The Role Ofreligion And Morality In Cats Cradle Essay Example For Students

The Role Ofreligion And Morality In Cats Cradle Essay As an author, Kurt Vonnegut has received just about every kind of praise an author can receive: his works held the same sway over American philosophy as did those of Jack Kerouac or J.R.R. Tolkein; his writing has received acclaim from academics and the masses alike; and three of his books have been made into feature films. Society has permanently and noticeably been altered by his writing. Through accessible language and easily-understood themes, Vonnegut has created works subtle, engrossing, and familiar. His main method for doing this is by exploiting a theme with which everyone is familiar and about which everyone has his own opinion: religion. We will write a custom essay on The Role Ofreligion And Morality In Cats Cradle specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Not many people are more qualified to explore this theme than Vonnegut. He was born in 1922 on Armistice Day (November 11), a holiday celebrating peace, in Indianapolis. His family was moderately wealthy until the onset of the Great Depression, when they lost everything. In 1944, Vonneguts mother committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Soon afterwards, he joined the army and fought in the Second World War. Vonnegut was captured as a POW and kept prisoner in Dresden. Soon after his capture, Dresden, an entirely civilian town, was bombed heavily. Vonnegut survived the bombing, came home, and became a writer. His first book, Player Piano, received very little notice at the time it was written, 1952. When he published Sirens of Titan in 1959, it also was largely ignored. In 1969, Vonnegut published Slaughterhouse Five, which was an immediate commercial and academic success. Slaughterhouse Fives success brought attention to his other works, and though Vonnegut was not as popula r after the 60s, he continued to publish successful books (http://www.duke.edu/crh4/vonnegut/). Vonneguts works have been classified as science fiction, but that hardly does them justice. His works are significantly influenced by that genre, but contain strikingly relevant commentaries about contemporary American society which set him apart from other science-fiction writers. His use of science fiction draws a humorous contrast between the all-important significance of the nature of the universe and of reality, and the insignificance of human life and society. All of his works emphasize the enormous forces acting on his characters, not the least of which is fate. As his writing progressed and matured, this stylistic nuance became more and more evident. In his book Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut describes his own style by means of Tralfamadorians, an alien race for whom time is nonexistent, and whose literature reflects this:Each clump of symbols is a brief, urgent message describing a situation,a scene. We Tralfamadorians read them all at once, not one after the oth-er. There isnt any particular relationship between all the messages ex-cept that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time (88). Indeed, Vonnegut has dismissed temporal continuity in his writing, and has thus eliminated suspense. Characters are often aware of their own inevitable destiny, as in The Sirens of Titan, and are helpless to stop it from coming to pass. Vonnegut makes it clear that modern society is much like this people can see where theyre headed, but are too powerless or apathetic to prevent it. In his book Cats Cradle, Vonnegut mocks peoples mindless, apathetic acceptance of their fates by portraying a situation in which unimaginably powerful forces toss around people desperate to escape them. He presents civilizations attempt to commit suicide (Hocus Pocus, 72), the atomic bomb dropped at Hiroshima, and ends the book with all of the water on earth freezing as the result of a substance called ice-nine, and thus civilization successfully committing suicide. Ironically, the man who created the atomic bomb also created ice-nine, a man not diabolically evil, but merely absent-minded. In this, Vonnegut portrays not only the amazing influence the forces of the universe have on us, but also the influence a select few of us have on the forces of the universe. .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .postImageUrl , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:hover , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:visited , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:active { border:0!important; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:active , .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u448aff7148bc4c2452c2b70ef171a0da:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Heart Of Darkness - Cruelty EssayIn Cats Cradle, Vonnegut describes an amazingly intricate means by which to accept the the whims of the universe. It is a parody of religion, and is what religion would be if it were stripped of all ritual and dogma. It is called Bokononism, and it reveals just how human it is to permit fate to have its way, and just how futile it is to fight against it. The basic tenet of Bokononism, according to Vonnegut, is that people should live by whatever foma (harmless untruths) make them happy. People, according to Bokononism, should do this so that fate seems much less prevalent in their lives, and so that they feel that their own free will is the main force in their lives. Vonnegut argues that such self-deception is one of the most integral aspects of humanity (Understanding Kurt Vonnegut, 53-65). Cats Cradle was published in 1963, at a time in American history when free will seemed to be the only force guiding anyone. People were tired of war, and tired of the threat of war. People were on the verge of losing faith in government. It is in this environment that Vonnegut put forth his attack on religion and on the human situation. The thought of ice-nine was just about as frightening as the very real threat of nuclear attack, so people could easily relate to Cats Cradles plot. Vonnegut describes government in Cats Cradle as effective only when an enemy exists, and he portrays Bokononism as governments enemy. When the tension between good and evil is high, says Vonnegut, the people can be kept happy and under control. When the line separating them becomes blurred, people quickly become disillusioned and rebellious. Though Vie tnam, in which the line between good and evil was almost nonexistent, did not bring about the end of civilization, domestic rebelliousness did alter American life, just as Vonnegut predicted. In this particular instance, Bokononism can be likened to Communism the perpetual enemy perceived, perhaps wrongly, to be the most dangerous force in the world. Cats Cradle is not the only one of Vonneguts works which has such an undertone of angst and urgency; indeed, it is one of the defining features of his work. The tension between the forces acting on the human race is higher than it has ever been, and if one force should give way, life as we know it will end. The only way to carry on is to convince ones self that life is not this treacherous, and that each individual can affect the outcome. This, according to Vonnegut, is the most necessary foma of all, and it might be able to save civilization. English Essays

