AllThingsConsidered

[saimrehman]

Great author. Despite the fact that most of the criticisms that I have read have pointed out the flaws in Vonnegut’s writing in regards to his style, his ideas, his characters, they really bash him on all fronts. 

Yea sure, he’s kinda depressing and isn’t the most optimistic guy, but he definitely gives it to you straight. No sugar coating, the man is real. His characters and story lines reflect this mentality of pessimism, and the fact that he considers this book “fun” is testament to his idea of fun. I loved the pictures, and the themes of mental illness and social inequality/cruelty are themes that haven’t been explored in many of the novels we have read, so I’m looking forward to the diving deeper into the annotations.

[saimrehman]

Disapproval of American society, traditions, and values.  Kurt Vonnegut is not happy with the United States and its people.

A common theme within the literature of Kurt Vonnegut.

As I have stated before, this book is very satirical, he bashes on everything and everyone. He doesn’t like the way people here think, the way they act, its armed forces, he is the most depressing person ever. He describes West Point as “a military academy which turned young men into homicidal maniacs for use in war.”

Kurt Vonnegut describes this novel as fun, and on the surface it is very fun. Who doesn’t like a good roast session. But his tone and mood remind me of that one guy who tells people not to chase their dreams or believe in hope, because you’re only gonna be disappointed in the end.

[saimrehman]

I think this would be good time for myself and others to realize the fact that Kurt Vonnegut uses characters for his writing, in multiple books, that really don’t have anything to do with each other. I think this is very peculiar, because I haven’t seen this with any other author. 

I’m not sure how this book would be different for someone who has read his other books, but I’m sure it must be weird to constantly have the same characters in different contextual situations. 

An example would be Kilgore Trout, this guy seems so real man. Kurt Vonnegut has had so much time to develop this character because of his presence in multiple books. The character development is tremendously elaborate, and this really contributes to the experience.

[saimrehman]

I finished the book awhile ago, just haven’t been updating the blog. The book started off slowly, but the tone was set right from the beginning. It was satirical, yet had a direction. The characters were being developed thoroughly, almost to a point where it was as if they were real people. The details, the personalities, and the ideas all reflected Kurt Vonnegut’s attention to the little things. After getting through a solid chunk of the book, you understand the main two characters quite clearly. Understanding the book heavily depends on the reader understanding the characters more than the plot. The rest of these posts will discuss the development of the ideas and personalities of these characters, specifically based on their actions and their dialogue.

Kilgore Trout - Science fiction writer from New York. Mildly successful, hasn’t made it big....yet.

Dwayne Hoover - Midwest car dealer who reads Mr. Trout’s work. 

[saimrehman]

[saimrehman]

Aight, so this book is actually hilarious. Satire at it’s finest. The book is essentially about a man who writes fiction, but doesn’t make it big. Little does he know that there is a car dealer living in the Midwest that takes his fiction for real. The power of language is highlighted, as it shows how seemingly insignificant literature, awakens another man’s mind to the point where he starts to go crazy. It also has really cool pictures, which is quite refreshing.

[saimrehman]

The task assigned is to pick a place where we feel connected, a place or condition that connects individuals within a space, our tribe. Honestly, this was hard, as I’ve never felt like I’ve belonged to one group. In my “I come from” poem, I highlighted the fact that I came from many, specifically two places, but belong to none.

“I come from two lands, separated by an ocean of interpretation and realization, clothing and cuisine, politics and patriotism.”

....”Belonging to both but being a part of none.”

....”The people are the same, yet the complexion is lighter, both have technology but the lights here are brighter.”

....”Community is unity, but no equal opportunity. The world is a blend, mixed in the blender of society and pop culture.”

I belong to two cultures, I live in a country predominantly non-muslim, predominantly non-brown,  and essentially am not “from here.” The problem is I’ve lived here my whole life, but experience both sides of everything everyday. Whether it be food, people, language, clothing, etc. I’ve seen and done both. However, I’m not fully either one. I have bits and pieces of both, and they make up one messed up person. 

I am part of the tribe of those that that are blended. We are constantly having to compromise from part of us, to fulfill the other part. In the morning we eat pancakes and drink coffee, while at night we have biryani or nihari with tandoori naan. Wearing a hoodie and a pair of joggers in class, and switching to a kurta-shalwar at the family dinner. Life is weird, constantly switching modes can be annoying, but it gives us an identity unlike any other, and allows us to switch lenses at any given moment.

[saimrehman]

Ceremony is hard to put together. The plot barely flows, and the first 50-70 pages are required to get into it. Ceremony isn’t one giant story, but a collection of smaller stories and incidents. All combining to create a narrative of a person who we kind of know, but is still mysterious. Describing himself in third person is just plain weird.,

[saimrehman]

What about the Commander?

Besides Offred the only character that shows a decent level of genuineness is the Commander. Everyone hates on him because he is the only male figure we get to know, and therefore receives all the criticism on behalf of the men.  We are never really given his take on all this Gilead stuff. He seems sort of oblivious, and just goes with flow. In fact, he doesn’t even know the full severity of the conditions of the people in Gilead. Offred says, “It wasn’t the first time he gave evidence of being truly ignorant of the real conditions under which we lived. 

In the beginning, when we first started talking about the book, we talked about the role of men in this society a lot, and then we realized that women played a larger role in the destructive society, and at this point we basically forgot about the commander. Even in our hotseat discussions every group was represented except the Commanders. I’d like to explore his character a little more, maybe even defend him, or atleast give him a chance to talk. Why was he not given a chance to give his full account on what he thought of Gilead? Did he really want this lifestyle?

