Archives for 2005

Playing tennis has been a big part of my life. When I first started playing, I was not very good. I wanted to become better, so I practiced whenever I could. Eventually after many long hours of hitting balls (many of which went into the net), I finally became a decent player. Tennis taught me that if I put hard work into anything I do, I will be successful. I have also made many friends playing tennis. At school, I sometimes had trouble making new friends, but playing tennis I was able to meet new people easily. My self esteem went up and I was able to socialize with more people at school. Tennis has had a very positive impact on my life.

Education

Great Valley High School, Malvern, PA. Expect to graduate June 2006.

Academic Achievements

• Distinguished Honor Roll, average GPA 3.971, 2002-present
• Advanced Placement: BC Calculus, French, Physics, and Computer Science
  • Advanced Placement Results: 5 on BC Calculus exam

Activities

• Concert Band, Saxophone, 4 years, 1^st part junior and senior
• Jazz Band, Saxophone, 4 years
• Junior Varsity Tennis, freshman
• Varsity Tennis, sophomore and junior
• Interclub Tennis program at the Upper Main Line YMCA, Berwyn, PA
• Pokemon Trading Card Game, Delaware State champion, Delaware Gym champion, 27^th (2004) and 38^th (2005) World Championships

Community Involvement

• Member of St. Patrick Church, Malvern, PA

Work Experience

• Worked at Target as cart attendant collecting carts, organizing shelves, and assisting guests, May 2004 to September 2005

During my sophomore year at Great Valley High School, I made the varsity tennis team. I played third doubles, which is last on the team, but nonetheless I was proud to be on the varsity squad. During the season, my partner and I won all the matches we were supposed to win and lost all the matches we were supposed to lose. We never pulled any upsets. Our team was second in the league going into the last meet. For our final match, we played against league leading and undefeated Unionville.

Unionville had been the dominant team in our league for a number of years. When I was a freshman, Great Valley lost to them 7-0. No one on our team won a set, let alone a handful of games. Most of the team went into the meet with a pessimistic attitude. I, on the other hand, was very excited for the match; I wanted to prove myself. My coach had moved me up to second doubles because I had been playing well leading up to the match. I didn’t want to let my team down.

Before the match started, we went through our normal warm-up drills with our opponents. They didn’t seem that impressive to me. The match started. Before I knew it the first set was over. We had lost 6-0. None of our shots worked; the Unionville players hit the ball back faster and more accurately than us every time. My partner and I went back to our coach discouraged, but not defeated. Our coach told us simply to keep a positive attitude and try a different strategy: “Do nothing but lob shots.”

My partner and I went back out for the second set. We put the plan into action, and our invincible opponents seemed to have a chink in their armor. They were mystified by our constant barrage of lobs; they didn’t know what to do. They became flustered and started to make errors. We ran down every ball they hit and lobbed everything back. We started to rack up games and eventually won the set! This was the first time in recent memory that Great Valley had taken a set against Unionville.

By the time we had started the third and final set, the rest of the team had already lost. We were the only ones still playing, and all eyes were on us. Our team could not win the meet, but my partner and I wanted to win our match. We kept up with our strategy of lobbing the ball and outhustling our opponents, but Unionville recovered and raised their play to a higher level. We were down match point. I did not want to lose. The ball was hit towards me, but barely within my reach. I dove, sacrificing my body, to return the ball. I made contact with the ball and fell, scraping my knuckles. I looked up, but the ball didn’t make it over the net. We lost.

I was exhausted and hurt, but I still felt like a winner. I gave the match my best effort, and though we did not win, we did something the rest of the team could not do; we won a set and played a highly competitive match. I learned that in the face of any great challenge, there is always opportunity for success. Ultimately hard work and aspiration will pay off, and it will be possible to achieve all my goals.

Guidelines: At Villanova we believe that an educational experience should transform hearts and minds. Please explain why you seek to become a part of the Villanova community and the reason(s) behind your choice of academic major. (500-750 words)

My first visit to Villanova was when I was five years old. I went to my first basketball game at the Pavilion to watch the Wildcats. I remember feeling an amazing energy in the air. The stands were filled with thousands of people all cheering and yelling for Villanova. I had never felt that kind of energy before, and I knew that I someday wanted to be part of that electric environment.

