Handbook of Epictetus, Sections 1-15

As I was reading the first section of "The Handbook" I encountered myself with a curious situation. Epictetus suggested that whenever we encountered ourselves with a harsh appearence we should ignore it, surpass it, or say it doesn't affect us. In a way, this reminded me to "The Seventh Seal" where the main character surpasses death, stands up to him, and beats death. Throughout the reading I also encountered myself various times with the fact Epictetus says if you want something, and really desire it, you will get the complete opposite. For example he says: "But if you want both those great goals and also to hold public office and to be rich, then you may perhaps not get even the latter just because you aim at the former too" (pg. 11) This relates specifically to my own life because my mother is sometimes supersticious so she might knock on wood every once in a while or tell you not to say it is going to rain because it really will.

In the third section I also carefully looked at the part where Epictetus said: "If you kiss your child or your wife, say that you are kissing a human being; for when it dies you will not be upset." This is very interesting because just the other day I was thinking about all the movies where two loved ones are fighting, and before one of them can say they're sorry, the other might die. The other person will have this on their conscience for the rest of their lives, so every once in a while, I remember this and try to always end off happily with a person because you never know what can happen to them. For example I remember to tell a loved one I love them just to be safe.

Throughout the whole handbook the author really knows what people are thinking, and he basically gives people lessons about life.I specifically found the fifth section very interesting because it applies to everyone's life. Epictetus tells us it is not right to blame someone else for our wrong - doings. Another grate lesson is the eighth section; It is simple and perfect: "Do not seek to have events happen as you  want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well." I really do believe in this statement, and if one really did it, I believe it would work, meaning your life really would go better. I might even try applying this in my own life, however it is not easy.

Slaughterhouse - Five Reading Blog: Chapters 9 and 10

I really liked the end of the book, even though it was kind of strange (well I suppose the whole novel is a bit strange), it was very entertaining. Chapter 9 begins with the death of Billy's wife, Valencia. When it happened Billy was unconscious because of the plane wreck, but when he found out hours later, he wasn't upset, just the usual "so it goes." One thing that did disappoint me about the last two chapters of the novel, was the lack of information on Montana Wildhack. I guess I was just expecting a bigger influence of her on Billy. While in the hospital in Vermont, Billy was constantly going unstuck in time, traveling to Trafalmadore, then to when he was a young teenager, etc.

An interesting moment in the 9th chapter is when Vonnegut describes how Robert, Billy's son, had changed during his life. I believe this is very meaningful to the novel, and creates a new theme in the book. That of changes in life. Billy himself changed a lot once he discovered new points of view from the Trafalmadorians, especially regarding death. He also changed a lot after the war, as we saw during the last chapter when he got so nervous when he saw the quartet singers.

Another interesting part regards the new character introduced in this chapter, Professor Rumfoord. Rumfoord is constantly talking badly about Billy, thinking he is not listening even though he was. In one of these moments he mentions his thoughts to Lily, Billy's daughter. He thinks they should just let Billy die, because he thinks he has no brain and useless people aren't needed. In his own words the Professor said: "That's not a human being anymore. Doctors are for human beings. They should turn him over to a veterinarian or a tree surgeon. They'd know what to do. Look at him! That's life according to the medical profession.  Isn't life wonderful?" I think this is very important because Billy is never affected by death, he just let's deaths go, and in this case that's what is being done to him. 

I also found the fact that Billy cried about the horses very impressive. I couldn't believe that he didn't cry in the hanging of the polish, or the bombing of Dresden, or as a prisoner of war, but he did cry when he saw the circumstance in which the horses where in. I think that he cried here because he noticed that everything was so wrong and so messed up, that even the horses were dying. I also think he cried because he realized that he and his country were the ones doing all this, not only hurting the horses, but killing so many people and destroying so many cities. This also shows Vonnegut's interest with animals, in Slaughterhouse - Five he mentioned horses and dogs.

The last chapter is very similar to the first chapter. I believe Vonnegut includes himself a lot more in the first and last chapter than in all the others. He mentions his story as well as Billy Pilgrim's life. He revives the moments in which he was with Billy Pilgrim and O'Hare in the slaughterhouse as well as when he goes back to visit the new city of Dresden. One of the coolest moments, is at the very end of the book when Billy and the fellow Americans are allowed to leave the slaughterhouse. The war is over and everything seems renewed, calm and peaceful. "Billy and the rest wandered out onto the shady street. The trees were leafing out. There was nothing going on out there, no traffic of any kind. There was only one vehicle, an abandoned wagon drawn by two horses." (pg. 215)

The article about Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse - Five was very interesting. The writer, once again, returns 'the favor' Vonnegut had against everyone else. This is a writing about Vonnegut's death and the words used by Lev Grossman to describe this incident are precisely 'so it goes'. Therefore I can link it to the moment in the book with Professor Rumfoord. In this article the author also mentions that Billy experiences his birth and death in random orders. This specific phrase reminds me of a book called "La Muerte de Artemio Cruz", this book tells the story of the whole process of Artemio's death. In the very last chapter he experiences his birth in a very real manner. It's not time traveling, he is just remembering, but it's so real that it reminds me of Billy's going unstuck in time.

