The Sirens Of Titan By Kurt Vonnegut - 1940 Words

The Sirens of Titan The book I chose for my third book report is â€Å"The Sirens of Titan, a 326 page novel by Kurt Vonnegut. I chose this book because initially the synopsis caught my interest and I had heard a great deal about the writing of Vonnegut although, I had never actually read any of his works. I thought, based on the theme of the story, that it would be an interesting read; despite my tendency to read books outside of the science fiction genre, I figured I would try something new and give this book a chance. The title is a peculiar one to me seeing as the story hardly addresses the â€Å"sirens† in full, let alone gives enough significance to them to be worthy of the title. The sirens are only brought up on occasion and do not add anything too vital to the story. I only have the vaguest of ideas as to why Vonnegut would select this as his title. All I can interpret from it is that it s a reflection on how the protagonist cares for only insignificant and petty things like wealth and attraction rather than any imperative and genuine world issues. The story takes place in the 22nd century on the planets of Earth, Mars, briefly on Mercury, and on Titan, the moon of Saturn. The story centers around Malachi Constant, a rich, egocentric, young man with twisted morals who has had everything in his life handed to him. He cares little for the welfare of others and this is exemplified throughout the duration of the entire novel. The other main character is the antagonist,Show MoreRelatedThe Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut1147 Words   |  5 PagesOver the course of Kurt Vonnegut’s career, an unorthodox handling of time became one of many signature features in his fictional works (Allen 37). Despite The Sirens of Titan (1959) being only his second novel, this trademark is still prevalent. When delving into science fiction, it is often helpful to incorporate ideas from other works within the genre. This concept is exemplified by the â€Å"megatext,† an aspect of science fiction that involves the application of a reade r’s own knowledge of theRead More True Happiness in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut and Hans Weingartners The Eduakators2266 Words   |  10 PagesTrue Happiness in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut and Hans Weingartners The Eduakators A large parcel of the population has as their ultimate goal in life achieving well-being. Unfortunately many try to achieve it through the wrong means. For instance, in The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut, Malachi Constant thinks he is truly happy, but what he really does is fulfill his hedonism, satisfy his shallow needs, without truly searching for a higher form of well-being. Not only does aRead MoreThe Role of Religion and Morality in Cats Cradle Essay959 Words   |  4 PagesCradle 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,Read More Kurt Vonnegut Essay2033 Words   |  9 PagesKurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is a contemporary American author whose works have been described by Richard Giannone as comic masks covering the tragic farce that is our contemporary life (Draper, 3784). Vonneguts life has had a number of significant influences on his works. Influences from his personal philosophy, his life and experiences, and his family are evident elements in his works. Among his comic masks are three novels: Cats Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, and God Bless You, MrRead MoreEssay about Uniformity and Deformity in Harrison Bergeron946 Words   |  4 Pagesthis essay, I will attempt to explore what Kurt Vonnegut illustrated in his short story Harrison Bergeron--the fact that uniformity (of any kind) leads to the loss of individuality, and therefore to absolute deformity of humanness. The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal, the story begins. They werent only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way. (Vonnegut 1968:7) In this haunting story, Vonnegut probably wanted to warn our society of similarRead MoreKurt Vonneguts Tragic Path to Success1128 Words   |  5 PagesKurt Vonnegut, was born on November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to American-German parents Kurt Vonnegut (Sr.), and Edith Vonnegut. Vonnegut had an older brother, Bernard and an older sister, Alice. Vonnegut graduated from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis in 1940 and went to Cornell University later that fall. Though he majored in chemistry, he was Assistant Managing Editor and Associate Editor of the Cornell newspaper. While at Cornell, Vonnegut enlisted in the United States Army. TheRead More Kurt Vonnegut as Social Critic Essay2383 Words   |  10 PagesKurt Vonnegut as Social Critic   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who write on the human condition are often philosophers who write with convoluted language that few can understand. Kurt Vonnegut, however, focuses on the same questions, and provides his own personal answers with as much depth as that of the must educated philosopher. He avoids stilted language typical of philosophers, using shorter sentences, less complex vocabulary, humorous tangents, and outrageous stories to get his point across. With thisRead MoreDeath and Time in Slaughterhouse-Five823 Words   |  4 PagesDeath and Time in Slaughterhouse-Five We all wish we could travel through time, going back to correct our stupid mistakes or zooming ahead to see the future. In Kurt Vonneguts novel Slaughterhouse-Five, however, time travel does not seem so helpful. Billy Pilgrim, Vonneguts main character, has come unstuck in time. He bounces back and forth between his past, present, and future lives in a roller coaster time trip that proves both senseless and numbing. Examining Billys time travelingRead MoreKurt Vonnegut : First Generation German American Parents1213 Words   |  5 Pages1, 2017 Rough Draft Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 11, 1922. His parents, Edith and Kurt Sr. were third-generation German-American parents. Vonnegut was raised without any knowledge of the German Language. Edith the daughter of Albert Lieber, a millionaire and Indianapolis brewer while Kurt Sr. an architect. The only profound name on Kurt Sr, side was his great-grandfather Clemens Vonnegut, founder of Vonnegut s Hardware Store. Kurt Vonnegut graduated from ShortridgeRead More The Thought-experiments in Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five or the Childrens Crusade: A Duty Da3375 Words   |  14 PagesThought-experiments in Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five or the Childrens Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death In 1945 Kurt Vonnegut witnessed a horrific series of bombings that led to the destruction of the German city of Dresden, where he was taken as a prisoner of war. The controversial fire-storm raid, carried out by bombers of the Royal Air Force and US Air Force, took casualties of up to a quarter million people (Klinkowitz x-xi). As a prisoner of war, Vonnegut was forced to participate