Since that first visit, I have made several summer outings to the Villanova campus, and I always felt a positive atmosphere. On my campus tour this past spring, everyone seemed excited to be there. All the students and personnel were friendly and in a good mood. They went out of their way to make me feel comfortable by smiling and saying a quick “Hello” and asking if I needed any help. It was refreshing to be at a place that is so welcoming. I want to be part of that cheerful upbeat spirit.

That kind atmosphere is great for learning. When everyone has a positive attitude, it becomes very easy to look forward to going to class everyday. I will be able to enjoy myself, and in turn, that will motivate me to do well in class. I know that I could thrive in a setting like that. It would be very easy for me to fit in right away and begin my collegiate career. I believe I would be able to have great success in my education at Villanova.

My mother went to Villanova and it had a great positive impact on her life. She earned a B.S. in nursing, which set up her successful nurse practitioner career. She would still be working today if it were not for all my siblings. My mother also made friends at Villanova that are still her friends today. Her Villanova friends, Louise who became a civil engineer and Gabby who became a lawyer, have also had very rewarding careers. In addition, my two uncles are also Villanova alumni. They majored in engineering and math, which resulted in good careers. All of these people I know have been positively affected by a Villanova education. I know Villanova would also lead me to a successful life full of opportunities.

I am most interested in studying engineering. I have always had fun applying my knowledge in order to solve problems. For example, in elementary school we had a math contest throughout the school. Every week we would get a new sheet of word problems to complete in class. Even when I was young, I had a lot of fun trying to crack to the problems. I ended up getting the highest score in the school and winning the contest. Engineering deals with strategic problem solving. I believe I will really enjoy this aspect of engineering. I also think it’s important to help other people. I believe engineering helps people in their everyday lives. One time I designed an automatic dog food dispenser. It didn’t work very well, but I thought it was something that could make life easier for people. A dog food dispenser could only help people on a small scale, but things engineers design can help people on a much bigger scale. Thus, I would be doing something that I enjoy and helping others at the same time. Engineering would be a great major for me. It suits my interests very well.

Villanova has a great engineering program, but most importantly a great setting to learn in. This is what draws me toward Villanova. The atmosphere is unmatched anywhere else. I will be able to flourish in that environment and achieve high goals. I will feel very comfortable and have a good attitude about school. I want to not just be part of, but participate in and contribute to the Villanova community.

4:30 on a Sunday morning. My dad nudges me and says, “Time to get up.” I awake out of my dream state, cranky because it is pitch black out and I do not realize what is happening. It is far to early for me, a ten year old, to wake up. I rub my eyes and try to fall back asleep, then something hits me and I realize that today is the day. Today is the day I am allowed to go to the Renningers farmer’s market in Adamstown! I sluggishly crawl out of bed and drag myself into my dad’s old beat up green van. He used the van for his work, which was salvaging old buildings for antiques – like stained glass windows and church pews – and then selling them for his business. The van had many dings and scratches on it and clutter in it, but I loved it. I liked how it stood out with its bold green color; it was almost like an extension of my dad. There were only two seats in the front, the rest of the van was seatless in the back to store cargo and supplies. I crawl into the back of the van and lay on the ground trying to sleep again, but I was too excited. This was the day I would finally see the place my dad had told me about. He’d gone there several times, and the place sounded mystical. He told me about the antique dealers there and how they sold anything you could imagine. I was really eager to see if this was true. I couldn’t fathom what I was going to see in a short while.

The ride up to Adamstown seemed like five hours though it was really only one and a half. I couldn’t wait to get there. My dad tuned the radio to a religious channel, which played church songs played on a pipe organ, though I never really considered him very religious. I guess that was supposed to be our substitute for church that day, as we would be missing it. I remember peering up to take a glance out of the windshield and seeing the sunrise – the sky was a bluish, purplish, reddish color with swirling clouds. It was serene, especially with the religious music in the background. We drove into the sunrise all the way to Adamstown.

