Time Travel in Slaughterhouse-Five

The idea of time-travel is something completely mysterious to me. Is it possible? Has anyone really ever done it? These are few questions that enter my mind whenever the topic is brought up. Hence, it is needless to say that time-travelling heavily sparks my interest, and it is something I would like to explore. In Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut, Billy Pilgrim experiences some form of time-travelling. Billy narrates his experienced throughout World War II, specifically the Dresden Bombing. Billy randomly flashes through different parts of his life, from Dresden to talking with Tralfamadorians. The most memorable quote from the entire book to me is, "Unstuck in Time." This really fueled my brain to think. I believe this phrase has a larger meaning referring to life as a whole; one should not be so caught up in the moment that they forget to enjoy themselves. Overall, I thought Slaughterhouse-Five was an intriguing novel, that also provides educational content. Good Read!

The HitchHiking game

The Hitchhiking game is an exciting story about a woman finding her inner confidence. The most memorable line to me in the story was, "I only kiss girls that I'm in love with." This line seems so degrading towards women, as she still follows through with the sexual endeavors. The fact that he does not love her, but in essence they 'made love' is belittling to me.

The Tao Te Ching

21. Using Emptiness

Harmony is only in following the Way.

The Way is without form or quality,
But expresses all forms and qualities;
The Way is hidden and implicate,
But expresses all of nature;
The Way is unchanging,
But expresses all motion.

Beneath sensation and memory
The Way is the source of all the world.
How can I understand the source of the world?
By accepting.

This chapter of the Tao Te Ching states that the only way of understanding the source of the world, is to accept it. The Tao illustrates that in order for something to have an outstanding characteristic, there must be an opposing characteristic that makes it stand out. The Tao is a simple book, that alludes to very complex thoughts and morals, in regards to life and the world around us.

The Little Prince Quotes

1. "Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

This quote is especially ironic to me, because I believe this is the way adults feel when dealing with children. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry used this line to contrast the feelings of a child to an adult, with an adult to a child. This is a funny comparison that I think is well used.

2. "Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies. It seems that they are very beautiful."

This quote applies to my life in a special way. It tells me that you must start at the bottom in order to succeed and see the 'beauty' you are aiming for.

3. "To forget a friend is sad. Not every one has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures…"

This quote brings attention to the fact that humans often get so caught up in the hunt for money, and means of survival, that we forget to enjoy ourselves and have fun. I believe this is true, and will help me remember to relax a bit sometimes.

4. "That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man."

Humans are so very quick to judge someone for anything; such as deeds, wrongdoings, appearance, etc. However Exupery calls for humans to attempt to judge themselves first, and that if you succeed in this endeavor you are truly wise. I completely agree with this quote, because I believe when you point a finger, there is always four fingers pointing back at you.

5. "If I were to command a general to turn into a seagull, and if the general did not obey, that would not be the general's fault. It would be mine."

This quote is humorous to me, as a little prince is alluding to commanding a general. However, this quote really makes me think; respect is not a given, it must be earned.

Narrative Blog

1st Person:
My parents always told me I would have an opportunity to make it big. I slowly walked towards the stadium, with my heart in my stomach, and nerves taking hold of emotions. The starting blocks looked desolate but inviting to me, and I was ready. The gun sounded, and we were off. I felt ever muscle in my body twitch, aching, as I tried to explosively win the race. The finsh line was near, and I lunged with ever ounce of power I had toward it. The race was close, but I was gloriously declared the winner. Finally, I had made it, my dreams had come true, I was the reigning olympic 100 meter dash champion.

3rd Person (Limited):
Thomas Driver entered the karaoke competition on the third day of March in Atlanta, Georgia. All of the singers stood on stage, awaiting the random assignment of words to be sung. Thomas walked to the microphone and politely asked for his song. The judges gave him the exciting song, "she bang, she bang." Thomas sang the song with a certain sense of enthusiasm toward the judges. The judges awarded him first place, and Thomas walked off the stage holding his trophy with a smirk on his face.

