... and there gained early writing experience writing for the high school's daily paper. He enrolled at Cornell University in 1940, and, under pressure from his father and older brother, studied chemistry and biology. He had little real love for the subjects, and his performance was poor. He did, however, enjoy ... and his own childhood. In the book, The Hoenikker family closely parallels Vonnegut's own family, consisting of an elder son who is a scientist, a tall middle daughter, and a younger son who joins Delta Upsilon. The narrator is again a writer who, in this case, is working on a bo...

• Word Count: 1839
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... executed by a four-man firing squad. Wild Bob - An American colonel from Wyoming who dies from double pneumonia in a German railroad yard. He was slightly delusional. Valencia Merble - Billy's wife, daughter of Lionel Merble, the founder and owner of the Iliad School of Optometry where Billy studies to become an optometrist. She's a very fat and unattractive woman, but with a kind personality ... - An unsuccessful science-fiction writer who lives in Ilium and makes his living as a circulation man for the Ilium Gazette. He and Billy become good friends. Billy's daughter holds him respons...

• Word Count: 1657
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... writings can be thought of as absurd in some aspects. However, if one chooses, one can see the enlightening theories and thoughts behind his stories. Many of Vonnegut's novels have impacted our lives today, even though one might not realize it. Numerous musicians and bands that we listen to ... and others failed. (Changed our Lives) Since he was thirty years old, Kurt Vonnegut has written some eighteen novels, more than two dozen short stories and many plays and essays. (The Vonnegut Web) Nonetheless, there is much more to Kurt Vonnegut than statistics and numbers. He explores science ...

• Word Count: 2135
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... ; he said, as though a touchdown would have made everything all right again" (29). Right before Hartke graduated from high school his father entered him into the schools science fair knowing that his son was not enthusiastic about science. As they were walking out of the Moellenkamp Auditorium ... in Cleveland, after the judges came to the conclusion that his father did all the work they bumped into Sam Wakefield. Same Wakefield was a Lieutenant Colonel in the army who was going around recruiting soldiers. ... ruling class in New York. During his teaching there, one of the students was ...

• Word Count: 2053
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... world. The story begins with the author, John, collecting facts with which to put together a book about Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the father of the atomic bomb. Throughout the course of his research, John encounters Dr. Hoenikker's three children; Angela, his daughter, and sons Frank, a convict, and Newt, a midget . We learn that the children's mother died during the birth of Newt, and that ... don't quite function like anywhere else. The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the Republic of Gilead, where the main character Offred lives. Offred used to have a normal life with a husband, daughter, a...

• Word Count: 1637
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School