Slaughterhouse - Five Reading Blog: Chapters 7 and 8

Much is talked about during these two chapters. Vonnegut takes us to many places, including the day in which Dresden was bombed. "It was like the moon" (pg. 179), this is the way in which Dresden is described after the bombing. Even though some people think this novel is not about war, I believe it is. I noticed that the way in which the Dresden massacre is described is showing that the author really does want the readers to know how violent the human race really is. This can be related to Gulliver's Travels, where Jonathan Swift describes horses as the leading race called Houyhnhnms, and the human race as servants called yahoos. In one part a Houyhnhnm tells a Yahoo that the rest of his race is a very violent and primitive one. In this, I think these two stories are related.

I recall a specific part during the eight chapter that stood out to me. Earlier in the novel I was wondering whether dogs would be important in the book. On page 168 Billy Pilgrim is talking to Kilgore Trout, the science fiction writer that he just met. Here it is said that Trout is "scared to death of dogs" and this answers my question. Dogs don't have a huge impact on the novel, however, they are linked to an important character, Kilgore Trout. I think Kilgore will be very important later on in Slaughterhouse because he will probably be the only person, or one of the few people that will believe Billy about his time - traveling.

Towards the end of the novel I will still expect Montana to have a bigger role in the story. She rarely appeared during these two chapters because Billy never time travelled to Traflmadore, but the short moment she came into the story she was pregnant with a baby assumed to be Billy's. Another interesting fact about these chapters is that I found out Billy does nothing to change what happens in his life. For example the day he got on a plane for working purposes, he knew the plane would crash and most of his working peers would die, but he did nothing about it. He thinks people will call him crazy, and he is scared, so he doesn't say a word: "Billy Pilgrim got onto a charted plane in Ilium twenty - five years after that. He knew the plane would crash, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself by saying so." I don't agree on what Billy is doing because he could possibly prevent the death of many people such as those optometrists on the plane, or thousands of people in Dresden.

Reading Blog: Slaughterhouse - Five Chapter 6

During this chapter I encountered myself, various times with the word latrine. I would just like to specify that this word was very important during the last chapter, and at the beginning I didn't know what it was. In context, I could only tell it was a place. A room or something like that surrounded by wires. I decided to look this word up, and curiously enough, I didn't find it in two dictionaries. I finally asked my mother what it was, and she said it was a bathroom. From that moment on, every time I saw that word in the novel, I remembered a bunch of Americans excreting everything but their brains out. This situation reminded me of all the bad or relieving moments one can have in the bathroom.

During this sixth chapter, and the last one, it was very curious to see the way in which Vonnegut explained the relationship between Germans and their prisoners. It was very curious the way in which the Germans and the English were almost friends, however the Germans hated the Americans. Another curious, and sad fact about war is described in this chapter. The Americans were sent to Dresden and told not to fear a thing because it wasn't possible, for that city to be bombed. I can already imagine the feeling of desperation the Americans will feel when this city is bombed. The fact they couldn't do anything, and weren't expecting it will make it even worse. They will be bombed by their own allies. Even though this will catch many by surprise, Billy already knows the city will be bombed: "Billy, with his memories of the future, knew that the city would be smashed to smithereens and then burned - in about thirty more days. He knew, too, that most of the people watching him would soon be dead. So it goes." (pgs. 150 - 151) With this in mind, I wonder whether Billy will tell anyone about the bombing of Dresden? Or will he keep it to himself? If Billy doesn't tell anyone I am sure he won't be able to bare the feeling of guilt later on in life.

The 6th chapter, unlike the others, is mainly focused in one place at only one time: Germany in the second World War. Billy doesn't travel in time. He just remains in the World War, and is transferred do Dresden. I wasn't expecting this, and therefore, I couldn't answer some of the questions I had. I still don't know anything about Montana Wildhack or her influence in the book. I wonder whether I will find this out in the seventh chapter or later on. Or will I not find out at all? As always, I guess all my thoughts will be answered later on. I found the end of the sixth chapter very important and entertaining. I finally found the explanation to the novel's title. I liked the author's idea of using the German words translated into English. The very end leaves me very intrigued, and now it does seem like war. The description of the American's "new home" is scary, and seems a lot more evil than the friendly German guards in the previous prison.

