Postmodern Eyes

Slaughterhouse-Five  by Kurt Vonnegut is definitely my favorite novel that we've read so far. Unlike the other novels, Slaughterhouse-Five  seems more believable and real. It's way easier to follow and understand (or maybe that's just because we're reading it right after Mumbo Jumbo ). It's gut wrenching and crazy even if I'm unable to relate to anything that's happening. While I'm sitting there thinking about how messed up all the characters are in the book, there seems to be a certain phrase popping up all the time after the worst scenarios I've ever read about. "So it goes" It seems after every time a person dies, Vonnegut uses the phrase. I've noticed it doesn't really matter how the person dies, whether in war or of natural causes, they're all treated the same. This keeps in line with Billy Pilgrim's "whatever" or nonchalant attitude. The phrase could also reflect Tralfamadorian idea that even though a perso...

One of the best things about Mumbo Jumbo  by Ishmael Reed is the way Reed leaves the book so open ended. He intentionally uses weird grammar and syntax yet having no way to explain what they mean or what they imply. Reed brings up characters with no real meaning then leave us hanging by giving us no explanation as to why he put them in there. The characters' names are very weird and yet again, Reed offers no explanation as to why. I'm here to offer some solutions and test some theories out! It almost seems as if Reed picks out really weird names in his book. There were multiple points in a reading where I stopped to pick up my phone and google something. To my amazement, every single thing I googled was true. On page 156, Reed references a man named Hepplewhite who made furniture. Sure enough, there actually was a man named Hepplewhite who made cabinets and he even has a wikipedia page. On that same page, I also fact checked Lackawanna New York and Countee Cullen. I'm not...

Two weeks ago I talked about Doctorow's usage of short and long sentences to captivate the audience in his book. Now we're reading Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed and once again, the author uses weird syntax. This time however it's much more different and apparent to the reader. While I discussed a reason why Doctorow uses long and short sentences to try to keep the reader focused, I don't have any really concrete ideas why Reed writes his book the way he does. The most obvious weird thing Reed uses is misspelled words. He exchanges words that look alike but have no common meaning, like policy and police. Honestly, I'm not really sure what his intention is with this but it does bring some good questions to mind when reading and discussing the book. For instance, on page 18, "He went into the police station and knocked the captain cold when he didn't come forward with policy protection." We discussed this in class, how "policy" doesn't reall...

While reading Ragtime, I've noticed that Doctorow uses a combination of very short and very long sentences. While the prose seems choppy and disconnected at times, it reflects what's going on in the plot and conveys emotions. For example, on page 51, there are two sentences that particularly stand out as being very short or very long. "It was an important event." Here Doctorow uses a punchy short sentence to deliver an important and powerful fact. The length reflects the fact making it seem more real and powerful. A sentence later, Doctorow uses a particularly long sentence. "Carefully Tateh explained that although he was unalterably opposed to Goldman, she being an anarchist and be a socialist, he had great respect for her personal courage and integrity; and that he had therefore agreed that some sort of temporary accord between the socialists and the anarchists was advisable, if only for the evening, because the funds raised for the occasion would go to sup...

When it comes to my swimsuits, I get super picky. I like comfortable swimsuits that are just one color, not a design. I've been swimming for over ten years and I feel as if I've come to a few realizations about what swimsuit brands are better than others. 1. Jolyns. Jolyn is a pretty expensive brand but you definitely get the bang out of your buck. I've had a jolyn for over three years and it has not faded or stretched out! They also have a wide variety of styles. For instance, they have different styles of the back end of your suit, the straps, the colors, and the design. While most brands don't have any variations of styles, Jolyn is the queen of cool, fun, and comfortable suits. Jolyn also sells really cute stickers, spandex, leggings, and sport bras.  2. Arena. Arena is another expensive brand but like Jolyn, they last forever, the color doesn't fade, and they're comfortable. They're about the same price as Jolyn's but it ranks under Jolyn bec...

Taper: single word capable of extreme happiness and excitement. Taper is something a swimmer dreams of. It's the point in the season where it's okay to goof off a little during practice and talk a lot to teammates with the excitement build up of an important meet. Characterized with a lot of start and turn work, it's physically easy but can be mentally challenging. For me, taper sucks. Physically, it's supposed to be easy. But no matter how slow I go during warm up or rest that day, I never feel too good in the water. I'm guessing that's because my muscles are taking their coveted chance to finally fully recover and regain strength/energy but it has it's negative side effects. While it might not be a big deal that I'm not going fast in the pool, it takes a toll on your mentality. It sucks to swim slow but it sucks even more to be swimming slower than you usually do even if you are "resting". As much as I tell myself not to care about my tim...

This is a short list of my favorite snacks: 1. Apples and peanut butter. This one is an all time favorite especially in the fall and winter seasons. My favorite apple is honeycrisp which tastes even better when thinly sliced and cold. I'm fairly lax about the type of peanut butter I eat but it's mostly been either Trader Joe's roasted peanut butter or Jif natural peanut butter. Although CU does not have a Trader Joe's, my mom always stocks up and buys 5 or 6 jars when we go to TJ. Out of all the peanut butter brands I've tried, the Trader Joe's one always tastes like real peanuts and is very smooth, perfectly dippable for apples. 2. Greek yogurt with fruit, granola, and honey. I'm aware this one is a staple in most households and isn't too surprising to appear on this list, but I've recently gotten very into it. I really enjoy greek yogurt by this brand that looks very Greek (I can't remember the name) mostly because it doesn't taste chal...