MY SLAUGHTERHOUSE

     What is post modernism and how is it related to the story "Slaughterhouse 5"? Well postmodernism started in the 1950's and we are still living in that postmodernism period. Postmodernism consist of 3 main aspects 1. humorous 2. not on chronological order 3. it breaks the 4th wall. "Slaughter house 5 has all o these elements in it, they can just be a little hard to recognize because the book can be confusing an hard to understand at some times. And that is really what postmodernism is about, it makes you think really hard. 

     The first element of postmodernism that was found in "Slaughterhouse 5" was that it was humorous. Kurt Vonnegut would say a lot of funny things that you wouldn't get unless you actually thought about it for a while. He said many things that required no thinking at all and that is what made them funny, because the reader would think that he meant something entirely different but really he didn't. When you read "Slaughterhouse 5" and actually try to understand it can be easy to see the humorous element of postmodernism in it.

     The second element of postmodernism that was found in "Slaughterhouse 5" was that it was not in chronological order. Vonnegut would jump around in his book from one year to the next, and he made it your job to understand where and and what point in time he was in. That can make a little confusing but that's what postmodernism is all about and without this, this book would just be a normal modernists book. Kurt Vonnegut did a really good job when he jumped around from year to year in his book.

      The third element of postmodernism that was found in "Slaughterhouse 5" was that it broke the 4th wall. Kurt Vonnegut actually put himself into the book and that was totally different from the modernist books that were written before him. When he put himself into the book it was like when you are watching tv and the character on the show turns to the camera and looks at the person watching the show and starts to speak to you. This wasn't done before and that makes it postmodern more than any other thing. 

     So those are some things that can help relate postmodernism to "Slaughterhouse 5". And again they are 1. humorous 2. its not in chronological order 3. and it breaks the 4th wall.

"The Great Gatsby" Essay

          "The Great Gatsby" is a wonderful novel that portrays the real thinking of most people in todays society. One character that I thought made the novel great was Nick Carraway. He sort of helped us figure out who the real Gatsby was. He also really brought the story together because he helped us to get to know Gatsby. To me he is the one character that really changed the story altogether. I think that his narration is what also made this story good because I thought his narration of Gatsby's life was really good.

          Since Nick Carraway was the narrator I feel like he knew the most about Gatsby which helped him tell us about his life. By him always being around him we are able to find out more and more about Gatsby. Because of Nick we find out that all of the parties he was throwing were all held so that he could see Daisy. We find out that he got all of his money and possessions were gained in a shady way and they were all gained so that he could impress Daisy. Without Nick I don't feel like we would have known this much about Nick.

          Because of Nick we find out who Gatsby really is. We find out that he is a shy guy and we eventually find out that he gained everything that he has so as to impress Daisy. Nick helped us to come to realize this because he was around him all the time and without him we wouldn't know these things about him. We find out that Gatsby was madly in love with Daisy because he tells Nick that.

          Without Nick Daisy and Gatsby would of never gotten to see each other. He knew that they both wanted to see each other and he made it happen. He played a big role in the changing of the plot. I think the story would have been very different if Nick wouldn't have played the role that he did.

          So therefore I feel like Nick Carraway was one of the most important characters in The Great Gatsby.  

Ch. 7 Active Reading Notes

Daisy has been coming per a lot.
Gatsby fired all of his servants.
Gatsby hired new ones.
Gatsby meets Daisy's daughter.
Gatsby has changed but your past will always stay the same.
Tom gives him the car because he feels guilty.
Gatsby tells Tom that she doesn't love him and that she loves him. (Gatsby)

Reflection on Essay

I think I did alright on my essay. I think if I would have done a pre-write it would have turned out better.

MODERNISTS AUTHOR PROJECT

Identify:
A)

1. I am always nervous.
2. I am bipolar.
3. I am bisexual.
4. I am a victim of sexual abuse.
5. I am a victim of my parents dying.

B) The statements above was basically all that Virginia Wolf's life was about. She as sexually abused by her older brothers. And because her parents died at such a young age that caused her to have any metal issues. She became bipolar and at times would become nervous for no reason. Because of all of the things that went on in her life she tried to commit suicide but luckily she failed at doing so.
C) The reason why she wrote the way that she did was because she could really relate to the feelings of the things that she wrote because they had happened to her.
D)

1. “I will not be "famous," "great." I will go on adventuring, changing, opening my mind and my eyes, refusing to be stamped and stereotyped. The thing is to free one's self: to let it find its dimensions, not be impeded.”  
2. “My mind turned by anxiety, or other cause, from its scrutiny of blank paper, is like a lost child–wandering the house, sitting on the bottom step to cry.”  
3. “I enjoy almost everything. Yet I have some restless searcher in me. Why is there not a discovery in life? Something one can lay hands on and say “This is it”? My depression is a harassed feeling. I’m looking: but that’s not it — that’s not it. What is it? And shall I die before I find it?”

The Authors Credo:
A) "Freedom is not free."
B) Since she could barely control herself she felt as if freedom was not free. All of the things that went on in her life was more for her to handle and she couldn't look past that. Therefore she felt as if it wasn't free.
Description of genre:
A) Virginia wrote mainly novels and essays.
B)

1. "Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent." I like this quote mainly because it really shows how the things that really impact her life really impact her writing.
2. "Why are women... so much more interesting to men than men are to women?" Again I really liked this quote because she really tied in her life in her writings.
3. "It is the nature of the artist to mind excessively what is said about him. Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others." I picked this quote because it showed her thoughts on writing and the way she thought about men.
4. "My own brain is to me the most unaccountable of machinery - always buzzing, humming, soaring roaring diving, and then buried in mud. And why? What's this passion for?" This quote really tells us what is going on in her head while she is writing.
5. "It is the nature of the artist to mind excessively what is said about him. Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others." I like this quote because it shows us her opinion on writing.

My Pressing Question:
How did she allow her past experiences in her life to affect the way that she wrote and how was she able to cope with what had happened to her?

As I did my research on her I found out that there had been a lot of things that had happened to her that I would have ever imagined. I was really surprised by the things that I read that had happened to her as a child. I couldn't imagine going through the things that she went through like being raped by her older brother and both of her parents dying at such a young age. As I read more I realized that her mental illnesses were direct effects of that. 
As I read some of her writings I could tell right away that her past experiences had effected the way that she wrote. If you hadn't done any research on her and just read one of her writings you probably would of thought that she was some weird psychopathic freak. 
Virginia Wolf used her work to express herself. It's sad to say that she finally did succeed in killing herself after her house was destroyed in world war 1. Having to live through all of her own experiences and through the great depression I feel like she is a great example of a modernists artist of her time.   

Art Work:


Works Cited:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/virginia_woolf.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf
 

MAPLAN

My plan for my modernist author project is to do a prezi presentation because I am familiar with it and they can sometimes interesting to make.

ESSAY POSTGAME ANALYSIS

In my essay that we wrote in class today I feel like I did a pretty decent job on answering the prompt. Next time I will take some time to organize the way I want to write my essay and make it easier to read. I would give myself a grade of a B+/A just because I feel like I answered the prompt pretty well.