationship of shared grief and gratitude.

The Death of Man

Mr. Tangen, because of the difficulty I’ve been having with my blog I have posted all my Molloy entries as one:

My first impression of Molloy is that it will be told in a sort of stream of consciousness style. He just takes right of with the nameless narrator (I’m assuming its Molloy) and doesn’t explain anything, but leaves you to build up what is going on from the “clues” he leaves. It reminds me of the article we read that explains what a blog is, it just takes off and you have to keep up or give up. Molloy seems to be held somewhere, a place he describes as his mother’s room (which seems unlikely) and he apparently can’t leave and doesn’t want to. He just seems tired overall, like he’s ready to die, but he is being kept alive for an unknown reason. He is being asked to write something down (his life I assume) which seems important to his captors. Molloy subtly comments on how ridiculous and demanding these figures are, by remarking that they had been angered that he begun at the beginning. Molloy’s thoughts are often disorderly and nearly incoherent, as if he can barely think straight. Maybe he has suffered some sort of trauma, or he is being drugged by his captors. Certainly his thoughts are less than logical and he seems to be unable to properly remember his past, which means the reader has to imagine it. His memories mix with his examples and he even says he is changing and embellishing them, admitting that his memory is mixing with them. This is all obviously on purpose by the author, who I think want to write a book that the reader would be in charge of instead of having to act like a kindergarten teacher and explain every last detail of his work. The reader has to guide his or her self rather than being guided by the author. Molloy also seems to be quite old (he speaks of the possibility of having a grown son) and he seems to be afflicted with the various health problems that old people have, like difficulties urinating. He also alternates between a sedate complacent state, totally submitted to his situation meekly handing over his papers and vaguely remembering his mother, to cursing her and his present state in a manic sort of rage. It gives the piece certain humanity, because Molloy shifts through emotions like any normal human and it gives us a more realistic picture of him and a better understanding of his situation. He also seems to have had no father, as he is never mentioned and he speaks of affection for old men, I suppose they were surrogate father figures. He also tries repeatedly to remember a girl, which he says was not real love, with which he may have fathered a son. In the same way that Molloy supposes he resembles his mother and that he has taken over her life, the probably son would have taken over Molloy’s having only a mother and an absentee father than didn’t love them. Part two of Molloy shifts radically onto another character, Moran. He is very different from Molloy. His tone is instead bursting with life, a man who obviously talks and thinks to much and is convinced of his being right on everything. Unlike Molloy he explains his name, his home, his son and barrels through his explanations. He begins his half despondent for unknown reasons and then he begins to explain. For now I will assume that he was the one that visited Molloy on Sundays to pick up his papers. It is not explained who he works for, only that he is an agent. The big question I have is what country this could be set in. the author is Irish, and Molloy and Moran are Irish names, but Jacques is French. This may well be irrelevant but I’m wondering just the same. There is also something almost nervous about Moran unceasing chatter. Just what would he say if he didn’t loudly declare his opinions? Unlike Molloy who talks about himself Moran seems to avoid anything truly personal. Moran is charged with finding Molloy, who has escaped, but also avoids thinking profoundly about him. I think Molloy and Moran are the two sides of man. The first knows all about who he is, but to get there he is bleak and dying, while Moran is the younger man, bursting with life, but with no self knowledge or true understanding of the world. Towards the end though (as towards the end of ones life) Moran’s tone begins to resemble Molloy’s, less energy, more sad truth and an almost complete surrender to the possible terrible twists of fate life will bring.

Human Nature?

Chapter ten brings up the now old and still unsolved question of nature versus nurture. We are still at a loss as to what influences our lives and our choices the most. However it seems clearer in the animal kingdom, for example this chapter mentions that female bees act as they are raised to. It also deals with reciprocal altruism, which is another form of selfishness. It presents itself amongst groups of selfish individuals, who then cooperate in other to secure an advantage. For example penguins will huddle together, the individual getting the benefit of presenting less surface area to the wind, but must also give something of his, as in taking a turn on the outside of the huddle and receiving more wind in exchange for this benefit. It is important that these individuals do not face the wind because they want to help the group, but because it is the best choice for them as individuals because they reap the most benefits by cooperating. This chapter also mentions that some individuals cheat, which means they appear to be collaborating, but in fact aren’t. The need to cheat slyly and smartly may be one of the big reasons for the human ability for math and our big brains.

Love and Marriage

Dawkins’ Chapter nine deals with “romantic” relationships in a rather unromantic way. First of he says that there is of course competition between a mother and father because they don’t share genes, but their children who have half of each their DNA make them cooperate. However the smartest thing for both of them to do is to try to weasel their way into doing the least amount of work possible and then if possible having other sexual partners in order to try to propagate their genes. Sexual partners therefore have relationships of mutual mistrust and exploitation. It also redefines the difference between sexes, defining it simply by the difference in size between their sex cells. It also debates whether in our society males compete for females or vice versa which seems to be the case.