Before going to Renningers, we stopped at the gas station to fill up. I didn’t want to wait an extra three minutes to get to the farmer’s market and see everything, but I was rewarded for my patience when my dad let me get a pack of hockey cards when he was paying for his gas inside the station. This was a big deal for me, as I was never really allowed to get anything on a whim before this, but starting right then, my dad began the tradition of buying me a pack of hockey cards every time we stopped for gas before going to Renningers. I thought my dad was the best for buying me a pack every week. I then came to my senses and realized that we were not here to buy hockey cards; we were here for the farmer’s market. I looked up and lo and behold, we were there!

We pulled into the entrance and I hear the tires chew up the gravel. I look ahead and feel very disappointed; all I could see was a long, one story, boring white building with lots of doors. I look out the window to the right and I see some weird looking birds fenced off that resembled ostriches. My dad said they were emus. Where were all of the antiques? Where were all the toys? What is this place with weird looking birds and a vanilla building? We kept churning through the driveway and someone directed us toward parking. We pulled forward, and then behind the building I finally saw what we were here for. Hidden behind this mundane building was a cornucopia of vendors lined up with tables full of anything and everything, and people bustling about trying to claim whatever catches their eye.

My dad parked and I sprung out of the van. I couldn’t wait to get close up and see all the interesting things I had only glanced at, but first we ate a quick breakfast of hot chocolate and some oddly cut circular french fries with ketchup; the breakfast of champions. After finishing, I could look at everything there was to offer. I remember scanning the old, rickety, gray plywood tables stocked with items from the past. We went up and down the rows of tables examining all the interesting things. There were wooden chests, old magazines, glass bottles, comic books, iron gates, records, stained glass windows, sports cards, carved wooden figurines, clocks, and any other antique or knick-knack you could think of. My dad looked mainly for wrought iron gates, stained glass windows, and vintage glass bottles, which he could sell for his business. He would stop to look at the items that caught his eye, inspect them, and if he was satisfied, the bartering process would begin.

“How much is stained glass window?”

“Seventy-five dollars, it’s a very nice window.”

“Yeah, but it’s damaged, I think it’s only worth sixty dollars?

“Well, hmmmm, I can’t sell it that low, how about sixty-five dollars?”

“I’ll take it.”

It amazed me how well my dad was able to bargain with those people. He could talk almost anyone into selling something for less than they wanted. If they refused we would continue on, then come back later with the item still sitting there. My dad would then offer them the same price again and they would reluctantly give in.

The things I was interested in were old comic books of Spiderman and the Hulk, vintage Pez dispensers, Star Wars memorabilia, Beanie Babies, actions figures, yo-yo’s, cap guns, and anything to keep a kid entertained. The only thing that diminished my excitement were the weird looking people sitting behind the tables. It seemed like the same person stared at me from behind each table: an old, weathered, gray bearded man missing a tooth or two smoking a cigarette drinking their black coffee. These country folk scared me a little because at home I had never really seen these types of people. These vendors never spoke to me, just kept a close eye on me. I suppose they were afraid I would rip the comic books or knock over a porcelain figurine, but I was always very careful. I had a great time looking at everything even though I never really bought anything. The intrigue of the different items kept me entertained.

Once we had found our treasures for the day, we dropped them off in the van and headed into the boring white building. The doors led inside to a comfortable, lively market full of more antiques. I couldn’t believe that the boring building was actually very exciting inside. The indoor vendors sold mostly the same things as the outside ones, but the items seemed to be more valuable to me, maybe because the vendors inside were more like people I had seen before. None of the people inside stared at me while I looked at their comics, they seemed more civilized. My dad bought a few more random antiques inside, like an old doll or painting, talked to some buddies he knew, then we headed home. I was more than satisfied with the experience. I wanted to go back every Sunday, even at the expense of losing a few hours of sleep.

