(The Vonnegut Web) Nonetheless, there is much more to Kurt Vonnegut than statistics and numbers. He explores science fiction unlike any other author. He also uniquely explores humans and the meaning of their existence. The most interesting side to Vonnegut is that he does it all ever so humorously. While his characters make the reader question life, one can usually not help laughing at the way he does it. It is sometimes so absurd, so "out-of-the-blue", so strange, that it becomes very enjoyable. .
Well, at least I found the novels enjoyable. What's more, after reading and researching the author and his writings, I found Kurt Vonnegut to be even more mesmerizing. Learning about his life and discovering the connections between his books and his life were even more interesting. A biography on just Kurt Vonnegut's life, and not his novels, is a book in itself. In his novels, Slapstick and Slaughter House Five, both protagonists either were from or had family living in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Vonnegut was born on Armistice Day in 1922 and grew up. In Cat's Cradle, one of the characters is thrown out of Cornell University. This is interesting because Kurt Vonnegut attended Cornell and because of lack of interest in his majors (chemistry and biology), the university was planning to kick him out. Vonnegut, however, beat the university to the punch by enlisting in the army. (Biography).
During his time in the army Vonnegut's mother committed suicide on Mother's Day in 1944. Later, the writer was captured during the Battle of the Bulge of World War II in Germany. He was taken to Dresden with other POWs. While they were there, Dresden was bombed and the group hid in the basement of a slaughterhouse. This experience later led to create the story-line of Slaughterhouse Five. Upon his return to the U.S. Vonnegut received the Purple Heart and in 1950, at twenty-eight years of age, his first short story was published.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 11, 1922. He was the son of successful architect Kurt Vonnegut and Edith Lieber. ... Kurt Jr.'... These first two works of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. were initially categorized as science fiction, however Vonnegut's books go far beyond the realm of most pure sci-fi. ...
Diction Kurt Vonnegut is pointing out his view on what equality is and he wants us to think how extreme equality would affect us. ... Another use of diction Kurt Vonnegut uses to enforce his views on equality is when Vonnegut described the recently freed ballerina as "blindingly" (Vonnegut) beautiful on line 162. ... Imagery In Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut uses imagery to convey his thoughts of how handicaps affect this society. ... Kurt Vonnegut used many details to show and emphasize how different our world would be with extreme equality. Language In Kurt Vonnegut's stor...
Author Kurt Vonnegut is often perceived as one of the greatest post-apocalyptic authors of the 20th century. ... In May 1945, the Red Army liberated Vonnegut's camp. ... Kurt Vonnegut submitted what would become "Cat's Cradle" as his master's thesis to the University of Chicago, who accepted it and he was awarded his Masters in anthropology. ... Kurt Vonnegut led a generation of authors into a whole new frontier of post-apocalyptic literature and in doing so spawned a whole new group of readers. What Spielberg did for movies, Vonnegut did for books. ...
All of Kurt Vonnegut's books are strongly satirical and ironical (Vonnegut often uses very dark humor), funny, compassionate and extremely wise. ... Kurt Vonnegut also very often uses science fiction and comic book formulas (quick action, short dialogues etc.), which usually puts his books onto bookstore shelves marked "sci-fi". ... Vonnegut argued through fate, the future, love, oppression and humanity. ... It takes all the aspects of a Vonnegut Sci-fi story and utilizes them. ... That is what I feel to be Kurt Vonnegut's strength as a writer, he can make you laugh, make you think,...
Kurt Vonnegut's Satire As with many of his books, Kurt Vonnegut fills Cat's Cradle with satire of different sorts. ... Vonnegut constructs a tale of a genius, yet completely detached scientist, Felix Hoenikker, who is the father of the atomic bomb. ... Vonnegut also defines his ideas about government through the island of San Lorenzo. ... Vonnegut uses satire to show us how ridiculous people can be. Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is teeming with satire. ...
Lastly, Kurt Vonnegut portrays war as a horrible act by showing the effects it has on a person's mental health. ... Kurt Vonnegut blames America for most of the destruction of war. ... Kurt Vonnegut is known for being an antiwar figure so this fits his theme of his other books. ... This is another example of Kurt Vonnegut's antiwar theme. ... Kurt Vonnegut uses the story of ice-nine to foreshadow that nuclear weapons will cause the end of humanity. ...
Kurt Vonnegut was the youngest of three children. ... In the story Harrison bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut Talks about Freedom for people. ... " (Kurt Vonnegut page 170) This quote from the story is showing how much power Harrison really had a lot of power and is truly a believer in what he thinks is right. ... Lastly if Kurt Vonnegut did not use the theme of freedom the way he did and just came out and talked about how a good society needs freedom and difference than the whole story would be kinda pointless. ... So lastly to finish up if Kurt Vonnegut never had the experience that he had in his...
Kurt Vonnegut, religion and social laws. When reading Slaughterhouse-Five it is extremely noticeable that Kurt Vonnegut attempts to open your mind beyond the limits that society established once as untouchables. ... The sarcasm and careless for things that Billy Pilgrim shows in Slaughterhouse-Five reflects Vonnegut's careless for everything since human is innocent. ... (Vonnegut p.53). ... Despite Vonnegut's pessimism, he defends one's independency, he defends human capacity of doing things by their own. ...
Kurt Vonnegut's Inspiration. Kurt Vonnegut, Author of the short story collaboration Welcome to the Monkey House, expressed two messages inspired by his siblings. ... Kurt Vonnegut was inspired by his siblings, and expressed his inspiration well in these short stories. "No Pain" and "Here I am, cleaning shit off of practically everything" are two thought provoking quotes, and Vonnegut did well expressing his interpretations of both through his stories. ...
Kurt Vonnegut's 1973 novel Breakfast of Champions satirizes many aspects of American ideology. ... Moreover, these crises are indicative of what Vonnegut sees as the flaws in American life. ... Vonnegut shows how human thinking shifts from bad to better, and only that kind of change would provide a solution to people. ... Except chaos is not only a way in which Vonnegut writes, it is also what Vonnegut thinks about which "we must adopt ourselves to the requirements of chaos instead" (215). Vonnegut asserts his answer to the class is that "every person would be exactly as im...