Lunch:
Sarah: So I’m getting married! I’m so excited. I bet our kids will be lovely.

Jane: Why would you want to get married? All sexual partners have a relationship of exploitation and mistrust. He’ll cheat on you, and saddle you with the kids.

S: What? How can you be so cynical! We’re in love and our children will be raised by both of us.

J: You forget that you’re only having children to pass on your genes. It’s better to try to have as many kids as possible with as many partners as possible to ensure your genes survival. Besides, you need to make sure that your genes survive so it’s likely you’ll favor one over another.

S: You’re totally forgetting human nature! We’re not like animals, we love each other and we’ll love our children equally.

J: People are just survival machines, and it’s in your best interest, and theirs to love them unequally. Face it we’re just machines our genes have developed to ensure our survival.

S: You know I think there may be a reason you can’t get a date…

J: The reason is that the world is full of idiots who can’t comprehend Darwin! We don’t do anything for the survival of the species, but for the survival of our genes. Natural selection happens logical because the substandard are weeded out and we continue to evolve.

S. Ok, I think I’ll do you a favor and introduce you to my cousin Russell at the wedding.

J: See, that’s another thing! People do all these things thinking they’re being altruistic but they’re really not. Everything we do is selfish, it just seems altruistic sometimes. Like all those people talking about how some “hero” died in a fire saving ten people! Well, duh. It’s obviously best to lose one copy of a set of genes if the reward is to keep ten.

S: Honey, you need to get out more.

Waiter: Check?

Family Power Hour

Chapter eight deals with generations and the way they also compete, even within a family. For example a mother needs to feed her children, but also herself, and she needs to know that they are all getting equal chances of her survival, so her genes within them have equal chances of survival. However children want to get more resources than their siblings to their specific genes can survive better. Therefore parents have to compete not only with other parents and their environment but also with their children’s occasional treachery. Not only that, but occasionally it is better for them to have favorites, or to keep a runt from feeding in order to better invest her resources. A favorite is likelier to grow and continue to ensure the survival of her genes, while a runt, who is unlikely to survive, will just take away the resources of children who have better chances of surviving and safeguarding her genes. Likewise, a child’s best option is to lie cheat and pull every dirty trick to try to survive, though Dawkins’ encourages parents to keep their kids from this.

Family Hour

This chapter is all about families and how altruistic and selfish behavior manifests itself within family groups. A great portion deals with discussing the idea of birth control. It also makes a distinction between child caring and child bearing, to successfully raise offspring animals and people must do both. Every creature tries to find the optimal number of children, which can’t be too few as eventually there, are few in future generations, while too many increases mortality and also leaves less in future generations. It also deals with how siblings try to overthrow their parents’ efforts to keep all of them alive by getting the maximum benefit possible. It also says that smaller families in tougher times are not because the individuals are acting towards helping the groups, but instead are doing so to make sure their children survive. Family planning occurs because families must adapt to the environment to keep their own genes alive, not because they want to preserve the species. This also explains the occurrence of menopause, because the female body realizes that she should dedicate herself to safeguarding the genes she inherited to her grandchildren rather than creating more.

Do You Trust Me?

Chapter six restates that the goal of a gene is to have the maximum amount of copies like it in the gene pool. One such copy behaving altruistically to save ten such copies is an overall selfish act, as the death of the one simply leaves more copies of itself in the world. But then, how do genes recognize each other in order to be altruistic towards each other? One way would be physical markers, like eye or hair color, another could be behavior, such as altruistic behavior which is programmed in the gene (Does that mean that is the basis of the romantic appeal of a hero?) That is the reason the biggest altruism we see is close relative altruism, because parents know a copy of their gene is in their kids. This chapter also deals with trust and the great dilemma creatures face when decide who they can trust and if they should.

You Talkin' To Me?

Chapter 5 explores the idea of aggression. To a survival machine, all survival machines that are not children or close relatives as part of their environment, which means that the genes inside each survival machine instruct them how to best exploit them, and the caution that these other machines will hit back. This means that no matter what species, all survival machines are linked. It goes on to explain why animals kill and also do not kill within their species as there are advantages to both. Once again, altruistic acts are in fact selfish ones as they benefit the individual. This chapter also talks about moralization and demoralization. Animals remember past wins and losses, which means that animals who are “winners” are thus because each win makes a future win likelier, the same is true for losers. This phenomenon is also observed in humans, for example an army, no matter its size or technological ability is also dependent on the moral of its men to lead it to victory. Large and capable armies have lost, being demoralized, while the opposite is also true.

A is for Andromeda

Chapter 4 deals mainly with the evolution of survival machines and the development of the sense (touch hearing sight taste etc) and the brain. It also explains better the role of genes in a survival machine, which is somewhat limited, as they cannot directly influence the brain, so they must pack it with all the knowledge they believe is helpful and neccesary to survive, like a parent teaching a child. Afterward, they must wait and hope that they have done their job right and will be passed along to the next generation. Other meaningful developments which led mainly to the importance of the brain, are things such as memory and simulation.