I cherish this experience because it is one of the best times I had with my dad before he passed away. I went with him to Renningers farmer’s market every other Sunday to search for antiques to buy and resell. Just him and I, then when my sister was old enough, she would come, too. I enjoyed the cites and smells of the market, it was so much different from home. I had never seen most of the items the vendors offered at the market. The people at the market were of a different character than people from home; they were more backwards than people I’d known. Their life revolved around the farmer’s market, and I found that interesting. When I was the age of ten, it was a new experience that I enjoyed; it was an escape from the sometimes repetitive life at home watching television and playing video games all day. When my dad passed away we had to give up his business because my mom couldn’t run it by herself. I haven’t been back to Renningers in a while, but I will always have that first memory of being there with my dad.

When I first learned how to drive, I drove very cautiously. I drove nearly five hours in empty parking lots before I was ready to go on the open road (rather my mom made me go on the road). I always made sure I drove exactly the speed limit and completely stopped at all stop signs. I didn’t want to be a reckless driver and get in trouble with the law. As time went on, I became more comfortable with the road and I loosened my driving restrictions. I began to drive faster, around ten miles per hour over the speed limit and occasionally I didn’t completely stop at stop signs. After I had racked up fifty hours of driving, taken driver’s education, and had behind the wheel training with an instructor, I set out for my license. I obtained it on my first try, and I was proud of that. Most people I know took a few tries to pass the driver’s test. I was excited, but I didn’t have my own car. I knew I could only go out as often and my parents let me.

The first time I drove by myself was a big shock. There was no one there to tell me if I was driving too fast and to slow down. I was in charge of my driving; I was responsible for my actions. The first few times I was alone I tried to abide by the speed limit, but after a while I once again became comfortable with the road. I started to drive a little faster and more casually.

Then one night my friend invited me to his house to watch a movie. My parents agreed that I could drive over, since my friend only lived four minutes away. It was around 9:00 PM and it was dark out. I followed my normal procedure of pulling out of the driveway. I looked left, no one there. I looked right, no one there. I looked left again, no one there. I began my right turn out of the driveway, then out of the corner of my eye I saw two lights flying towards me coming over the hill.

I panicked; I didn’t know what to do. This nitwit was going around sixty miles per hour on my thirty-five mile per hour road. Should I stop? I was already more than half way in the road. Should I pull out really fast and hope he can slow down in time? I made neither of these choices; I reverted to my old ways. As I said a prayer, I nonchalantly pulled out of the driveway at a safe speed and slowly accelerated towards the thirty-five mile per hour speed limit. I heard the speeding car blare its horn as it approached me. I continued on my leisurely pace. I thought, “As long as I’m following the law, I’ll be fine. I don’t need to speed up.” Almost as quickly as I heard the horn yelling behind me, I saw a streak of lights to my left. The driver had turned into the oncoming lane to pass me. The car quickly peeled away from me. The sound of the horn and the lights faded away and the car was out of sight within ten seconds. I meanwhile, was still going the speed limit all the way down the road to my friend’s house.

It didn’t quite hit me until after I got out of the car, but I could have been killed right then! I actually wasn’t really sure if I was still alive. I replayed the moment in my head numerous times while I was at my friend’s house. I couldn’t really concentrate on the movie. I remembered looking back to my left before pulling out, seeing no one, and then as I was already more than half way in the road I saw the car speed over the hill to my left. What if I had done something different? If I were to speed out of the driveway, would he have still tried to pass me? It would have taken him longer to pass me and a could have he could have hit a car in the oncoming traffic. What if he lost control as he passed me? What if I sped out of the driveway and lost control? He could have hit me at a very high speed. What if there was an oncoming car? He was going too fast and I was going too slow, so I don’t think he could have stopped. In the end, I decided that I probably made the best decision. There was nothing I could really do to stop the mistake of someone else.

Then I began to ponder, what if I was the one speeding over the hill. What would I have done? I thought for a while, but realized that I don’t have to ever be in that situation. It was a really bad situation that could have been easily avoided. If he wasn’t speeding, I would have had time to see him and stop pulling out of the driveway. Even if I had been pulled out of the driveway too soon, he would have been able to slow down if he was going the speed limit. He wouldn’t have had to risk passing me and driving into oncoming traffic.