Southport Minerals essays

Southport Minerals essays Southport Minerals, Inc. is the largest sulphur producer in the United States. Due to a shortening of supply over the past few years Southport has enjoyed enormous profits and is extremely liquid with a debt/equity ratio of .02. Currently sulphur production accounts for 90% of Southports revenue. The company is searching for non-acquisition diversification opportunities. Southport has been presented with the opportunity to develop a copper mine in Indonesia. Increased uses of copper and rising copper prices have led Southport to consider this opportunity. However, the location of the copper mine, and the political environment in Indonesia are risks that must be considered. The company has acquired the proper financing to proceed with the project. However, they must decide how to discount the cash flows to determine if the project is acceptable. Southport has decided to proceed with the project under a subsidiary (Southport Indonesia). Several reasons support the choice of creating a subsidiary rather than doing business as the current corporation. First, the translation of foreign currency must be considered. If operating under one corporate entity each transaction must be translated. This would lead to a degree of discrepancies, creating confusion. Also, differences in tax and accounting regulations are a consideration. Foreign countries have different accounting systems and tax plans. Therefore, two sets of book would be needed to reconcile foreign and domestic statements. Third a separate entity, creates shelter against political risk. The parent company is protected from political turmoil inside the foreign country. Southport has already had property expropriated in Cuba. The board is very wary of any future foreign risks. Any protection that Southport can guarantee the board will help sell the position. In order to avoid potential distortions caused by foreign currency conversion, Southport should co...