Coils, Mortal and Otherwise

The title of chapter three alludes to a line in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which refers to the physical as “this mortal coil” which is left behind when we die. It is part of the famous “To be or not to be” speech. This whole chapter delves into DNA, which explains the second meaning of the title, which is a reference to the double helix, which is also called the immortal coil.

One of the main points this chapter makes is that DNA simple acts to survive, and nothing more. All the adaptations are again not due to conscious choice, but natural selection that allows better surviving genes to continue to exist, while wiping out inefficient forms, again without active consciousness. The chapter also stresses that we are all made up of similar genes that adapted us to further their survival. Genes are so concerned with the creation of embryos because these further their survival. One very interesting thing about this chapter is that it explains that genes last much longer than we believe them to be, and little associations of them last for several generations in humans, because they have evolved to be smaller and are not as susceptible to be broke up by crossing over. Meanwhile, other forms like chromosomes only last a single generation.

Two of a Kind

Chapter Two explains the progress of organisms from simple single celled beings to the complex multi celled creations they are now. Dawkins says the reason Darwin’s theory is so popular is that it makes so much sense, while still being simple and acknowledging the fact that we didn’t just spring up from nowhere. The author says that the law of survival of the fittest is more like survival of the most stable, because as soon as something finds a stable form it can survive better and longer. The ones that were “selected” were the stable forms were the others were eliminated. Human existence was a very random chance, but it happened, due to the creation of replicator molecules, which then began to compete with each other, which means they got an outer shell, the basis for cells and from then their competition created more and more complex organisms until making humans. Another important notation is that all that complexity was to safeguard the original genes and perpetuate them, which made replicator copy themselves. It also presents the three things that determine how and how well a thing evolves or is eliminated: longevity, fecundity, and copying-fidelity.

Beginning at the Beginning

I started the Selfish Gene by reading the first introduction, something I highly recommended because Dawkins makes his intent clear and makes sure that certain elements of the book won’t be misconstrued, such as the title and tone of the book, which is merely meant to be emotionally detached because the writing is scientific, not bleak and somber.

Chapter One’s title springs from the childhood question of why we are here. Dawkins believes the first man who objectively answered the question was Charles Darwin with his ideas on evolution. Dawkins’ mentions several people who have misinterpreted Darwin’s theory to mean that people act for the good of the species, rather than the individual. Genes are selfish in the sense that they do all they can to perpetuate themselves, which means that others will not be able to. Even altruistic actions have selfish connotations because they help propagate the gene. The author tells us that we can also overcome these selfish urges is we work to do so because we are not compelled to do what our genes tell us. Reproduction is also defined as< selfish, as it is done to ensure gene survival and consequentially perpetuates the species despite this not being its main object. Survival of the fittest refers to the fittest gene; a gene likelier to survive creates more genes like it if it is selfish. Groups are also selfish, for example one country fighting another to compete for finite resources and be better equipped to survive. Species are also selfish in relation to each other and likely to cooperate simply because they are the same species. Of course, identifying with a group only goes so far, s eventually everyone will fall back on individual selfishness.

A Song Which Isn't Sung At All

(I condensed my two entries into one entry, because I feel it is easier to read as one rather than two entries)

T.S. Eliot's "Love Song" starts with a quote in Italian, which I googled and found to be a quote from Dante's Inferno, where a suffering soul tells Dante his story, because he believes Dante to be dead and thus incapable of telling people on earth of his misdeeds. The man who "writes" the poem, the main character, believes that no one will read or talk of the poem to he may speak freely.

The poem then describes a dreary and dejected midnight scene, with sort of no hope for something better. The whole poem has a sort of sad, gloomy and conformist attitude. The poem doesn't advise questioning life or the order of it, just going with it even when it doesn't make up happy. The line "In the room the women come and go /Talking of Michelangelo" seems to reference women in a bathroom, doing something somewhat disagreeable but talking of high class things like the artist Michelangelo, which makes society sort of hypocritical, with a false air of grandeur. Next Eliot says "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, /The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes / Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening" which provides a living animal element to commonplace things like smoke and fog which pervade in the night time, which gives night the sort of uncomfortable feeling of being around a large wild animal, a feeling which seems to be present in cities for Eliot, because smoke would only be a city element, and city lights would turn smoke and fog yellow. It is also covered in soot from several chimneys (also a city element) and falls asleep inside the house, which means the feeling of uneasy found in cities invades even people’s homes, giving them no peace.

“There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.”

