The Role of Humor in Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle :: Cats Cradle Essays

The Role of Humor in Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle Ive narrowed comedy down to both words clown andfarts. Because first it makes you laugh, and then it makesyou think. Dave Attells joke comes unco close todescribing exactly what it is that Kurt Vonnegut is able todo with his writing. First, he makes his readers laugh, andthen he forces them to think. By employing much(prenominal) moodousdevices as irony and satire, Vonnegut is able to bring humorto a less-than-humorous subject. Cats Cradle is Vonneguts novel about the day theworld ended. Why, then, is it so full of jokes? By making itso, Vonnegut makes it easier for himself to get his pointacross. Rather than making the view as a crusade againstscience or religion, he instead creates a light-hearted lookat people themselves. By seeing the characters in the bookand laugh at them, he is forcing us also to laugh atourselves. By openly criticizing one religion or another, Vonnegutfear ed he would have alienated a potential audience orcreated some discomfort. Rather than offend anyone, then- or peradventure rather to offend everyone equally - he insteadcreated Bokononism, development aspects of all religions, andexaggerating them to the point of absurdity. Though we maylaugh at the Bokononists, at the same judgment of conviction we realize thatthere are certain truths in the creed. In this manner,Vonnegut gets his audience to think about themselves and thefollies of their own religions. Another important part of the book is the unceasingtirade against science. Jonahs writing makes it evidentthat he finds all scientists to be cruel, cold, andunfeeling. At the same time, Vonnegut paints the scientistsin a humorous light by employing such techniques as Dr.Breeds scolding of Miss Faust, in which he proudlyproclaims how eagle-eyed its been since a fatal accident.The Role of Humor in Kurt Vonneguts Ca ts Cradle Cats Cradle EssaysThe Role of Humor in Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle Ive narrowed comedy down to two words clown andfarts. Because first it makes you laugh, and then it makesyou think. Dave Attells joke comes remarkably close todescribing exactly what it is that Kurt Vonnegut is able todo with his writing. First, he makes his readers laugh, andthen he forces them to think. By employing such humorousdevices as irony and satire, Vonnegut is able to bring humorto a less-than-humorous subject. Cats Cradle is Vonneguts novel about the day theworld ended. Why, then, is it so full of jokes? By making itso, Vonnegut makes it easier for himself to get his pointacross. Rather than making the book a crusade againstscience or religion, he instead creates a light-hearted lookat people themselves. By seeing the characters in the bookand laughing at them, he is forcing us also to laugh atourselves. By openly criticizing one religion or a nother, Vonnegutfeared he would have alienated a potential audience orcreated some discomfort. Rather than offend anyone, then- or perhaps rather to offend everyone equally - he insteadcreated Bokononism, using aspects of all religions, andexaggerating them to the point of absurdity. Though we maylaugh at the Bokononists, at the same time we realize thatthere are certain truths in the creed. In this manner,Vonnegut gets his audience to think about themselves and thefollies of their own religions. Another important part of the book is the constanttirade against science. Jonahs writing makes it evidentthat he finds all scientists to be cruel, cold, andunfeeling. At the same time, Vonnegut paints the scientistsin a humorous light by employing such techniques as Dr.Breeds scolding of Miss Faust, in which he proudlyproclaims how long its been since a fatal accident.