THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTO n' stuff

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, is a pretty powerful book so far. I really like how the problems of the book are realistic and relative to today's problems. 




What makes this story interesting is that it's about a journalist who's accused of libel by a big business speculator. I later find out that the big business speculator actually embezzled funds from a government program-that's what the journalist accused the big business speculator of. However, the reason why the journalist was accused of libel is still unclear. I can infer that this has to do with big business taking advantage of the "common folk."  The only possible way that the journalist got sentenced for libel is if the big business man did something possibly illegal. 


What really amazes me is how well this topic relates to the real world. Time magazine just named the Occupiers as the "Person of the Year." They protested civil and human rights, and it's those things that the businessman in the book might be violating. So far, the book is excellent and I hope that this continues. 

I'M FINALLY DONE. Blogpost: 7 "SIRENS OF TITAN"

You can tell from the title that I finally finished, "Sirens of Titans," by Kurt Vonneget. What winds up happening is that Malachi Constant is told who he is, then publicly humiliated in front of Earth's population, and sent away with his wife and son to one of Saturn's moon.  Winston finds out that he was just being used by an alien planet for a space ship part replacement, and everything is basically messed up. 

What I find funny about this book is how everything is ironic, and how every word and every sentence in this book was very important. The whole purpose of Earth was to find a replacement part for a ship. These aliens were using Winston, who was using people like Malachi to bring world peace. I find it so funny how life works like this. You think that you're doing something nice for a chance, only to find out that you are apart of someone's agenda. This example is what happened in the book. I can't stress how many times I've been used to someone's advantage, or I used someone else for the exact same reason. 

It seems that most people aren't genuinely nice and selfless. It seems that when people appear to have these qualities, it's a gimmick. Well, what does this say? Does this say that everyone is an artificial asshole? No, but there are very few people who do good things for the sake of doing good things. For example, there are all of these charities who help people, because god told them to do it, and if they don't they'll be sent to hell. Why don't do just help people to be a good person? It is that statement that just shows how truly wise and brilliant this book is. Winston was just trying to do something nice for a change, well that obviously didn't work out so well. 

Blogpost: Something, I forgot. THE SIRENS OF TITAN and other things

The Sirens of Titans, by Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of Malachi Constant, the luckiest man ever. Inherently rich, his father bought stock in random companies from the bible, making him a billionaire. Therefore, Malachi was also born a billionaire. However, all of this good fortune comes to a stop when he meets Winston Niles Rumfoord. Rumfoord is an interesting character, because he absolutley despises Constant for his "constant" good luck.

This hatred for Malachi is random and irrational. Rumfoord is also extremely wealthy, so why waste your time doing this? I'll tell you. Perhaps it is human nature to try to feel the most powerful and the strongest. Perhaps Malachi was a threat to Rumfoord, although there is no clear reason for this. Later in the book, Rumfoord is to say such things as, "We damn Malachi Constant for wallowing in filth." 

Then I look at the positive of this hatred. Rumfoord brainwashes Malachi into being in the army of Mars. This army attacks Earth. The end result is that this unites the people of Earth, thus eliminating wars. It was Rumfoord's hatred that brought world peace. But is it world peace? 

Let me relate this to real life, the U.S and the Soviet Union were united to defeat the common enemy, Hitler. The two biggest powers in the world work together to solve a common problem. By Rumfoord doing this to Malachi, he is getting rid of the biggest threat to mankind: Advantages. Rumfoord hates Malachi not because he is rich, but because he is rich and he doesn't deserve it. He didn't work for any of it, and it was all luck. When you get rid of Malachi, you get rid of greed. When you get rid of greed world, your problem is solved.  

Holy Crap Was This Something Else!

How to start? How to start? Well, I just finished Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Perhaps the only emotions I have would be on my slighty expressionless, rather rosey red cheeks. To give you an idea, I think that I just got mind #%@ to be frank with y'all.

I left off last blog talking about communism and capitalism, but today I want to talk about the irony of this book. Felix Hoenikker, the created of the atom bomb creates a material named Ice-9, that can seemingly freeze any substance with a slight touch. The purpose of this was to get rid of mud, but the actual product was never used for that. When Felix died, the Ice-9 was divided between his 3 kids.

Ironically, the man who ended War World 2 also brought upon death to the world. The Ice-9 that he created can freeze anything. Anyone within contact of the substance will die instantly.  Therefore when the President of an Island was tossed into the sea, so was the Ice-9. You can figure out the rest.

Anyway, this brings up an interesting point. The Atom Bomb saved the world, yet it destroyed man kind. Ice-9 was created to help man kind, yet it had a deadly and destructive underlying that wasn't perceived until it was too late. What is this trying to say about life? Is it saying that we humans try so hard to please and perfect, when were are only doing more harm than good? Maybe, but I think that this book deserves more thought than that.

How could it be that the destruction of man kind was so simple? No explosions, no pain, nothing. We look so hard for the answer to life, that sometimes we fall short of smallest details, and it hurts us. This is what happened here. The characters in the book were so concerned with their own well being, that they forgot that their greatest weakness, were themselves. The end of the world through Ice-9 could have been prevented, but of course no one thought that it was stupid to supply the Ice-9 to a corrupt president.