This whole paragraph shows the impersonal and difficult nature of city life (which seems to be a central theme in this poem). It shows people use a fake prepared face to deal with other fake faces that hide bad deeds like murder or even a creation that cannot be appreciated because no one shows themselves. It also shows how hurried life is, as in the small amount of time before taking toast and tea, a daily activity, there is time for everything. Self-doubt, due to never being true to yourself in front of others also shows itself in the presence of numerous indecisions, fantasies, and plans that are made and remade. Eliot then repeats the Michelangelo line, which no take son the taint of people having superfluous conversation when doing more personal things rather than be sincere. The speaker continues to show indecision and a desire to be sincere but is at the same time plagued by the opinions of others. He realizes that being more open and honest would change things and society, so he make and breaks those plans in his head, while outwardly doing nothing. He knows people will likely react adversely, and he also sees little value and importance in his own life, belittling it by saying “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” He also knows that society and people are always watching, he is an insect speared to a corkboard, helpless and powerless to change his situation, even when he has a deep desire to do so. He also feels that trying to change things would be presumptuous of him. He feels so separate form other people that he wishes to be a pair of claws (ragged claws, again he does not appreciate his life) on the floor of the quiet ocean so he doesn’t have to talk falsely and hear others do so, or even encounter others, the whole poem rings with disillusion with modern human society. The speaker doesn’t find peace even in sleep and considers all the possible places to break free, so to speak but everything seems too mundane, such as when eating. He is also, fundamentally to afraid to really act, because he fears that he will be misunderstood or shunned, and that changing will not really be worthwhile. He also repeats that his life is somewhat foolish and ridiculous, by actually calling himself a fool and also saying that he is currently useful in a simply defined role, something that would be possible if he was honest with himself. He is still very concerned with people’s opinions, though he still desires to be free, he sees it impossible for him and everyone else to break out of their dreary lives, because they are afraid and likely unworthy and unimportant. People are free only in their dreams, but they must always return to being trapped in human society.

Billy Meets the Romans (Epictetus 3)

I think the Handbook is really similar to Slaughterhouse 5 in the sense that like the book it talks about the uncontrolable things in life and simply learning to live with them (the whole "So it goes" philosophy). Even family is second to duty in the Handbook, and all that you can control is yourself, which is even more than Billy Pilgrim can do. Death is seen in a similar light, it happens but it is not tragic. Bad things happen but you just keep going, liek with Billy Pilgrim, everything is pretty much all right with Epictetus.

Go With The Flow (Epictetus 2)

6: This aphorism warns against pride and misplaced pride, and reminds people that the only thing they ever truly have is themselves, and that their possessions are not really theirs and can be taken away.

7: Reminds people about duty and the order of thigns, and that one must always make sure that one is in a position to do one's duty instead of just hoping the system will work. One must also know that doing one's duty is not always pleasant, but it must be done.

8: This short little passage is very SF in the sense that it says one should just accept things as they happen and that the only way to be happy is to just conform to events as they happen instead of trying to make events conform to you.

9: This one seems to motivate people out of misery and to show them that thye remain themselves with all their capability and that they should move on without obsessing over it.

10: This aphorism repeats the basic theme of the book, which is thta you learn to live with what happens and learn to stay sharp as it does happen, but without trying to change thing sor making it happen the way on would desire it.

The Analects, After a Fashion (Epictetus 1)

Aphorism 1: This aphorism is very trhuthful in that it says that you should be ready to accept that soemthings cannot change and are not up to you. It reminds that we are not superpowerful or perfect and somethings will always be out of our control.

2: This, like number one, tells people that it is best to simply not get what you want, rather than have horrible thigns happen to you. Horrible thing shappen alone, and we must live without thinking about then, but we can control dissapoinment in not getting what we want by just not wanting it, because we can control that unhappiness.

3: This one reminds us that thigns are impermanent and we must keep them in context, because we must later remember to deal with loss in context.

4: Reminds us that things are not neta and clean because we want them to be, put we can keep ourselves from falling into annoyance or anger just by telling ourselves that it is out of our hands but that we can still accomplish what we set out to do because we control it.

5: This is very SF in ideas, because it says that death is not sad, and to always remember that bad things are out of everyones hands, so we just need to keep going with our lives and not blame anyone.

The End, Sort Of (SF 10)

Like chapter one, this one begins with a narration by Vonnegut. He lists people who have died who I think are important to him, but with that same sort of distant air of death-just-happens. He also goes on to show how different alien points of view must be from ours, and how they wouldn't consider the things we think essential important. They would value Darwin over Jesus, and be curious about golf. (Personally I'd ask if volleyball is meant to be punishment, but that's just me). Vonnegut goes on to say that living eternally doesn't quite appeal to him, but that he understantds the appeal and the happiness that can be found in good moments. Later, the narrative shifts back to Billy, who has to clear the rubble of Dresden with a Maori, which just adds to the feeling of being somewhere as strange and alien as the moon. They soon end up digging up corpses which is a mundane industry to them. The recurring theme of a mustard gas and roses scent is brought up again to say that this is what the bodies smelled of (214). The bodies are so many that they just burn them where they are found, and Edgar Derby's end is told quickly, the way it has been for all the book, he steals a teapot and gets killed for it. No need to get into details, it's just death, and it happens. Spring arrives, the Germans leave, the War ends and Billy goes outside to fidn the wagon he was in during chapter nine, and hears the birds. The end feels like a non-end, but there's really no way to end this book, especially given the way it just all over time. Actually, this is the best end, because, like the Tralfamadorians say, nothing really ends anyway.