I had an epiphany at that moment. I then understood why speed limits and rules of the road are so important. They prevent accidents from happening. They save lives. Now when I drive, I make sure I’m following the speed limit very closely. I don’t want to be that guy flying over the hill putting someone who is following the law in a bad situation. I don’t want to ignore a stop sign and hurt someone who did make a complete stop. Without that scary moment, I still might be driving too fast and eventually pay for it. I now know to follow the rules.

Many people don’t recognize that along with ethics in the real world, we have ethics in the cyber world. There are rules and laws on the Internet just like there are rules and laws in the real world. When people are on the Internet, they feel like they are anonymous, and they do whatever they feel like. For example, when elementary and middle school students were polled, almost half of the students believed that hacking wasn’t a crime. People just don’t believe that there are rigid rules that apply to using the Internet. They don’t think there are any consequences to their actions because no one knows who they are, and also because if anyone were to find out who they were, there is a great distance between where people live. They don’t think they would be contacted or found. This lack of understanding the laws regarding the use of the Internet leads to a risk of computing for the unsuspecting everyday user of the information highway.

Attackers (or hackers) on your computer can claim to have the same Internet protocol (IP) address as someone else. This is called IP spoofing. This would allow them to make illegal actions under the identity of someone else. This would allow them to do thing they shouldn’t be doing and they would not be caught. Whoever the IP address belongs to could be accused of doing things they didn’t do. The hacker could also take control of the user’s console and that user would not know. This is called IP session hijacking. The user would just be logged off their system and be allowed to log back on, while in the meantime the hacker can go through their e-mail, run any programs, and steal information among other things.

Computer users are also at risk to “unauthorized access” attacker. In these types of attacks, the hacker will use some resources on your computer that they should not have access to. One way the hacker does this is by executing commands illicitly. They could read your files and send e-mail to people under your name, which they should not be able to do. They could also do worse things, like changing your IP address and making your computer shut down every time it is booted up.

Another type of unauthorized access attack is confidentiality breaches. Hackers can steal your information and use it against you. For example, if you are in a business, they could take some idea your company came up with, and sell it to one of your competitors. They could also steal some of your personal information and release it to the public. This could be very damaging to your reputation.

The last type of unauthorized access attack is destructive behavior. There are two types of this attack. “Data diddling” is when a hacker messes with data in your saved files. For example, they may change a few numbers around in your spreadsheet or change the numbers in your account for auto-depositing your paychecks. This attack is most likely not noticed right away, but when you do notice, the effects can be very damaging. If the hacker changed some numbers on your spreadsheet, how do you know which ones are right and which ones are wrong?

The other type of destructive behavior attack is data destruction. This is when the attacker simply deletes your files. When this happens, it is very damaging, especially for a business. There is no way to recover the files and they are left with nothing. There are however ways to stay protected against hackers.

One thing a computer user can do is make make backups of your files. Simply put your files onto a blank CD or a floppy disk so they are safe even if a hacker were to tamper with or delete all your files. They may be able to attack your computer, but they can’t attack a CD, floppy disk, or any external memory device. This would keep your files safe in the event of an attack, or even if you were to have a hardware failure.

You should also be sure not to leave your files in the open. Save them in a place not so easily found by an attacker. This decreases the chance that a hacker will do something malicious to your important files. If they cannot find your important data, they cannot harm your important data. This is a simple thing that many computers do not do.

It is also important to avoid using systems with single points of failure, meaning if your computer has one flaw in its security, it is very vulnerable to attacks. Make sure that your security system can’t be broken through one component. If you give a hacker an inch, they will take it a mile. A minor attack could escalate and become a disaster.

You should make sure you update your system patches. Old bugs in the system can be exploited, and if you don’t stay up to date with the current fixes, attackers will exploit the old bugs. They cannot attack the fixes as easily. This is a very simple and easy thing to help protect yourself, yet if you don’t do this, it is a very simple and easy way for the attacker to break into your system.