Sadly, we are all very stupid. The smarter ones are just less stupid.

Blogpost 4: Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut is a novel about a guy named John who decides to write a book about the father of the atom bomb, Felix Hoenikker. The narrator decides to ask Felix's kids about their dad, and through that the narrator goes to the home town of Felix Hoenikker. There, the narrator meets his boss, and other colleagues who all say that Felix was quite an eccentric man. He always ate lunch by himself, even though he was a father of 3 his oldest took care of the family.

Felix's son Frank, becomes the Major-Domo of an island near Cuba. Oddly enough, the narrator is going to there to write an article. On the plane ride, the narrators meets the whole Hoenikker family. (except Felix, who is dead)

The Island is the exact opposite of communism, but similar. The Island has only one religion, and his "America's best friend." However, the island has a dictator, who is smilingly rich when the inhabitants are poor.

I'm about in the middle of the book, but I'm not too sure of what the message is. However,  I think that I'm coming to the conclusion that capitalism is just has bad as communism. This might be a very vague and ambiguous statement, but the island represents capitalism with the same negative qualities of communism. The government is undoubtedly corrupt, and hides the countries secrets from their people. They manipulate their currency to almost match the American dollar, and they outlaw a religion with the purposeful idea to keep the people of the island under control. To me, this points to communism, 100%.
Not to mention this book was written in the 60's, when the Cold War was going on.

When I finish the book, I hope to get a much broader understanding about what this message means.

Blog post:3 Slaughter House Five

Slaughter House Five, by Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of Billy Pilgrim. Billy, a War Veteran and successful optometrist lives in his home town of Illum, New York.

During the War, he is captured as a prisoner of war. During that time, he is stuck in time. Sometimes, he goes into the future when he's a successful optometrist. What really astonishes me, is that he can predict the futures since he's forever in a time travel paradigm. For example, he's friendly with another prisoner of War who was a former Gym Teacher. Billy predicted the Gym Teacher  to get shot in front of a firing squad after the bombing of Dresden. Billy would, Because death is no object to Billy. It's as if he is immune to it.

To elaborate, he see's his own death. But, instead of trying to stop it, he doesn't because he knows that he's alive in another part of his life. I think that that is a great statement on life its self. Instead of being mournful of someones death, we can appreciate them because they are still alive in other moments of their life.

In conclusion, while this book may have been confusing to me in some aspects, the greater image and message it taught out ways all of the negatives. It's a very optimistic message, because it teaches to perhaps not be afraid, or angry when we make a mistake. This is true because some other parts of our life, something has happened. Maybe its taught us to appreciate those good moments when we are down.

Blog: 2; Slaughter House Five

Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut, is a novel focusing on the life of Billy Pilgrim. Billy, a POW and very, very average. He's weak, not to mention not the sharpest tool in the draw.  The story skips through times of his life. It constantly bounces from being in the war, to after the war, to when he was a kid.

I'm actually really confused at this point in the book. He's captured by these alien beings, some sort of mystical creatures that can see through the past and present; Billy is some-what enlightened by them.

In the army, Billy was an outcast. He was ridiculed for not actually fighting in the war, there for many people disliked him. The fact that's he's very wealthy after the war is interesting because he came from nothing to something. However, I don't think that this is the message of the book, since I'm only on page 90. I think that the aliens will change the message of the book, though I'm not sure when or what it will be. All I can think about are the aliens, and how randomly they just show up out of nowhere. The fact that  time is no object to these creatures shows that it will probably have an impact on Billy's life. Perhaps, it will change his perspective on war, and what the meaning of his existence is. For now, I'm not really sure.

Blog #1 "Of Beetles and Angels"

Let's see, how to describe this book? How to describe to thrilling chills and outburst of pure epic sadness and happiness? Well, I'll try.

Of Beetles and Angels, by Mawi Asegedom is an nonfiction book about his life growing up as a refugee in Sudan, moving to a suburb near Chicago, and then going to Harvard.  Because of Civil War in Ethiopia, at a young age Mawi had to leave his town for Sudan. While there was still fighting in Sudan,  it wasn't as bad as where he came from. When he Left Sudan for America, everything he was accustomed to changed. In America people celebrated weird holidays, and he couldn't fight people in school. His father laid down strict rules about how to not fight back, and to mind your own businesses. The father didn't want to arose any rumors about his family. Like he said, "You don't want more hurt on a lot of hurt."

It's kind of like a "rags to riches" story. Here is someone from nothing to someone with an opportunity to make something of himself. Unfortunately, Mawi steals meter near the basketball courts. Where I left off in the book, he was running away from the cops. Gee, if he was to be arrested that would ruin everything his dad taught him. I could see the shame in his family when Mawi would be in mail.

I'm not too sure of what the main idea of the book is yet. It's too early to tell but I have this sense of a 0-hero type story. Like I said, if he gets caught this would ruin that chance.

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