Talk Radio (SF Chapter 9)

This chapter starts with Valencia's death, which I find particularly sad because she adores Billy and Billy was simply resigned to having to marry her. Billy's roomate at the hospital is a retired brigadier general, who seems to be an arrogant jerk. He feels absolutely entitled, has had several trophy wives and remarks to the staff that some people should be left to die. He also boast on of my favorites lines in the book, which he says in reference to Billy, "I could carve a better man out of a banana." (184) The general is writing a comprhensive history of the Air Force and his great problem is Dresden, because in America most of it was kept secret. Despite his treating of Billy as an inferior, he later has to acknowledge that Billy was in Dresden, and is probably the most apt to help with his book.

The book flashes back to Dresden, where the war is over and the Russians haven't yet arrived. Bilyl experience a moment of true happiness by basking in the sun. The book then returns to its theme of seemingly unreal real events, where Billy scolded by a German couple as to the state of his horses. Thousands are dead, and people rush to the defense of horses. On page 198 Billy finally explains why everything just all right with him, because every moment is structured a certain way, so everything happens as it must, so everything is just fine.

During Billy's trip to New York he visits an adult bookstore, where the book returns to its cyclical nature. He finds a Kilgore Trout book, magazines dealing with Montana Wildhack, and the dirty picture show to him by Roland Weary in the war. Everything goes on. Weary is dead, but a piece of him is still there and he's still there in the past. Later, on Tralfamadore, Montana proves to really be Billy's soul mate. She recognizes his time travel, and can even tell where he has traveled, and she too has adopted Tralfamadorian ideas. The end of this chapter reveals another important connection, the Serenity prayer is engraved on Montana's locket.

Fire Rains From the Sky (SF Chapter 8)

This chapter begins with the American traitor Howard W. Campbell, who is trying to get the Americans to fight for Germany. He is dressed ridiculously and speaks ridiculously to a group of tired starved men who don't care for a word he says. Derby stands up to him, and the author says thta this is one of the few or only moments in the book when something so theatrical happens, because generally everyone was tired and listless. Eventually they are interrupted by an air-raid siren and they hide in a meat locker. It is the night before the bombing, during which they'll hide in the meat locker, while their guars die because they'd gone home. The book returns to Billy arguing with Barbara who mentions Kilgore Trout, who has become a friend of Billy's. He is prolific, but unsuccessful and also bitter. However his books are very wise as to human nature, its greed and cruelty and superficial distinctions. He also does not consider himself a writer because the world never acknowledged him as such. This chapter also uses the sentence "Somewhere a big dog barked." (168) I know the book has used it more than once before this, but the only time I can clearly remember is when Roland Weary and Billy are captured by Germans. The only other fan to contact Kilgore was Billy's friend from the veterans hospital who complained about Kilgore's prose, who in turn complained about Rosewater's prose.

On page 173, Billy is once again a spectator to his own life. He thinks his life is no mystery to him, as he has always known all of it, but he soon finds himself unknowlingly affected by some "secret" about himself. The secret is, of course, that he is lonely. He has never had true friends, or been truly in love, or truly felt connected to anyone. Trout draws him because he has the potential to understand Billy and his peculiar life experience.

The firebombing makes Dresden llok like one big flame, and the smoke blots out the sun. It is so vicious that "Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead." (178) The guards resemble the barbershop quartet that will later make Billy feel terribly sad without knowing why. Montana is the only person Billy has ever connected to, as he seems to really like her, and he tells her about the war without her asking for it specifically, something he denied to his wife when he did. Dresden and its bodies were so foreign, so unreal, they looked like the moon. The destruction was to be so total, that planes later circled to kill anyone moving, because as the book says it would be a flaw in the design "there were to be no moon men at all" (180)

Benedict Arnold Comes to Play (SF Chapter 8)

This chapter begins with the American traitor Howard W. Campbell, who is trying to get the Americans to fight for Germany. He is dressed ridiculously and speaks ridiculously to a group of tired starved men who don't care for a word he says. Derby stands up to him, and the author says thta this is one of the few or only moments in the book when something so theatrical happens, because generally everyone was tired and listless. Eventually they are interrupted by an air-raid siren and they hide in a meat locker. It is the night before the bombing, during which they'll hide in the meat locker, while their guars die because they'd gone home. The book returns to Billy arguing with Barbara who mentions Kilgore Trout, who has become a friend of Billy's. He is prolific, but unsuccessful and also bitter. However his books are very wise as to human nature, its greed and cruelty and superficial distinctions. He also does not consider himself a writer because the world never acknowledged him as such. This chapter also uses the sentence "Somewhere a big dog barked." (168) I know the book has used it more than once before this, but the only time I can clearly remember is when Roland Weary and Billy are captured by Germans. The only other fan to contact Kilgore was Billy's friend from the veterans hospital who complained about Kilgore's prose, who in turn complained about Rosewater's prose.

