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Analysis of gwendolyn brooks poems
Thesis on modernism and post modernism
Thesis on modernism and post modernism
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Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and Gwendolyn Brooks’s “kitchenette” are both excellent at conveying the points and beliefs of the postmodernist period which had the most effectiveness at conveying the points and beliefs of their time. The post modernists used the mirroring of the future along with the dealing and discussing the issues they faced at the time , conveyed the point to the readers as shown in Kurt Vonnegut's’ “Harrison Beregation and Gwendolyn Brooks’ “Kitchenette”.
Kurt Vonnegut's “Harrison Bergeron” mirrors the future and showed the readers what would occur if people continued communism or the thought. In “Harrison Bergeron” society had changed and people who had talents had them limited to attempt to create a equal society. Kurt Vonnegut states “soon we’d be right back to the dark ages with everyone competing against everyone else.”(2). The society Kurt creates looks down on competition in humanity and capitalism. Instead they turn to communism which was an obvious issue for Kurt and his family at the time during
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the Cold War. His story is used to show the people about why everyone is different and special and why we cannot attempt to overreach equality which was also a common theme and belief. In Gwendolyn Brooks’s “kitchenette” she tries to give readers a look inside the looks of industrialization.
She mirrors reality and deals with real life issues in her poem. In her poem she tries to give a more personal and up close look on her view of industrialization and advancements in technology. In her poem Gwendolyn Brooks uses metaphors to describe dreams crushed by industrialization. Gwendolyn states “we think of lukewarm water, hope to get in”. She shows the view inside the kitchenette or small cramped apartment building of the middle and lower class poorer people that industrialization has taken over. She emphasises that those people are dreaming of something else and something new, but they are trapped in a vicious cycle of industrialization and poverty can’t go out and achieve their dreams. She by writing this poem is trying to bring attention to this situation that many may not have heard
of. Although all three of the periods each conveyed their thoughts and beliefs, postmodern did the best. They emphasized the highlights and changed perspectives. The Two literary pieces that show the emphasis and informative qualities of the postmodern period. Literary masterpieces like “Kitchenette” and “Harrison Bergeron” have the ability to heavily influence public opinion which could help spread a message or a powerful belief. Stories like these hold tremendous potential if casted into the future.
What is power to a human? As time has gone by, there have been many forms of control and influence in the world. Many strive to achieve total rule over a society or group of individuals. Yet the question still presents itself to the average man. Why does man desire power so greatly even though there is visible trouble that follows? Shelley’s Frankenstein, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whether through the situation or the character themselves, depict the evils and hardships due to an imbalance and poor management of power.
Marked by two world wars and the anxiety that accompanies humanity's knowledge of the ability to destroy itself, the Twentieth Century has produced literature that attempts to depict the plight of the modern man living in a modern waste land. If this sounds dismal and bleak, it is. And that is precisely why the dark humor of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. shines through our post-modern age. The devastating bombing of Dresden, Germany at the close of World War II is the subject of Vonnegut's most highly acclaimed work, Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death. Vonnegut's experience as an American POW in Dresden fuels the narrative that unconventionally defines his generation through the life and death of Billy Pilgrim. The survival of Billy Pilgrim at Dresden and his re-entry to the shell-shocked world reveal a modern day journey of the anti-hero. Vonnegut's unusual style and black satire provide a refreshing backdrop for a vehement anti-war theme and enhance his adept ability to depict the face of humanity complete with all of its beauty and blemishes. Likewise, Vonnegut adds his own philosophy concerning time, our place in it, and connection (or disconnection) to it and one other. Perhaps the most crucial step in understanding this intriguing work is to start with its title, which holds the key to Vonnegut's most prevailing theme.
Every so often, a person comes along and encompasses the meaning of a generation. This person will capture everything people want to say, and then word it so well that his or her name becomes legendary. The sixties was an era with many of these people, each with his or her own means of reaching the people. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., armed with a typewriter and a motive, was amongst those that defined the sixties. Like other notable figures of the sixties, his strong opinions moved the people. Vonnegut’s opinions cover a wide range of topics and address almost all aspects of society. He represented the flower children of the sixties, as he protested the Vietnam War. After his horror of World War II, it is not surprising that Vonnegut opposed war. He also had a unique philosophy about religion, as well. To him, religion is a term with a much broader implication than just the establishment of the church. Vonnegut also compares himself to dictators, as a servant of the people. Opinions such as these are not only found in the many revealing interviews, such as his interview with Playboy magazine. Kurt Vonnegut goes above and beyond many other writers, as he voices his opinions in the actual text of his novels, such as Player Piano, Cat’s Cradle, and Slaughterhouse-Five.
Hattenhauer, Darryl. “The Politics of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’.” Studies in Short Fiction. 35-4. (1998): 387. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Macey, David. “Postmodernity.” The Penguin Dictionary of Critical Theory. London: Penguin Books, 2001. 307-309. Print.
