Business proposal
Globalization Project Reflection
Education collage
Educational Autobiography
AQotWF Reflection
Unfortunately I couldn't make this seminar and thus did not create a reflection.
Slaughterhouse 5 Seminar Reflection
Dylan Katz
During this seminar, I feel that I gained a lot more insight. For instance, someone stated that, “Billy’s experiences on Tralfamadore reflect the ones he had in war.” This was an interesting comment to me. I didn’t realize it, but Billy’s experiences on Tralfamadore are extremely similar to his time in war. Maybe this is how Billy is coping with war, by seeing it from a different view. I was really surprised when I heard this, I didn’t even think about this perspective before, but I completely agree. I think this is one of the best things about these discussions, two heads are better than one and socratic seminars do a good job of giving extra viewpoints.
Why didn’t the book focus more on Dresden?
I think that the book doesn’t focus on Dresden because that’s not the topic of this book. In chapter 7, it says, “Billy thrust a spoon into the vat and ate the gooey lollipop and every cell in his body applauded gratefully”. This quote makes me believe this book is more oriented towards appreciating the little things. Another example was the man who was shot over a teapot. He risked his life over something that we often take for granted. The phrase “So it goes”, also suggests this theme. The idea of focusing on the good things in life and moving past the bad things is a recurring theme throughout this book. This book may also have strayed from Dresden due to the author’s experiences. Vonnegut likely has a very difficult time returning to this traumatic event during his life.
This text continues to remind me of current events, specifically what’s happening in The Middle East. The Middle East’s issue with land has created an opportunity for a group of extremists to get a foothold on the ladder to power. This is often how dictators rise to power. The book talks about how war will never end and that, “Writing an anti-war book is like writing an anti-glacier book”. The Arab-Israeli conflict has been ongoing since 1948. It’s surprising that it’s taken this long for another power to exploit this conflict. The group ISIS, alike to the Nazi party has gained power during difficult times for their respective countries.
Between AQotWF and Slaughterhouse V, both books show how absolutely terrible war is. AQotWF tells you outright of the death, injury and psychological damage caused by war. In the end, nobody gets out alive. This grim but realistic view on life is much less whimsical than Slaughterhouse V’s “So it goes” attitude. However, Slaughterhouse V has an equally impactful portrayal of this message. Through the psychological turmoil of Billy Pilgrim, it becomes clear that life and death have lost meaning.He states on page 180, “I, Billy Pilgrim … will die, have died and always will die on February thirteenth, 1976”. He is perfectly ready to die, he knows he will die on the day he does.
During this seminar, I feel that I gained a lot more insight. For instance, someone stated that, “Billy’s experiences on Tralfamadore reflect the ones he had in war.” This was an interesting comment to me. I didn’t realize it, but Billy’s experiences on Tralfamadore are extremely similar to his time in war. Maybe this is how Billy is coping with war, by seeing it from a different view. I was really surprised when I heard this, I didn’t even think about this perspective before, but I completely agree. I think this is one of the best things about these discussions, two heads are better than one and socratic seminars do a good job of giving extra viewpoints.
Why didn’t the book focus more on Dresden?
I think that the book doesn’t focus on Dresden because that’s not the topic of this book. In chapter 7, it says, “Billy thrust a spoon into the vat and ate the gooey lollipop and every cell in his body applauded gratefully”. This quote makes me believe this book is more oriented towards appreciating the little things. Another example was the man who was shot over a teapot. He risked his life over something that we often take for granted. The phrase “So it goes”, also suggests this theme. The idea of focusing on the good things in life and moving past the bad things is a recurring theme throughout this book. This book may also have strayed from Dresden due to the author’s experiences. Vonnegut likely has a very difficult time returning to this traumatic event during his life.
This text continues to remind me of current events, specifically what’s happening in The Middle East. The Middle East’s issue with land has created an opportunity for a group of extremists to get a foothold on the ladder to power. This is often how dictators rise to power. The book talks about how war will never end and that, “Writing an anti-war book is like writing an anti-glacier book”. The Arab-Israeli conflict has been ongoing since 1948. It’s surprising that it’s taken this long for another power to exploit this conflict. The group ISIS, alike to the Nazi party has gained power during difficult times for their respective countries.
Between AQotWF and Slaughterhouse V, both books show how absolutely terrible war is. AQotWF tells you outright of the death, injury and psychological damage caused by war. In the end, nobody gets out alive. This grim but realistic view on life is much less whimsical than Slaughterhouse V’s “So it goes” attitude. However, Slaughterhouse V has an equally impactful portrayal of this message. Through the psychological turmoil of Billy Pilgrim, it becomes clear that life and death have lost meaning.He states on page 180, “I, Billy Pilgrim … will die, have died and always will die on February thirteenth, 1976”. He is perfectly ready to die, he knows he will die on the day he does.
Creative Historians Project
Creative Historians Reflection
During this project we researched WWI and WWII. After we got some base knowledge, we were given a few weeks to write a short story. For our exhibition, we read an excerpt of our story for the public at Maria’s Bookstore.
In my story, I put a lot of effort into showing and not telling. I begin with a scene where the main character(a cat) is sitting by the fire, enjoying the warmth. I feel that this exemplified my literary skills. This paragraph was one of my best examples of good writing. I may have overdone it slightly, using phrases such as, “the children lifted a spiteful ball of fur from the mantelpiece.” However, I think that the final product is something I can be proud of.
I could’ve done better at developing my characters. My main character, Arieh, has very little change as a character. He is difficult to relate to, though in my defense, he is a cat. The fact that my character was a cat created a challenge, I wanted him to be relatable yet still relate the emotions of a cat. As I continued through the project, I realized just how difficult this was.
I’ve made several changes to my story throughout the revision process. For example, I originally had no emotional connection between the family and the cat. I later made a bond between the cat and the family near the end of the story. Another area I changed was the general plot. Originally I planned for my plot to be more centered on the holocaust camps. However, in the end, my story was more related to the travels of this family to escape the grasp of these camps. I think both of these revisions allow for a more fluid and overall better experience for the reader.
In my story, I put a lot of effort into showing and not telling. I begin with a scene where the main character(a cat) is sitting by the fire, enjoying the warmth. I feel that this exemplified my literary skills. This paragraph was one of my best examples of good writing. I may have overdone it slightly, using phrases such as, “the children lifted a spiteful ball of fur from the mantelpiece.” However, I think that the final product is something I can be proud of.
I could’ve done better at developing my characters. My main character, Arieh, has very little change as a character. He is difficult to relate to, though in my defense, he is a cat. The fact that my character was a cat created a challenge, I wanted him to be relatable yet still relate the emotions of a cat. As I continued through the project, I realized just how difficult this was.
I’ve made several changes to my story throughout the revision process. For example, I originally had no emotional connection between the family and the cat. I later made a bond between the cat and the family near the end of the story. Another area I changed was the general plot. Originally I planned for my plot to be more centered on the holocaust camps. However, in the end, my story was more related to the travels of this family to escape the grasp of these camps. I think both of these revisions allow for a more fluid and overall better experience for the reader.