On page 173, Billy is once again a spectator to his own life. He thinks his life is no mystery to him, as he has always known all of it, but he soon finds himself unknowlingly affected by some "secret" about himself. The secret is, of course, that he is lonely. He has never had true friends, or been truly in love, or truly felt connected to anyone. Trout draws him because he has the potential to understand Billy and his peculiar life experience.

The firebombing makes Dresden llok like one big flame, and the smoke blots out the sun. It is so vicious that "Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead." (178) The guards resemble the barbershop quartet that will later make Billy feel terribly sad without knowing why. Montana is the only person Billy has ever connected to, as he seems to really like her, and he tells her about the war without her asking for it specifically, something he denied to his wife when he did. Dresden and its bodies were so foreign, so unreal, they looked like the moon. The destruction was to be so total, that planes later circled to kill anyone moving, because as the book says it would be a flaw in the design "there were to be no moon men at all" (180)

Leaving on a Jet Plane (SF Chapter 7)

This chapter begins by saying that Billy gets on the doomed plane to Vancouver, but says nothing. It laos presents the Tralfamadorian idea that people are just machines, but this isn't meant to be insulting. The mood on the plane is cheery and they even sing songs, which then leads into Billy seeing a Pole hung in Dresden, for the crime of being with a German woman. Ican't help but wonder if they had been together without incident. Billy is again resigned to the crash, and his attitude when he was wandering through Germany is brought up as a parallel. He thinks he is back in World War Two and feels again, indifferent, the chapter even says "Everything was pretty much all right with Billy" even near death experiences hand in hand with serious head trauma. Afterwards Billy remebers several incidents, such as walking with Derby and (ironically his distant relation) their German guard and accidentally walking in on naked girls. Both Billy and the German see female nudity for the first time, which is not new to Derby. War has disrupted those teenage experiences, and then suddenly given it back to them in a less affectionate setting. Then when they get to the cafeteria, a war widow calmly says "All the real soldiers are dead" (159) It's a children's fight now.

During the war they worked ina syrup factory, a syrup made for pregnant women. But everyone else took some, which shows the sad war truth that everyone is out for themselves and forget the basic kindness for groups who generally need it, because now everyone needs it.

Dresden (SF Chapter 6)

This chapter begins with the Listen: Billy Pilgrim... structure of chapter two, whcih is probably to make sure that the reader knows this chapter will be crucial, so they must listen. Indeed, Dresden will finally come into play. Billy finds two items in his coat, resembling a pea and a horseshoe, which are charged with a sense of importance, but once again Billy just takes them in stride. The americans are also showed to be sort of disgusting and unclean to the Brits. Also, Paul Lazzaro and Edgar Derby, who both spent the night in the hospital with Billy fulfill the first line of chapter one, Edgar being the man killed for taking a teapot that wasn't his, and Paul the man who threatened to have his enemies killed after the war. paul seems to be like Roland Weary in his violent patterns, he pretends to be sweet and good and then destroys his target. It seems odd that harmless Billy Pilgrim keeps falling in with characters like that, but they are necessary to illustrate the senseless brutality of the whole war. However Paul also has an honor code and doesn't hurt innocents or enjoy pian he didn't cause. In a way, he is coping too, the way Billy copes by traveling through time. He evens seems to like giving his would be victims some peace, like telling Billy he won't have him killed for a while. Billy is of course unconcerned because he has lived his death before and left a record that says he "will die, have died, and always die on February thirteentn, 1976" (141) He says he dies the way Paul has told him. The US is also in several nations, which I find odd. The place in which speaks is similar to the zoo enclosure and people have come to hear his words on time and aliens with full belief. Death is violet light anbd hum and not even Billy is there (143). I guess it is beautiful, and nothing hurts.

I think Billy being "Cinderella" on page 145 is that despite the bad things he faced, he still has an OK life and even has Montana, which is why is so calm and unaffected by the horrors. The others act like Billy in this page, unaffected as to whether they will life or die, just watching life. On page 146, they are painted an obviously fake vision of Dresden and the reassurance that it won't be bombed. Even then the Americans know to laugh. On page 148, Vonnegut once aagin appears in the book, about the time they see beautiful Dresden. The only city he'd seen before was Indianapolis, and it is somehow heartbreaking to think of all the Americans seeing this place as a Wonderland, when most won't make it out of there alive, when the city will be ruined. At the time, Dresden does seem magical, it hasn't been bombed and life goes on just like before. In fact the Dresden guards are as miserable as the Americans, the same poor, naive soldiers. At the same time, Billy knows the city will be wrecked and people will die, but he calmly marches on. The objects in the coat are finally brought out. A fake tooth and a diamond for Valencia's ring. The reason for the title is revealed, the Americans are to live in Slaughterhouse number five.