Vonnegut and Jackson, through the use of well written short stories, have managed to address concerning issues in today’s societies. Through the use of Harrison Bergeron Kurt Vonnegut was able to address the growing issue of equality, this is a very important issue as many people in modern societies view the idea of equality to be incredible. Shirley Jackson through The Lottery addressed the concerning issue of societies blindly following religions and traditions due to superstitions and the unwillingness to change. These dystopian texts demonstrate the inevitable outcome these problems will eventually cause.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” was created during the time frame of the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War and encompasses the definition of the word satire. Though the story itself is set in the distant future, the year 2081, one can see the influence of the past in this dark satirical portrayal of an American society. The author satirizes the very elements he was exposed to in his own environment and lifetime. Vonnegut mocks forced ideas of equality, power structures, and oppression, ideas that were prevalent and thriving in the atmosphere of his time of writing “Harrison Bergeron”.
The handicaps are to people as the cage is to the bird. This simile describes how Caged Bird and Harrison Bergeron are alike. Harrison Bergeron and Caged Bird are very alike in many reasons. They both reference limitations on freedom. In Caged Bird the limitation is that the bird is in the cage and cannot fly or go wherever it pleases. In Harrison Bergeron the limitations are all the handicaps. In Harrison Bergeron there are limitations to the citizens. These are called handicaps. When you are more capable at something then other people are then you receive handicaps that limit your abilities so that everyone is equal. Some handicaps are earpieces that stop you from thinking with a ringing sound, masks for those that have superior beauty, and
Kurt Vonnegut was a man of disjointed ideas, as is expressed through the eccentric protagonists that dominate his works. Part cynic and part genius, Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliance as a satirist derives from the deranged nature of the atrocities he had witnessed in his life. The reason Vonnegut’s satire is so popular and works so well is because Vonnegut had personal ties to all the elements that he lambasted in his works. Vonnegut’s experience as a soldier in WWII during firebombing of Dresden corrupted his mind and enabled him to express the chaotic reality of war, violence, obsession, sex and government in a raw and personal manner. Through three works specifically, “Welcome to the Monkey House,” “Harrison Bergeron,” and Slaughterhouse-five, one can see ties to all the chaotic elements of Vonnegut’s life that he routinely satirized. One can also see how Vonnegut’s personal experiences created his unique style of satire.
Although the comparisons are well hidden, both today’s society and the story ‘Harrison Bergeron’ share similar qualities. They both deal with equality, which leads to problems and consequences. A second similarity is the struggle of competition and trying to prevent it from occurring, which also leads to problems. Lastly, both struggle with normality, and the fact that it’s hard to accept that different is okay now.
The danger and the risk that comes with enforcing something, like total equality, is an idea Vonnegut presents as a picture-perfect proposition not worth striving for. Peter Reed, author of The Short Fiction of Kurt Vonnegut claims the time era in which Vonnegut wrote Harrison Bergeron was the time of the cold war,
“Harrison Bergeron” a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., takes place in a totalitarian society where everyone is equal. A man who tries to play the savior, but ultimately fails in his endeavors to change the world. Vonnegut short story showed political views on communism, which is that total equality is not good (and that equity might be better).
What makes a war story a war story? Is the truths or the lies? Or is the deaths? The lives? Slaughterhouse-Five is considered one of the greatest anti-war books of its time, the story a reflection of Kurt Vonnegut's trials and tribulations surrounding the infamous firebombing of Dresden. This American classic is also seen as an example of Post-Modern fiction. Post-Modernism revolves around resistance and is seen as a reaction against Enlightenment style thinking and otherwise Modernist approaches to literature. What better way to resist than give gritty detail of a government cover up such as the massacre of Dresden? Vonnegut's black humor along side his satiric voice, his use of fragmentation, and his application of metafiction transforms Slaughterhouse-Five into a hard-hitting piece of Post-Modern work.
One attribute of Modernist writing is Experimentation. This called for using new techniques and disregarding the old. Previous writing was often even considered "stereotyped and inadequate" (Holcombe and Torres). Modern writers thrived on originality and honesty to themselves and their tenets. They wrote of things that had never been advanced before and their subjects were far from those of the past eras. It could be observed that the Modernist writing completely contradicted its predecessors. The past was rejected with vigor and...
In the 1950s, authors tended to follow common themes, these themes were summed up in an art called postmodernism. Postmodernism took place after the Cold War, themes changed drastically, and boundaries were broken down. Postmodern authors defined themselves by “avoiding traditional closure of themes or situations” (Postmodernism). Postmodernism tends to play with the mind, and give a new meaning to things, “Postmodern art often makes it a point of demonstrating in an obvious way the instability of meaning (Clayton)”. What makes postmodernism most unique is its unpredictable nature and “think o...