Firewalls are another thing that can protect you from hackers. Connecting to the Internet provides two-way traffic, in and out of your computer. A firewall serves as a barrier and limits the traffic in and out of your computer. It can prevent a hacker from breaking into your system. Also, even if a hacker does break into your system, the firewall can prevent them from sending files from your computer. A firewall is a very important part to protecting your computer against attacks.

However, if you set your modem to answer incoming calls, an attacker can sneak around your firewall. This gives them another entry point into your computer. You must protect your modem, too. The terminal sever, which provides access to your network must be logged and checked for suspicious activity. It’s also important for you to have a good password; it shouldn’t be easily guessed. There are devices which create one time six to eight digit passwords, so a hacker would never be able to guess the right password because it’s ever changing.

Routers now have built in encryption between specific routers. This keeps them safe so an attacker could not break into your system. The information is encrypted so they could not read it out get into your console. This provides a secure route between computers.

Companies are also now using Virtual Private Networks. I uses the Internet to connect two different offices to each other. The only problem with this is that everyone on the network has access to everything, it isn’t possible to provide specific information to one computer on the network. Hackers cannot break into a Virtual Private Network because the link is encrypted.

There are numerous risks to computing and it is very important to be prepared for them. You have to watch out for hackers that can mimic your IP address, read your files, tamper with your files, and even delete your files. These risks are real, but if you are prepared you can safely utilize the Internet. Make sure you backup your files, keep your system updated, and have a firewall among other things to keep your computer safe. If you take all the necessary precautions, you will be at low risk to an attack, and you should be able to fully enjoy the Internet without the fear attackers.

Bibliography

http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/education/k-12/cerias_resources/files/infosec_newsletters/07cyberethics.php

http://ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/

http://www.interhack.net/pubs/network-security/network-security.html

I realized I liked math when I was in 2^nd grade. My teacher gave our class a sheet of 100 addition and subtraction problems to do in five minutes. She told us to do as many as we could. I finished the whole sheet with a couple minutes left to spare and I even had time to check over all of the problems. I got every single problem right, and I was really proud of that. From then on I knew I was good at math and it was probably my favorite subject. In elementary school I could figure out the answers to math problems a lot quicker than anyone else. The teacher stopped calling on me because I answered too many questions. I had fun trying to solve problems as quickly as I could.

In 5^th grade, we took the Math Olympiads. I did very well on them the whole year, and I was one of the three finalists in my school. The three of us took one last Math Olympiad, and whoever did the best would be the winner. I did the best and won the Math Olympiad contest! I was really proud and I got a trophy for winning.

In 6^th grade I was in the high math class, and I realized that there were a lot of people better at math than me. My elementary school, Sugartown, didn’t have many people in the class, it comprised mostly of kids from K.D. Markley and Charlestown. I was slightly discouraged because of that, and also because of the new concepts we learned. I was confused at first, but eventually I started to do really well again.

In 7^th and 8^th grade we did the same subjects in math class and I did pretty well. Word problems gave me the most trouble, I wasn’t very good at setting them up and telling the difference between the different types of word problems. Everything else was very easy for me. I wanted to do better on word problems however because they serve the most real life application.

In 9^th grade geometry was very easy for me. I found that proving something about two shapes was very easy. They were almost like word problems, but for some reason I understood them a lot better. I think it was because there was a picture always drawn out for you, so it was easy for me to visualize. Geometry was pretty fun for me.

In 10^th grade math became harder, but I still did well. The pre-calculus section and the word problems were the hardest things for me. They baffled me most of the time, though everything else was once again easy for me. I am just not that great at solving word problems. The calculus part was hard for me to grasp at first, I didn’t know what it all meant and how you could apply it to real life.

In 11^th grade BC Calculus was very hard for me at first. I struggled with all of the homework and only pulled B’s on the quizzes and tests. There were a lot of word problems and that was a problem for me. Calculus seemed to be almost all word problems after you learned the basic concept in the section. I worked hard during the year and I eventually started to better. Each marking period my grade went up. Around the time of the AP test, we took a practice test to see how we were doing. I did pretty badly, only getting a two on the practice test. The weekend before the test, I reviewed all of the practice material we had for hours. I really wanted to made sure I got a three. All I wanted was to get a three and pass. I took the test and I thought it was really hard, I thought if I would be really lucky I could get a three. In the summer when I got my results in the mail, I read my results and somehow I got a five! I couldn’t believe it, I thought they gave me someone else’s score. I understood calculus better than I thought I did.