Carlsbad Caverns (SF Chapter 5)

This chapter restates the Tralfamadorian view of the world, since they the start position, end poistion and all the ones in between they see the stars as "luminous spaghetti" (87). I also liked how they describe their books, which all depict quick little moments that when seen together in the non order the aliens see them in they produced "an image if life that is beautiful and surprising and deep" (88). The chapter then detours to a trip to the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns that Billy took with his parents. In the Canyon, Billy is afraid and annoyed, but in the Caverns he feels fear until the lights go out, and then he doesn't even seem to care if he's still alive, which is closer to the indifferent Billy we've seen. Two bits worth mentioning happen on page 91. The first, is that they were liekly dead before their names were put down in a camp ledger, which comes accompanied with "So it goes" despite the fact that they were being declared alive rather than dead. The second is that after being struck by a guard, an American asks him why and is answered with "Vy you? Vy anybody?" all of which is reminscent of the answer given by the Tralfamadorians when Billy asks why he has been kidnapped, "That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is." (77) This happen for no reason. They simply are, and people are a little ridiculous trying to find a why. The British prison camp is almost like a joke, a happy little prison in the middle of a death camp, with bright candles made out of dead people. The americans really have seen the worst of war and wander in like dead people to a disorienting semi-paradise. I think this ridiculous situation is the reason why Billy starts laughing and can't stop, because it's all so unreal. On page 104, Vonnegut openly discusses the fourth dimension and supernatural creatures. He pruposely mentions a book that deals with "crazy" people that are truly afflicted by fourth dimension ails, which I think is a subtle way of saying that Billy is not crazy, he's justs tuck halfway through to the fourth dimension. Billy also experiences a very Tralfamadorian moment of page 105, where he sees Edgar Derby reading by his bed, at the same time he contemplates his future memory of Derby being killed. A quote that really stuck a chord with me, though I don't know why, was this "Billy didn't think there would be a blank cartridge issued in a squad that small, in a war that old" (105) On page 106, Vonnegut refers back to chapter one, with a mention of the Children's Crusade and the fact that wars are fought by stupid kids instead of tempered old men. Later on page 128 a German major talks about the civilization he enjoys with the British, which just shows that war is only civilzed for those who don't fight it. A small observation of mine is how odd Billy's wife name is, as Valencia is very latin for a girl from upstate New York, especially late 40s early 50s. Billy also acts like a bystander to his own life. He doesn't want to marry Valencia, but still akss to do so, because that it what must happen, like the end of the universe with the alien pilot. Nobody wants it, but it has to happen because there is no other way, in fact on page 118 no even Valencia wants to be there, she imagines two different people are there when see and Billy are together. I really like the observation on page 109, about the Gospels just teaching you to kill unconnected people, which must make a lot of sense, because why would we kill so much if they really taught mercy?

On page 112, Billy has become comfortable and used to captivity, parallel to the way he simply became used to war and being cold. In fact, he almost enjoys in, because he has become special, and treasured, and admired. During this, Billy also displays his usual, indifferent attitude towards his circumstances. I laos like the discussion on page 114 about extra sexes we can't see and how odd this are essential to life in a way we can't see. Page 117 also brings alot to light. Tralfamador is not a utopia, it is just as horrible and violent as Earth can be. Earth is in fact a little trivial here, it will be destroyed along with everything else by accident, not being special at all, and it's people have no conception of how to grasp happy times and live in them. Billy can almost do this, as he can escape war to happier times. Very oddly, on page 121, Billy is said to have a crazy thought, which would be agood epitaph for him, and as Vonnegut notes, it would be good for Vonnegut too. It is drawn on the next page "Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt." There's something drawing about it, and I guess it's because that is what people's true vision of Heaven is. No more pain. I felt touched by the Russian who quietly tries to help Billy on page 124 and then just quietly says goodbye when Billy won't talk to him. Despite this being quick, you can feel the desire to connect to someone, to talk, especially wallowing in the shadow of death, and the sad dissapointment you feel when it doesn't happen.

On page 128 Vonnegut shows very keen observations of the nature of poverty in America, which I found very interesting. On page 130 he goes on to say that Americans have no true love between each other, and then sort of back it up on page 132, and says that Barbara, through scolding Billy "{felt} It was very exciting for her, taking his dignity away in the name of love." The end of this chapter introduces Montana Wildhack, a woman Billy seems to truly feel for, or at least more than for his wife.