Reading Blog: Slaughterhouse - Five pgs. 119 - 135

The End of Chapter 5:

One of the most curious, fun moments in this reading was the part when Billy Pilgrim is walking around in night, and happens to go past a latrine, where all the Americans are having trouble in the bathroom. The war food from the welcoming ceremony had gotten to all of them, and now thy were excreting it. The funny thing about this is that at one point Billy Pilgrim looks inside the latrine and sees Kurt Vonnegut. This caught me by surprise because at one point I was wondering whether Billy Pilgrim was the character representing Vonnegut (the same person), however, now I know this isn't true. The specific quote on page 125 says: "That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book."

Another interesting part of the end of the fifth chapter is when a German major comes into the hospital room and apologizes to his English friends for the bad behavior the Americans have. This major decides to read out loud a monograph written by Howard W. Campbell Jr. criticizing Americans. In this monograph, Campbell talks about the self - pity Americans have for themselves. The perfect sentence describing this is as follows: "They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves." (pg. 129) This specific part reminds me of the end of "A Clockwork Orange" because Alex is being beaten up, and he can't do anything about it, this leads him to have self - pity on himself. This only just relates Billy Pilgrim to Alex.

A very interesting part of this chapter is when Billy Pilgrim is at the zoo in Trafalmadore, and he is brought a mate. This would be the Earthling actress called Montana Wildhack. I am very intrigued about what will happen from now on in Trafalmadore. I think it is pretty clear Billy Pilgrim likes Montana (because of the wet dream he has with her later on in the chapter). This leads me to have questions such as: Will Montana play an important role from now on in the story? Will Billy have an affair with her? Will Valencia (Billy's wife) find out about this affair Billy had with Montana in another planet? How will she react? I believe all of this will happen, and I am wondering what the reactions will be. I remember that earlier in the novel Billy went unstuck in time into the future, in a moment where he revealed his being kidnapped by aliens and taken to the planet Trafalamdore. This creates a lot of tension, so Billy reveals he was there with Montana Wildhack. This is another reason that leads me to think something big will happen further on, and I want to find out.

Reading Blog: Slaughterhouse - Five pgs. 96 - 119

Continuing on Chapter 5:

This chapter continues with the regular happenings of the story. Billy Pilgrim is constantly traveling in time, going from being a young prisoner in the war, to a married man, and to his moments on Trafalmadore. After listening to Kurt Vonnegut's interview I was very amazed and curious on several topics and aspects of his life related to the book. I consider that one of the most important topics covered in this interview is that of the German - Americans, and their resentment against the old Germans from World War II. I learned that Vonnegut himself is a German - American, and this leads me to think that Slaughterhouse - Five isn't really a book against the war, or about the hatred against Germans. I say this because during the interview Don Swaim asks Vonnegut if he has resentment against the Germans, and his answer is no.

Another topic covered in this interview is religion. Kurt Vonnegut says that he doesn't support organized religions, however he admires The Bible, as a great work of art. This is also important to the novel because when Billy Pilgrim is in the hospital lying next to Eliot Rosewater, and his fiancee comes in, they start talking about books and a certain book Eliot is reading called The Gospel from Outer Space by Kilgore Trout. Eliot starts explaining the Gospels religion, and then tells them about what the Gospels think about christianity. Gospels think Jesus is a nobody, and they think the most important people are those with good connections. "Before you kill somebody, make absolutely sure he isn't well connected. So it goes." (p. 109) 

Reading Blog: Slaughterhouse - Five pgs. 72 - 96

Chapter 4: 

In this chapter Billy keeps constantly traveling in time. In one moment Billy is in World War II, and he has just gotten off a boxcar and arrived at a German base. Suddenly, Billy is on planet Trafalmadore asking a Trafalmadorian what has happened. One of my favorite parts in this chapter is when Billy has just gotten on the flying saucer and he asks one of the Trafalmadorians why they chose him, the answer to this question is: "Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why." (page 77) This specific quote reminds me of the movie "Peaceful Warrior" because the master teaches Dan Millman (the main character) to stay focused on the instance he is living. To "take all the trash out of his mind" and only live in the present, not the past or future. Vonnegut's description of the flying saucer when Billy first sees it, also reminds me of the movie Independence Day, and some other sci - fi movies.

Sometimes during this chapter I found it kind of difficult to keep up with what was happening because of the constant changes of situations and time. However, after a while, it wasn't too hard to get back on track. Throughout this chapter, and the whole book in general, the narrator is constantly hearing dog barks, and talking about dogs. With this in mind, I can't help but wonder if later on in the novel there will be an important part for a special dog in Billy's life.