I use math when I play poker. When you play, it’s very important to count how many “outs” you have, or cards left in the deck that would give you the winning hand. You have to compare the size of the pot to how many odds you have left to figure out whether you should fold, check, call, bet, or raise. I’m trying to get faster at calculating all of that stuff; I am still a little slow. It can become tricky calculating everything because you have to keep in mind that some cards that you consider outs can really give your opponent a better hand. I think it is fun to calculate the numbers to give yourself the best chance of winning in the long run.

I keep track of data when I do football picks every week. I try to look for trends to figure out which team will win. I look back at previous season and the current seasons and look at how teams did at home and away, against teams with similar records, how the team did against the line, and that sort of stuff. I kept track of a lot of statistics last year to aid with my picks. I enjoy math for the most part and I try to apply it to my everyday life.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a one of the most prominent satirical writers of our time. He writes about the follies of men and society. In his novels The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Cat’s Cradle we see the faults of mankind through its belief in false truths like religion and war. Vonnegut points out that many of the things we believe in are probably not true. He thinks that too many people simply accept ideas as being truths. He wants his readers to question society and their beliefs that are not backed up by logical reasoning. For example, religion is not founded on any scientific premises and Vonnegut thinks we should question why so many people believe in it. In The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. urges his readers to question popular beliefs and ideas that are accepted by society. Vonnegut tells us to think independently and search for the truths in the world.

The book The Sirens of Titan is about the main character Malachi Constant and his travels through the universe to deliver a replacement part to a stranded alien ship. Though Malachi did not know until the end, every person in the world, including him, was being controlled by the alien to slowly deliver the replacement part to his ship. Throughout the book, there are many passages about religion and how people are pacified by illusions in the world. Vonnegut writes, “The Church was ready for a miracle… The prophecy was that the weary Space Traveler would be naked, that the suit of clothes would fit him like a glove. That suit was of such design as to fit no one but the right man well” (The Sirens of Titan 214). This event in the book had been set up to happen as it was predicted. The Church knew that the Space Traveler would come naked and had the suit specially made for him. It was not really a miracle. This quote shows how religion can be founded on lies. Many people believe in religion even though it may not be true. Vonnegut is saying that we should think independently and figure out our own ideas. Reed says of The Sirens of Titan:

It asserts that while an indifferent universe may confirm no purpose in our existence, we can give meaning to life by the way we lead it. This entails giving up the search for a rationale in the incomprehensible workings of the universe, the hunt for some answer from above, and turning to ourselves to provide meaning… (496)

Reed also says that Vonnegut is saying we are the ones that need to search for purpose ourselves. We need to think independently. We cannot always turn to religion to give us the answers because religions are not necessarily truthful.

Vonnegut talks about illusions that society believes in. There is often no evidence to credit these beliefs, ideas, or events, but people still acknowledge them. Vonnegut writes:

The materializations had been happening for nine years, once every fifty-nine days. The most learned and trustworthy men in the world had begged heartbrokenly for the privilege of seeing a materialization. No matter how the men worded their requests, they were turned down cold. The refusal was always the same, handwritten by Mrs. Rumfoord’s social secretary. (The Sirens of Titan 116)

The materializations are something that everyone believes in though they have never actually seen one. Some people try to question their credibility, but they find no answers. Vonnegut is showing that when we try to question popular beliefs, we may not always find the answers. He wants us to keep striving to find the answers. Olderman says of Vonnegut, “…he finds we have exhausted our values and can go on living only through the acceptance of illusions” (505). This is saying that many people live on illusions, like the materialization. Vonnegut wants people to question illusions, like religion, and think for themselves. He thinks it is crazy that so many people live by things that may not be true. This is why he wants us to think independently and find the answers ourselves.