One for the X-Files (Chapter 4 SF)

The first page of this chapter (72) brings back a lot of the elements from the end of the previous chapter. The wedding tent had black and orange stripes like the POW train, Billy and his wife nestle like spoons like the men on the train, and Billy's feet look ivory and blue, like the corpses by the side of the road. Again, he is completely calm as he waits to be abducted by aliens, because he is resigned to it happening. This time Vonnegut's insertion into the chapter is more discreet on page 73 Billy receives a call from a drunk man, which carries the scent of mustard gas and roses. In chapter one Vonnegut says he calls drunk and that when he's drunk he smells mustard gas and roses. I the whole bit where Billy sees the war movie backward, when all the bad things are undone, the bombs destroyed and put back into the earth, and people work towards the good deed of making the perfect Adam and Eve. It is the way Billy wishes time wnet, but he cannot control it. I like this part especially "Touchingly it was mainly women who did this work" by work he means the dismantling of bombs, which means that in real life, they had put them together, twisting the touching into the gruesome. The only questionBilly asks the Tralfamadorians is why him, to which the Tralfamadorians say there is no why, there is just the moment, which brings back the idea that things are done simply because they must be, not because we consciously make them that way. One event that really stuck wiht me was this "the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, "You think this is bad? This ain't bad." I find it touching that he tried to fight to end, to say things were okay, while all the while it was time for him to die. Or maybe this just shows the Tralfamadorians are right, death's no big deal. Page 80 makes the comparison of a group of people to a liquid, one which is better enticed with warmth and tenderness. Death is compared to stone, a congealing of life. These are some of my favorite metaphors. This chapter also introduces two characters. Edgar Derby, who we know will be executed after the bombing and Paul Lazzaro, who has pledged to kill Billy for Weary. Finally, and enduring idea of the book is introduced at the very end, free will or the lack thereof. Tralfamadorians live in all moments, so they make no decisions. People do not live thta way, this is why only on Earth is there talk of free will.

Out of the Frying Pan, or is it out of the Fire? (SF Chapter3)

Chapter 3 begins with a description of "mopping up" which is doen after battle. I like how they show that the dog is innocent by saying "She had never been to war before. She had no idea what game was being played. Her name was Princess" (52) I like that somehow the name humanizes her and makes it so absurd that a dog called Princess is hunting people that will be killed. I like the fact that the Corporal, who is a great soldier and ready to surrender, and the strange story of Adam and Eve in the boots. Again they showcase innocence and the lasting ability to love even in war. Billy's flashforwards here are to show that his personality and attitudes are similar in war or peace and it is in a way a rmeinder that Billy survives the war, which dispels alot of tension. In page 59 Billy talks about a neighborhood looking like it has been through war, which shows that war never really leaves the soldier. I like the use of the Serenity prayer on page 60, where Billy shows he has no control over life and time, like a spectator to his own life. I also find it a strange match that this prayer is also given to people dealing with addiction. Once again, I sense there is importance in the passage about Billy's random weeping, but I can't figure it out. On page 67, when Wild Bob is rambling about a reunion in his home town, Vonnegut intejects by saying he was there and so was O'Hare. I think it's because it all feels so fake and unreal, like it couldn't happen, people couldn't really be that way, and Vonnegut has to tell you that it was real and true and just as disturbing. Another brilliant moment is on page 68, when a former hobo tells Billy it's not so bad. It's shocking because the moment is so horrible, and you can feel him trying to comfort himself, but also amazed that there really worse moments than that. On that same page, they show that right next to absolute misery, the men who work on the train have a near heavenly life. Good and bad coexist, for example the POWs easily share food and cooperate when living on the train

And We Begin (Chapter 2 Slaughterhouse 5)

The chapter starts out describing Billy Pilgrim's early life and the explanation that he sometimes lives his life in non-sequential order. This chapter continues to have the "so it goes" after death is mentioned trend, but it explains thta it is due to a custom he Learned from the alien culture of the Tralfamadorians, who can see past, present, and future at the same time, so no one really dies. (27) When they see a dead person they just say so it goes, because they are alive in other moments and they will be seen again. I think it's a really cool idea, because no one really dies, and everyone feels the lure of the idea of living forever. This chapter also provides some doubt to the existence of these creatures because Billy suffered an accident, but I don't this that matters so much as what the Tralfamadorians say. Billy is also very relax and inditurbed, on page 30 it says he never gets angry. Billy never expected to see combat, and was veyr unprepared for war, which colors the whoel tone of misery for the scenes in this chapter where Billy and three companions must walk in the snow. I find the character of Rolan Weary interesting too, as he is a bully that is just as lost in the war as Billy, and feels both affection and disgust towards him. On page 38 there is a bit explaining about a graphic crucifix in Billy's bedroom. This bit drew me, but I don't know why, or even its significance in the book. Another example of Billy's ambivalence towards life can be found on page 44, where he talks about how peaceful and beautiful he found drowning before he was rescued. Billy doesn't fear or run from death, he even finds the beauty in it, like the Tralfamadorians. Another interesting part of chapter 44 is Billy's mother asking him how she got so old, a constant source of fear and disgust for humans, but not a problem for Billy, whose non-linear life time lets him from old to young without distress. Another piece of time travel on page 50 shows that Billy has no real choice or control in his, he finds himself speaking before people and finding he has taken speech lessons, all without real conscious thought.