The Beginning of Chapter 5:

 The 10 pages I read to begin the fifth chapter of Slaughterhouse - Five talk about the moment in which the Americans are introduced to English prisoners being kept in the base where Billy had just arrived. They have not been officially introduced yet, but I am very intrigued about their importance in the novel. Will these friendly English people be of big importance in the novel? How will they treat Billy Pilgrim? I wonder if they will manage an escape along with Billy and the fellow Americans? I guess all these questions will be answered further on in the novel. As always, I am anxious to continue this book.

Reading Blog on Third Chapter of Slaughterhouse - Five

The third chapter of the book (pgs. 52 - 71) carries on with the same topic, and same ideas that were shown in the second chapter. Billy Pilgrim is still in World War II and constantly has visions of other time periods in his life; he is going unstuck in time. In this chapter Billy and Weary are captured by the German's and taken to the place where all the American prisoners are being kept.

I really enjoyed reading this chapter and wish to interpret some of the things I thought about. Kurt Vonegut gave me a clear vision of what was happening in the war, and I am really being entertained by his writing. The part of the chapter in which the German's take Billy's and Weary's shoes really amused me, and for one reason or another reminded me of the 10th grade integration trip in which everybody took off their shoes to go through the mud. This situation also completely resembles to whenever your parents take your iPod and tell you you can't use it for a week. These two circumstances are times when you are deprived of something you want or need but can't use it anymore; You're privacy has been stripped from you. Anyways, there are many parts of this chapter which remind me of things that have happened to me, but none of them are obviously in the same circumstance as in the book. Some of these parts are: The way Billy walks bobbling up and down (reminded me of the other day when one of my friend's told me everybody had one leg longer the the other), and the part when Billy falls asleep in work while looking at a patient's eyes (reminded me I think I should go get my eyes checked). The point is that many of the things I read about in books can be related to my life.

After this chapter I am wondering about what will happen later on in the novel, but while I read it I was constantly thinking about one question: Why is Slaughterhouse - Five a banned book? I heard that in some places of the world this novel had been banned, I suspect (for now) that it is because it is a story of the second World War, and perhaps because it mentions many deaths. I am also still wondering about why this book is called Slaughterhouse - Five. Perhaps I will find out later in the story.

Reading Blog: 2nd Chapter in Slaughterhouse - Five

The first chapter is a brief prologue in which Vonnegut introduces the book, and says he wants to tell the story about his experience in World War II. From the second chapter on, is the actual novel on the World War.

The second chapter (pgs. 23 - 51) lets us know that the main character, Billy Pilgrim has the ability to go unstuck in time. The first time Billy travels through time is during the war. Billy is kind of confused when this first happens and he doesn't know what is going on. Basically, what happens is that time stops and Billy has visions of things that have already happened or will happen in the future. The novel just keeps jumping in time, an one moment we are seeing Billy crash in an airplane, then we see him in the World War, and then he is telling the story of when the aliens abducted him and took him to their planet 'Trafalmadore'.

It is a very interesting novel and I am eager about reading on. I really like the way Vonnegut writes, and especially the way he simplifies everything. For instance, I amuse myself every time he tells a story about somebody dying, because of the way he always uses the phrase "So it goes." I don't want to assume anything on the rest of the novel yet and like I said, I'm looking forward to continuing my reading.

Answers to "Blogs" by Sarah Boxer

A. What is the difference between a blog and a book?

There are many differences between a blog and a book. One of the main ones, I would say, is the fact that a book you can only read "between their covers", which means you just read the book without going any other place. However, a blog has links, which never finish, so you can go from one window to another, and browse the internet on many different topics. Also, blogs are short entries, while books are long, and take time to write. Another difference is that blogs are completely on - line, and books are hard, material copies. On top of all of this, blogs use short abbreviations and 'emoticons', things that would never be used in books.

B. How have blogs changed recently?

Some time ago, bloggers didn't post much commentary, and were very different to now - a - day bloggers. All of this changed in 1999, when many blogs were created, and the most important, FREE blog was made: blogger. From then on, blogs became very popular, and since they were so easy to create, everybody made them. This was when blogs changed the most. They weren't "web - filters" anymore, they became mostly about opinions and revelations. The new bloggers only cared about fame and being recognized, and they only created links that led you to new blogs (called inbound links).

C. Why might you read a blog?

I would read a blog to get more information and different opinions on a certain topic. For example, if I really like certain movie, I would read a blog on that movie.

D. Is there reason to doubt the objectivity of a blog? Why? Why not?

There is complete reason to doubt the objectivity of a blog. There is basically no objectivity in a blog because people only write opinions.

E. If you kept your own blog, what would you title it?

I would title it "FAVORITE MOVIES" because if I had a blog, it would be about movies, and everyone would talk about their favorite movies.