From the early short stories I was exposed to in college to his later novels and speeches, I have never read a single sentence from him that didn't entertain and challenge. His body of work is nothing short of amazing.
The official Vonnegut web site is in mourning, but here is a link to a very fine unofficial site that will bring back memories to anyone who has ever read anything by him, and frankly it would be difficult to get through any English Lit class without some Kurt burning itself into your brain.
From: Wampters, Foma & Granfaloons
Brief Encounters on the Inland Waterway. ''Frank warned me against following
anybody. 'Thinking the guy up ahead knows what he's doing is the most dangerous
religion there is.'''
Yes, We Have No Nirvanas. ''Unitarians don't
believe in anything. I am a Unitarian.''
And from his commencement speech at Agnes Scott College in 1999:
I myself have an axe, which I have ground as sharp as a razor. What would I
like to do with it, if I could? I would like to plant it in the forehead of the
Babylonian King Hammurabi, who lived almost four thousand years ago.
Hammurabi gave us a code which is honored to his very day by many
nations, including my own, and by all heroes in cowboy and gangster films, and
by far too many people who feel they have been insulted or injured, however
slightly. However accidentally:
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.Revenge is not only sweet - it
is a must!
What antidote can there be for an idea that popular and poisonous?
Revenge provides revenge, which is sure to provide revenge, forming an endless
chain of human misery.
Here's the antidote:
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against
us.
Amen.
Peace,
Steve
The Scribble
Deleting Rove's emails is probably against the law.
No comments:
Post a Comment