Cats Cradle Reflection

Society makes something up and pretends it’s something it’s not. For instance, religion says it has all the answer, but when it is examined closer, nothing is really there. † Throughout Vonnegut’s book â€Å"Cat’s Cradle,† Jonah exposes many examples of why he does not believe in Christianity or any other religion besides the one religion he established, Bokononism. I personally see where Jonah is coming from, the fact that there are statements in the old testament that we do not follow even though they may be stated more that once. Although, there are a couple of things that I agree on with Jonah and Bokononism; I concur with Liana Price’s Essay on â€Å"Understanding Religion Through Cat’s Cradle. † As stated in Cat’s Cradle earlier in the book; the old testament states expectations for Christians that are not even being considered and people are living around these â€Å"rules. † Vonnegut himself is a Humanist; he is not sure of God’s existence but values life above all else. Even though he does state in his latest novel Timequake that people need religion as something to turn on for comfort and support. I agree on this statement, I believe that humans need someone to think about, talk to, and to unconsciously ask favors too. Atheists are people who do not believe in the existence of any divine beings. Even though this is supposed to be their actual belief they still swear to God. Which to me personally sounds like they need someone to blame for. There are many reasons why people don’t â€Å"believe† in any divine beings but unconsciously they somehow do. Newt’s father and brother serve as an example in this novel of the scientific views of religion. Which is surprising being that technically Newt’s father did invent the atomic bomb that killed thousands of people and he is referred as â€Å" so innocent he was practically a Jesus. † How in the world is a man who killed thousands referred to as Jesus when in reality Jesus was killed to save thousands? This is oxymoronic; which is one of the reasons on why I disagree with Cat’s Cradle. Julian who calls himself a Bokononist because he agrees that all religions are lies which is what Bokononism is. He fits as a Bokononist because he recognizes that the need for religion is necessary to make someone feel better whether it is scientific, truthful or not. Ice Nine is a method of being able to freeze all bodies of water which are oceans , lakes, rivers, etc. Ice Nine was invented by Felix Hoenikker and his invention also has effect on humans. As soon as it touches human skin or has contact with the inside of the body all blood turns into ice and the person dies instantaneously. Bokonon gets trapped by the people of San Lorenzo and they tell him what God has done and ask what they should do. Bokonon wanting the easy way out, tells the people that God was surely trying to kill them. Bokonon wanted to give them a simple way out so he told them to touch the Ice Nine and their blood froze and they instantaneously died. Although, Bokonon being a genius himself did not take his own advice, because he knew it was worthless. Overall, Vonnegut is a great writer and can express himself in a very unique way that I admire. Although I do disagree with his book Cat’s Cradle. Bokononism is the religion of the belief that all religions are based on lies and people don’t need God. The people of San Lorenzo were targeted to become Bokononists and practice Bokonon’s beliefs. They ended up losing their lives because they believed that God was trying to kill them. I agree with most of the reflection of Liana Price about Bokononism.

French commentators often see in 'republican values' a universal path Essay

French commentators often see in 'republican values' a universal path towards modernity. Define these values in the french context and comment - Essay Example Although it was often called into question, it finally established itself under the Third Republic6. It was written into the 1958 Constitution7 and is part nowadays of the French national heritage. Linked by Fà ©nelon8 at the end of the 17th century, the notions of liberty, equality and fraternity became more widespread during the Age of Enlightenment. At the time of the French Revolution, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was one of the many mottoes in use. In December 1790, Robespierre9 advocated in a speech on the organization of the National Guards10 that the words "The French People" and "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" be written on uniforms and flags, but his proposal was rejected. From 1793 onwards, Parisians, soon to be imitated by the inhabitants of other cities, painted the following words on the faà §ades of their houses: "Unity, indivisibility of the Republic; liberty, equality or death". But they were soon asked to erase the phrases final part as it was too closely associated with the Terror... 11 This motto fell into disuse under the Empire, like many revolutionary symbols. It reappeared during the Revolution of 184812 marked with a religious dimension: priests celebrated the "Christ-Fraternità ©" and blessed the trees of liberty that were planted at the time. When the Constitution of 1848 was drafted, the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was defined as a "principle" of the Republic. Discarded under the Second Empire13, this motto finally established itself under the Third Republic, although some people still objected to it, including partisans of the Republic: solidarity was sometimes preferred to equality which implies a levelling of society, and the Christian connotation of fraternity was not accepted by everyone. This motto was inscribed again on the pediments of public buildings on the occasion of the celebration of 14 July 1880. It

Grignard arylation Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Grignard arylation - Lab Report Example In this reaction, the C=O bond the ketones is attacked by the Grignard reagent to yield an alkoxide ion. The alkoxide ion formed is then protonated by H+ to form alcohol and MgBrOH (McMurry): A 50-mL round-bottomed flask containing 20 mmol of magnesium turnings and a stirbar was flame dried. A rubber stopper was affixed to the flask after it had cooled and then assembled with an addition funnel from the oven before it had cooled. Grease was applied to the glass-to-glass joints to prevent them from freezing as the parts cooled. The addition funnel was charged with a solution of phenyl bromide (20 mmol) in anhydrous ether (15 mL). 1 mL of the solution formed was then added into the flask and stirred until the reaction started. Once the reaction had begun, the rest of the phenyl bromide solution was dripped in over several minutes, at a rate that maintained a gentle reflux. Following the addition, the reaction was allowed to proceed for 20 minutes. During this period, heat was added to maintain the reflux. The Grignard reagent was allowed to cool. A solution of cyclopentanone (13 mmol) in anhydrous ether (10 mL) was added through the addition funnel while stirring. The reaction mixture was worked-up as follows: a sufficient amount of 3M HCl was added to acidify the reaction mixture. The aqueous layer that formed was extracted with CH2Cl2. While swirling, the combined organic layers were washed with 10 mL of 10% aqueous sodium bisulfite and 10 mL of brine. The organic layer was dried and the solvent obtained evaporated over a steambath. The residue obtained was stored in a shell-vial with a well-fitting cap. The workup was repeated by my partner; however, he used 20 mL of 10% aqueous NH4Cl in place of 3M HCl. In the second week of the laboratory session, the evaporation residue was transferred into a flask, after which it was vacuum distilled into a tarred flask. The product obtained was then characterized by