[saimrehman]

So many choices....

Essentially I want a book that is not too plot-driven, without anything to talk about, and not something boring as hell but with tons of stuff to talk about. “The Handmaid’s Tale” gave us a ton to talk about, but in my opinion the story itself was a bit dry. Unfortunately, I wont be able to find a perfect one until I actually start reading, and for that to happen I gotta pick a book. Here are my choices so far: True Grit, Blood Meridian, Cat’s Cradle, and Breakfast for Champions. I’m leaning towards the last two, as the reviews for Kurt Vonnegut match what I’m looking for, and there seems to be a decent amount of criticism on him.

[saimrehman]

To Offred, Moira is a symbol of freedom and hope that she constantly ponders about. Throughout her flashbacks, she reflects on the times she was rebellious, how she did odd and quirky things, and her actions at the Red Center. Moira had what everyone else wanted, freedom, but was she really free? Yes, she had access to cigarettes and was able to indulge in desires, but just like all the other women in Gilead, she too was shackled. Becoming a jezebel allowed her, to an extent, be a person with wider boundaries. When Moira and Offred met in the bathroom at Jezebel’s, Offred was disappointed to hear the Moira had given in to the prostitution cycle. Offred held Moira at a pedestal, she thought of her as virtually inhuman and it pleased her to think about the possibilities of women. Atwood places Moira and the jezebels in the narrative as a symbol of freedom, but also shows the ceiling that women just aren’t able to surpass.

[saimrehman]

Why is Serena Joy constantly connected to her flowers? They are a symbol of hope that she keeps in her life. All Serena Joy longs for is a child, someone she can raise and look after, and as of now she doesn't own one, so in the meantime she tends to her flowers, a symbol of life and fertility. She is a character that Atwood doesn't allow you to like. You aren't supposed to like her. That fact that she oppresses Offred, and shows her an image of her daughter in a cruel fashion, illustrates the fact that Gilead is so bad because of people like her. Women oppressing women. The only time she seems to commit an act of kindness is when she allows her to sleep with Nick, and that too is so she gets the child, not Offred. The foundation of Gilead is dependent on the fact that people like Serena exist. On the outside it seems as if this society is dysfunctional because of men, but Atwood uses Serena to show us that the true issue lies within the community of women.

[saimrehman]

“I have viable ovaries, I have one more chance.”

This is the only hope that the Handmaids have in their lives. Contrary to the Marthas and the Commander’s Wives, the Handmaid’s may not have power, but have hope. The other classes of women are clinging to the past and are stuck in their role for the entirety of their future, while this group can cling to to something.

During the discussion, the Handmaid’s not only recognized this, but cherished it. They understood how valuable their rile is, and how they were essential to the existence of their society. Without them, there really was no hope for a future. At first glance, the Handmaids seem to have a terrible life, but after further analysis, they seem to have it better off then many other women.

[saimrehman]

Aunts -

Once again an example of the hierarchy of women, but in this case the Aunt’s are in a position of power, unlike the Handmaid’s or the Marthas. After the conversation yesterday, it seems as if the Aunt’s believe they are doing the right thing by training the Handmaid’s to be strong, but in reality are also acting out of fear of being punished for not doing their job, as assigned to them by Gilead. Confident in their actions, showing no regrets, the Aunts are not only powerful, but also scared. Everyone in this society is under one rule, and no matter where they are placed, the fear of being punished is the common denominator which unknowingly connects them all. 

[saimrehman]

As discussed in class, the Martha’s consider themselves to be the pillars of he household, the ones who are the most experienced and hold the divided classes together. Unfortunately, the comparison can then be drawn to slavery, where even though she may seek value and contribute tremendously, she can easily be replaced. She seeks to keep up a household that is constantly pushing down on her. She is angry, and is agitated due to these facts, but in a society where she, along with others, is never valued. Is she in deception in thinking that she is a a part of the “family?” I’d say she definitely hopes for more in a reality where she will always be less.

[saimrehman]

Myth???

The Definition of mythology includes aspects of supernatural means and ideas. While there is nothing too obvious in regards to supernatural aspects. there are multiple symbols that can connect to the theme of mythology. The color red in regards to her dress alludes to fairytales and, she says “some fairy tale figure in a red cloak, descending towards a moment of carelessness.” William Bascom refers to mythology as “tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters.” The Handmaids Tale is set in a world not too distant from ours and tells a story from a different perspective that is unfamiliar to us. Many would argue that this story could become true, and the situation she is in could soon become a reality.

[saimrehman]

Flowers for Algernon

When asked to prove or make a case for this text to be apart of the curriculum, I immediately thought that I didn’t want this to be a part of the curriculum. This may lead one to believe that I didn’t enjoy the book, or the way it was written, but in fact I really did enjoy the story, but that’s it. I enjoyed the story, the plot, but I found it lacking of many things that should be in a novel which is being considered for curriculum inclusion.

As we were asked to move around and discuss why we believe it should be included, I found myself praising the text for things I never took the time to understand or realize were so valuable. The book was definitely written differently, giving the reader a new perspective that isn’t commonly seen in other novels. Misspelled words and terrible grammar littered the first 50 pages or so, intentionally of course, to simulate the mind of a mentally challenged grown man. As the plot-line progressed, so did the mind of the narrator, grammar, spelling, and thought all made a leap. Also, the book had underlying meaning that made it more than just a story, something I had missed the first time around.

Even though, I still think it lacks certain things, such as multiple character development, to be a part of an AP Lit curriculum, I definitely saw improvements in the book when asked to praise it. I would probably find the opposite i fasked to criticize it.