Cat's Cradle: The Destructive Nature Of Humans Essay

Everyone has heard the expression "curiosity killed the cat." That is to say, the search for new wisdom can often have unpleasant consequences; a child curious about the kitchen stove is bound to get burned. This is exactly what Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates in Cat's Cradle with the example of ice-nine, which is developed by the fictional creator of the atom bomb, Felix Hoenikker. It is symbolic of the atom bomb in that it has the power to end human life. Hoenikker is obviously an exceedingly smart man; however, it can be inferred from his inventions that he does not always consider the negative consequences of his new discoveries. He is merely on a quest for further knowledge, not a quest to better our society. The game of cat's cradle,

"All the things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." So begins the Books of Bokonon. Bokononism is an original religion that is introduced in this book, Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The book shows the importance of religion, even if that religion is "shameless lies". It also displays how people convince themselves that things are better then they really are. I read this book because of a promise I made to my father. I'm glad I made that promise; I just read a delightfully funny and deep tale about the end of the world.

Growth is a characteristic that comes with time. It can define the path of one’s personal success. That path or journey, our strengths and weaknesses can be tested. We can be pushed past our limits and bring out the fear in us. It is a learning experience that can shape the person that we grow up to be. New and different experiences help add to our knowledge and personality. It can also change our ways of living and beliefs. These experiences can take us on a journey with new people that can help you learn new things about yourself that you never discovered. The knowledge taught by these people can assist in your growth ,spiritually and emotionally. In Michael Ondaatje’s novel, The Cat’s Table, eleven year old Michael is taken out of his

There is no question about his motives in allowing Theo to help him with his work. He is there to provide a mourning boy with a sympathetic ear and something to do to keep the boy occupied, if only for a few hours. He does not hold back on sharing things about himself, as seen on page 179 when he tells Theo the story of how his father cheated him out of years of honest wage. He also forces Theo to think deeper about things, like literature, as seen in their discussion on page 136 about writers like Poe. In that conversation, Hobie listens to Theo’s opinion and supplies his own, inviting Theo discuss them with him. Such conversations also provide proof on how Hobie shows an interest in Theo. He asks Theo about his day, but does not push for a reply. He asks Theo about what he likes and what he thinks without being too pushy. There is no question about Hobie’s motive; he is just a nice guy who is helping a boy life chewed up and spat out. By being so forthright of a character, Hobie is a character who is “a planet without atmosphere” (160). He is not hiding himself from Theo, allowing Theo to see him without the protective layer of an

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was written during the twentieth century, which was the height of industrialization and technological advancements. The common hope during this time was that science could transform the world. This novel illuminates the flaws in this kind of thinking, and by doing so, points out how our negligent use of nature's laws has created some of the greatest tragedies know to humankind.

Scientists do not use their talents to help civilization, they are “Pure research men” who “work on what fascinates them, not on what fascinates other people” (49). They focus on continuing research just for the sake of science and are self-centered. They do as they please without helping society with it’s actual problems, like how the entire island of San Lorenzo is starving and living in poverty. Rather than working on something that could benefit others, the scientists continuously work on research that is not always even necessary. Science also does not care how their inventions effect other people, even if their inventions could potentially be harmful. After Dr. Hoenikker wins the Nobel Prize, the Hoenikker children use the prize money to buy their mother a tombstone and a summer home. John ponders why someone would receive a Nobel Prize for such a damaging invention and thinks, “‘Dynamite money,’ I marveled, thinking of the violence of dynamite and the absolute repose of a tombstone and a summer home” (65). People grant science rewards for creating damaging innovations that are ruinous. Dr. Hoenikker does not think about the harm his inventions could cause because he does not care. This negligent attitude causes the destruction that occurs at the end of the book when it says, “The moist green earth was a blue-white pearl. The sky darkened”, and, “the sun became a sickly yellow ball, tiny and cruel. The sky was filled with worms. The worms were tornadoes” (261). Dr. Hoenikker and his children are to blame for this demolition of the world because they are careless with how they use science. Science kills the majority of life on Earth, all because the Hoenikker’s treat the ice-nine with neglect. Science is irresponsible with how it treats the devastating inventions it

The most evident and key theme that Vonnegut explores throughout the novel is the extent of human stupidity, and how in combination with the technology humans have created for both good and bad purposes, is placed in the wrong hands, there is no telling how the world will be destroyed. The book is meant to “…emphasize the human, rather than the technical side of the bomb” (7), which in turn shows only the negative impact human actions had on the world. Throughout the entire novel, Felix Hoenikker is portrayed as a scientist who is focussed on only science. He has no connection to the outside world, other people or even his family. It is evident that Vonnegut has portrayed Felix in way that separates science from the way it is used.

In the early sixties, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. released his candidly fantastical novel, Cat's Cradle. Within the text an entire religious sect, called Bokononism is born; a religion built on lies, absurdity, and irony. The narrator of Cat's Cradle is Jonah, a freelance writer who characterizes Bokononism as being, "free form as an amoeba" (Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, 3). It is boundless and unpredictable as the unconscious itself. Bokonon lives on the impoverished island of San Lorenzo where he spends his days scribing poetic calypsos in the books of Bokonon. Jonah arrives on the same island in his pursuit of Frank Hoenniker, the military commander and son of the eccentric Dr. Hoenniker, who invents a substance

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.

Samuel English Mr. Poetzinger Freshman Honors English 26, November 2014 The corruption of today’s society In the novel “Cat’s Cradle”, written by Kurt Vonnegut, religion is presented as more useful and less dangerous than science, despite its paradoxes and shortcomings. “Bokononism” is all lies, but it makes people happy. The whole idea of extended families to make you feel part of something, even though it’s based on meaningless things brings people comfort.

Hobbes believes that by being rational beings, and reasoning out things, we can all live a little more peacefully.

People flying around the city in their Nissan Leafs like cats water skiing behind F-16 Fighting Falcons. Cats roam the streets as cells roam the blood stream. Homeless with dozens of stray cats feasting On the garbage that the people live in.

Hobbes articulates a “materialist” view of man, which asserts “life is but a motion of limbs,” (Leviathan 3) and that all men are composed of the same materials. It thereby follows that men, or simply matter in motion, desire the same things because they are composed of the same things. Man’s similarities go beyond merely his composition. Man relies on certain necessities in order to maintain life. These necessities, such as the need to eat food and drink water, correspond to all of mankind. Therefore, in order to preserve life,

We take comfort in the rules and constructs that make up our world -- our society, our lives. Loving your country is important, because nations, organizations and cultural groups have meaningful differences. My life has a clear intrinsic purpose - to explore? to create? to be a part of a greater plan? Yes. There’s something special about me being alive right here and right now. Human society has only gotten better, and even if there are some bad things, the forces in our universe are sure to balance out in the end, and we’ll continue to progress.

The concept of human nature has been questioned numerous times throughout history. Debates on the issue have come and gone, but the underlying question still remains on the mind of societies across the globe: Are humans generally filled with an innate sense of goodness and light or are we debase creatures at heart continuously tainted with the stains of vice? Though some texts in literature would prefer to prattle on about the exclusive and rewarding wonders that being a human provides, others tend to focus on humanity’s capacity for corruption and blatant savagery. The texts Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, and an A Satire against Reason and Mankind by Rochester are quick to showcase the corruption that plagues the English human nature while displaying society’s role in masking this corruption with a perpetuating sense of nationalism and egotism.