Essay --

LINGUISTIC CURRY Posted on January 15,2014. I returned to India after a long period and at the airport I hear an announcement saying â€Å"Welcome, Mumbai me aapka swagat he!’ these words took me back to my college days where we used to communicate in hinglish- the merger of English and other Indian vernacular languages†¦. I was pleasantly surprised to hear ‘MUMBAI’- as when I had left it was called Bombay though the original name of the city was Mumbai named after the Goddess Mumbadevi. With migration of people from North India Mumbai became Bumbai, during the British raj it became Bombay and remained for a long period before rechristened as Mumbai. When we friends used to meet we would say –‘Hey dude, kaisa he?’ (Hey dude, how are you?) While placing the order in the canteen we used to say ‘Hey boss, do cutting chai.’ (Two half teas) People in India are growing up in a multilingual surrounding, resulting in code mixing (mixing of two or more languages). What is the reason behind code mixing? India is a developing country and only few people are fluent in English, with most people have their education in vernacular medium. Which leads to either reshaping the English syntax with Hindi words or simply the other way round. Hinglish has gained a lot of importance in India as it is the language of the masses and every individual can relate himself with the language. For the same reason many advertises and movies use Hinglish. Many multinational giants use Hinglish version of its international campaign to make their brands more acceptable and popular among Indian masses. Mc Donald’s campaign’ What your bahana is?’(Whats your excuse?) Coca-colas strap line ‘life... ... and judiciary use a lot of hinglish on daily basis. I remember an incident when I had gone to the passport office for my passport renewal an officer told me ’please, appka passport submit karo’. Nowadays even mobile apps have been created which support hinglish such as the famous app ‘swype’ by which the user doesn’t have to press individual keys to type but only swipe on the keyboard to type. This makes it easier for people to type in hinglish. The alphabets on the keyboard are in English. With such amalgamation, English is no longer virgin and the cross-pollination of English and Hindi has given birth to ‘HINGLISH’, which will rule the world community due to the virtue of its diverse dialects. Posted by rohan mehta at 5:43 pm Essay -- LINGUISTIC CURRY Posted on January 15,2014. I returned to India after a long period and at the airport I hear an announcement saying â€Å"Welcome, Mumbai me aapka swagat he!’ these words took me back to my college days where we used to communicate in hinglish- the merger of English and other Indian vernacular languages†¦. I was pleasantly surprised to hear ‘MUMBAI’- as when I had left it was called Bombay though the original name of the city was Mumbai named after the Goddess Mumbadevi. With migration of people from North India Mumbai became Bumbai, during the British raj it became Bombay and remained for a long period before rechristened as Mumbai. When we friends used to meet we would say –‘Hey dude, kaisa he?’ (Hey dude, how are you?) While placing the order in the canteen we used to say ‘Hey boss, do cutting chai.’ (Two half teas) People in India are growing up in a multilingual surrounding, resulting in code mixing (mixing of two or more languages). What is the reason behind code mixing? India is a developing country and only few people are fluent in English, with most people have their education in vernacular medium. Which leads to either reshaping the English syntax with Hindi words or simply the other way round. Hinglish has gained a lot of importance in India as it is the language of the masses and every individual can relate himself with the language. For the same reason many advertises and movies use Hinglish. Many multinational giants use Hinglish version of its international campaign to make their brands more acceptable and popular among Indian masses. Mc Donald’s campaign’ What your bahana is?’(Whats your excuse?) Coca-colas strap line ‘life... ... and judiciary use a lot of hinglish on daily basis. I remember an incident when I had gone to the passport office for my passport renewal an officer told me ’please, appka passport submit karo’. Nowadays even mobile apps have been created which support hinglish such as the famous app ‘swype’ by which the user doesn’t have to press individual keys to type but only swipe on the keyboard to type. This makes it easier for people to type in hinglish. The alphabets on the keyboard are in English. With such amalgamation, English is no longer virgin and the cross-pollination of English and Hindi has given birth to ‘HINGLISH’, which will rule the world community due to the virtue of its diverse dialects. Posted by rohan mehta at 5:43 pm