3rd Person (Omniscent):
Lucy felt unusually skeptical about moving to Minnesota for a new job in a law firm. She stepped onto the unflattering propeller jet, sadly leaving behind her husband and two young children. Suddenly the loudspeaker boisterously sounded with the pilot's voice echoed by mild screams. "Brace yourselves, we are encountering an unexpected engine failure." Lucy's heart fell into the deepest pits of her stomach, her head was seemingly about to explode, because her mind was racing through several sentimental moments with her family. The pilot spoke over the loudspeaker one more time, warning that they were about to undergo the landing. Lucy felt uneasy and overly anxious about the situation, until 'Thump!' The plane had landed safely in an open field, Lucy quickly called her husband and told him of the wild events. Lucy made it home unharmed, and easily made the decision that she would never attempt a trip to Minnesota again.

The Cat?

I believe Marquez intentionally made the answer to the question unclear, 'is Eva in the cat?' I personally believe that Eva does not physically get into the cat, and this is why she eternally fiends for an orange. Eva vividly remembers the orange being above 'the boy.' This boy represents a sexual desire from Eva that she is unable to obtain. This is why the selection of an orange is significant, an orange takes additional order in order to eat and enjoy. Overall, the story is intentionally ambiguous, which adds to the mystery of the story and the overall enjoyability of the read.

Creative Metamorphosis

Part 1



Like most African-american athletes in the late 1900's, a baseball player named Drew struggled to make ends meet. During this hard economic time, Drew had to work three jobs, due to his rejection from the MLB because of his dark skin tone. Drew was a talented baseball player with a big heart, and unseen intelligence, but was often too shy to rebel against the awful cultural norms of that time. Drew had three adopted kids, two girls and a boy. Their names were Wendy (who was called We), Will, and the youngest Flourish. They lived in borderline poverty, and Drew was unable to provide a traditional education for his childeren. Nonetheless, Drew continued to suceed in the Negro baseball leagues, as the reigning MVP and national champion 4 years consecutively.

Part 2
The local grocery store was hosting a public African-American speaker one weekend. The topic was minority empowerment; Drew pondered weather he should go or not because of the enticing topic. His decision was made when he heard the sobering words of his daughter Wendy, "Daddy life just isn't good for us colored people." The speaker was the Reverend John Wall; he energetically pounded the thought of self empowerment. Drew clearly remembered the line "Don't ever allow someone to tell you what you can't do, and you believe it." Drew decided that this would be the driving force in his life and career, and dedicated himself to breaking through into the big leagues. Drew vocalized his issues in court, and stated the not only was the segregation of African-Americans in the MLB was unjust, but that it was not constitutional. Unbelievably, the judge ruled that Drew was able to participate professionally in Major League Baseball, but only to a manager willing to accept and pay him. After months of waiting in anticipation for a contract offer, Drew had given up all hope. When one day the beeper rang; Drew angrily told his son Will to read it. Will read the words, "this is the manager of the Dodgers Branch Ricky, come to my office a little later...," Drew quickly took the beeper from his son's hands, and rejoiced.

Part 3

Drew anxiously walked into manager Ricky's office, trying hard to contain his smile. Manager Ricky solemnly said "Drew, I been hearin' about your heroics in the Negro league. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say your pretty good. Now I've got a preposition for you, I'm offerin' you a contract for 2 years, a little bit above minimum MLB wage, to come play left field for me. The fact that your the first Negro in this thing, is gonna bring you alot of controversy, are you up for it?" Drew cried tears of joy, as he knew his lifelong dream had become a reality. Drew slowly picked up the pen with his right hand, while drying his eye with his left hand, and said "sorry I don't want to cry in front of you." Manager Ricky replied "I understand man, this means a lot." Drew gloriously signed the contract, and rejoiced by reciting the names of his beloved children "We Will Flourish!"