On the surface, Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five are dramatically different novels, each with its own characters, symbols, and plot. However, a close examination reveals that both contain common themes and ideas. In the end, both novels reveal Vonnegut’s genius for manipulating fiction to reveal glaring, disturbing, and occasionally redemptive truths about human nature. One of the most prevalent themes in Vonnegut’s novels is religion. In the early pages of Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut submits his contention that "a useful religion can be founded on lies” (Cradle 16), meaning that, fundamentally, religion is about people, not about faith or God.
In the play “Twelfth night” it is set when Christianity dominated England and when we had divine order. Casablanca on the other hand was set during World War 2 when the world was in a state of uncertainty over who was in control. Love as a cause of suffering is a huge concept in “Twelfth Night”. Shakespeare writes to show love can cause pain and many of the characters seem to view love as a curse and suffer painfully from it. Orsino depicts love as an “appetite” that he cannot feed.
However, the play itself is specifically meant to be presented to an Elizabethan era audience, despite some of the more modern adaptations of the play. As such, the conversation in Act IV Scene III between Hamlet and Claudius as to where Polonius’ body is hidden, is meant to target the original Elizabethan audience by using religious allusions that would have been better understood by such an audience along with the treatment of the mentally ill, and the relations between England and Denmark. To begin with, the religious allusions that Shakespeare uses in this scene are difficult to fully understand today, unless one has a good knowledge of history, however, they would have been easily understood back when the play was first performed. In Act IV Scene III, Shakespeare deliberately has Hamlet voice a pun about the Diet of Worms, which would have been much more known to a portion of the Elizabethan audience, as religion played a much larger role in the world back then, especially in a country where there had been so many changes in religion such as England. Similarly, he also alludes to the fact that the Diet of Worms is the “best of all diets”, as it was about what the Holy Roman Empire -- who England was briefly tied to by the marriage of Elizabeth’s older sister Mary to Philip I of Spain, who was the son of Charles V, who was
Earl Putz PHIL201-B06 October 17, 2011 In Response To McCloskey In February 1968, H. J. McCloskey published an article entitled “On Being an Atheist.” It is a work designed to show atheists exactly why they are what they are. As a piece of literature, it is well written and his points are articulated well. However, philosophy is not the opinions of one man or group, but an exchange of ideas that can help people come to a better understanding of their beliefs. McCloskey challenged everything I believe as a Christian, and did so in such a way as to appear that there should be no doubt that his argument is the correct one. As with all debates, however, there is more than one side, and I am going to present my arguments as rebuttals for McCloskey.
The message provided by “The War Prayer” is more-so focused on the religious hypocrisy and one-sided view of Christianity in the vast topic of war. The piece, written by Mark Twain, also attempts to point out the flaws in the population’s thought processes. He illustrates this by explaining how we don’t ever truly consider the innocents of an opposing nation prior to entering a large conflict. The story, “Editha”, however, focuses on how ignorance and patriotism blind a nation to the true meaning of war. Howells attempts, in his respective piece, to show how the love for one’s nation can make the unwilling die for the ones they love.
He had many more points that just charity and consistency, and they were all very important, but I thought these two were the most interesting and most controversial within today’s society. Emerson’s view on anti-religion is also a strong subject that is viewed down upon by most people. Emerson felt the Christian religion dampened the spirit rather than bringing it up. Although Emerson was against religion in some ways, he still mentions God and a “higher power” throughout his essay, so it shows that he does believe in some form of higher power. Hitchens is very anti-religious and is a well-known atheist.
John looks at both worlds through the lenses of the religion he got from the Reservation-a mixture of Christianity and American Indian beliefs - and the old-fashioned morality he learned from reading Shakespeare. He tries to adapt; he deludes himself into thinking that the world he entered is a better one. He faces civilized society with a bright outlook, but eventually comes to hate it bitterly. His beliefs contradict those of the brave new world, as he shows it in his struggle over sex with Lenina and his fight with the system after his mother dies. In the Matrix, conflict between technology and individuality is more hidden in the intricate illusion of the world woven by the
Abstract This essay seeks to overturn Kyle Baker’s claim that he represented the “true” character and “true” story of Nat Turner in his graphic novel Nat Baker. This essay first briefly examines the famous novel The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, that is based on the same source as Baker’s graphic novel. This essay explores the techniques that made this novel controversial, and questions why this novel was more highly criticized than Baker’s graphic novel. Through a general explanation of the difficulties of interpreting history, one learns that it is truly impossible to depict history in a full, unbiased, honest form. Daniel S. Fabricant explains in “Thomas R. Gray and William Styron: Finally, A Critical look at the 1831 Confessions of Nat Turner” the various reasons as to why many, such as Baker, have trusted Gray’s document as well as why Gray’s document needs to be questioned.
The River- The Grace of God Mary Flannery O’Connor was an American novelist who often wrote in a Southern Gothic style which relies on supernatural and ironic events. Her writing also reflects Roman Catholic faith which symbolizes the morality of right and wrong decisions. In general, O’Connor vision of grace in the stories described as appalling realization of characters which sometimes kills them. According to the short-story ‘’The River’’ where the protagonist achieves his grace in death, since he chooses to strive for salvation rather than live in the household with his parents. Specifically, the grace of God from this story, demonstrates the relationships of faith among Mr. Paradise, Harry, and Mrs. Connon.
Religious Intolerance in American History The stories that fill our history books and that are taught by teachers across this country today, oftentimes read like storybook fairytales with regard to important historical events in American History. Many may be surprised to learn that our history, surrounding matters of religion, is marred with controversy and depraved behavior that nonetheless shaped our country and made it what it is today. Thomas Tweed maintains in his book Retelling U.S. History that “To teach a history that excludes large areas of American culture and ignores the experiences of significant segments of the American people, is to teach a history that fails to touch us, that fails to explain America to us or to anyone else”