Bond/writing paper Essay

Bond/writing paper Characterized by its weight, thickness, surface texture and grades, bond paper is a strong and durable paper. It has a basic size of 17 inches by 22 inches and a basis weight of 13 to 25 pounds. Erase capability, good absorption and rigidity also characterized it. (Bear, About. com) The basis weight can be defined as the weight of a 500 sheets or a ream of a paper measured in pounds that are cut to a standard. (Bear, About. com and International Paper Company) As mentioned in the first part, 17 inches by 22 inches is the basic size for bond paper. This is classified as 24 pound-bond and was determined since this one ream of bond is cut to its basic size but if it weighs 24 pounds. The same thing goes to a ream of bond cut also to its basic size but weighs 30 pounds which is then called 30 pound-bond. (International Paper Company) The standard size identified for bond papers does not necessarily mean the same for all the grades of paper. The standard size of a paper grade of bond will determine the basis weight and the final size of the paper is not necessary needed in doing so. (Bear, About. com) The weight and thickness may have little effect on the quality of a printed image in the paper. (SimplyPhotoPaper. com) In fact, it may have no noticeable effect at all on the printing quality. However, thicker and heavier paper provide more substantial look to the printed materials and are good in holding ink coverage. (Bear, About. com) The classification of the types of pulp, the treatment used in the production of paper and the end use of the final paper product is what refers to us as paper grades. Common paper grades classified are bond, book, Bristol, cover, text, and newsprint. (Essence Printing Inc. ) These grades of a paper provide a level of brigthness or surface characteristics that are used on the other hand to determine the grade level of the finished paper. It is classified from the â€Å"Premium† which is the highest level to â€Å"5 as the lowest level. Some text and cover are classified as A or B grades. (International Paper Company) The surface characteristics of the paper of whether it is smooth, glossy or rough is what we refer as finish or surface texture. To gauge these characteristics of paper, we use the smoothness level measurement which vary in each kind of surface texture. This level is expected to be high when the surface of the paper is flat and even. Smoother surface will help the accumulation provide a sharper and higher quality image. (International Paper Company) These characteristics of a bond paper or writing paper affects its printability and quality. Printability is the ink receptivity, uniformity, smoothness, compressibility and opacity. (Georga-Pacific) Opacity refers to the percentage or the amount of light that can get or pass through the sheet of paper. (International Paper Knowledge Center) On the other hand, compressibiltiy is the decrease in the thickness under compressive forces or pressure which is relevant in letterpress printing and is measured as a ratio or roughness. (PaperOnWeb) Moreover, print quality is the standard set wherein the outcome and other properties of a print reach or is near the result we want. (Europapier International and Biltpaper. com) Paper surface texture such as roughness, gloss, ink absorption, whiteness and brightness affect the print quality. (Ballarpur Industries Limited and PaperOnWeb) Bibliography Bear, Jacci Howard. About. com. 2007. 11 October 2007 . —. About. com. 2007. 11 October 2007 . —. About. com. 2007. 11 October 2007 . —. About. com. 2007. 11 October 2007 . Essence Printing Inc. 2006. 12 October 2007 Europapier International. 2007. 12 October 2007 Ballarpur Industries Limited. 2003. 12 October 2007 Georga-Pacific. 11 October 2007 . International Paper Company. 2007. 11 October 2007 . PaperOnWeb. April 2007. 11 October 2007 . SimplyPhotoPaper. com. 2005. 11 October 2007