In The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut also talks about science. Science is something very highly valued by him. Science is actually backed by logical reasoning and it can be proved. Religion is something that is not backed by logical reasoning and it can not be proved. He writes, “Quit talking the language of science to each other! Nothing will be restrained from you which you have imagined to do, if you all keep on talking the language of science to each other, and I don’t want that!” (The Sirens of Titan 127). This quote shows how religions do not want people to learn about science. Science can discredit everything religion says are truths. Vonnegut thinks people should learn about science, so they can figure out what beliefs and ideas are true or not. Reed says that “Vonnegut places considerable emphasis on the fact that we know very little about a great deal” (498). This means that people do not really know that much about what is real. They do not know that much about science, which is a defining element of what is really a truth. People do not care to learn enough about science to determine what is real and what is not. There is a lot to be learned, but many people do not care because they are happy living on false facts.

Slaughterhouse-Five is about Billy Pilgrim and his hardships through World War II. The character Billy Pilgrim is actually based off of Kurt Vonnegut and his actual travels during the war. Vonnegut grew to despise war during his time in service. He was at the worst bombing of the war in Dresden. The book Slaughterhouse-Five is an anti-war book. Vonnegut believes that war is one of the greatest follies of mankind. He thinks war is just a very horrible experience that we should strive to avoid, but people think that it is the solution to everything. People also do not realize how horrible it is and how many people actually die during war. He writes:

The advocates of nuclear disarmament seem to believe that, if they could achieve their aim, war would become tolerable and decent. They would do well to read this book and ponder the fate of Dresden, where 135,000 people died as the result of an air attack with conventional weapons. On the night of March 9th, 1945, an air attack on Tokyo by American heavy bombers, using incendiary and high explosive bombs, caused the death of 83,793 people. The atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 71,379 people. So it goes. (Slaughterhouse-Five 188)

This shows how he thinks people want war to be an acceptable thing, but if people would just look at the numbers of the people dead, we would realize how horrible it is. Vonnegut wants us to question the idea of war and search for the truth of how inhumane it really is. McNelly writes of Slaughterhouse-Five:

In these journeys, Billy, who is both Vonnegut and a modern Everyman, seeks an answer to the inevitable questions about suffering. In addition, he ponders the incredible violence of war, its insanity and blind cruelty, and probes the proud flesh of an American society that – an even greater horror to Vonnegut – has managed to ignore the moral responsibility for Dresden as well as the ethical implications of the senseless attack. (452)

McNelly is also says how Vonnegut is showing that war is a horrific thing and that most Americans have not even heard about the bombing of Dresden. It is a fact that is hidden from us, so that we do not realize how many people could be killed in just one attack. Vonnegut thinks this is horrible and that we need to search for the truths about war.

Vonnegut talks about how we need to try to make a difference in our lives and the world. He writes, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to tell the difference. Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future” (Slaughterhouse-Five 60). The reason why Billy could not change the past, the present, and the future is because of war. Reed says, “War provides the ultimate measure of man’s folly, his inhumanity, his inability to match means and ends, and his incapacity to maintain an ordered control over his destiny…” (498). War takes control over Billy. He is stuck in the military and must do what he is ordered to do. The war takes away his ability to question ideas and think individually. He is not able to change anything while he is in the war. Vonnegut shows how war is bad in that it is very violent, but he also shows how war in bad in that we cannot control our actions.

Vonnegut uses one quote many times throughout the novel. He says, “So it goes” (Slaughterhouse-Five 106). It is a very simple sentence with a powerful message. This quote is used every time someone dies in the book, and because it is said so many times, the reader realizes that there are a lot of people that die during the war. The quote also shows that nothing is challenged when someone dies. People do not realize that when someone dies it is a big deal. Vonnegut wants to point out how people can be ignorant and we should not fall in that category. We should just not accept deaths as numbers, but as actual people. Society does not always think this way. Kazin writes, “It is the idea of human vulnerability: we are still too innocent in the face of war to offer any political explanation or protest” (505). This quote shows how society just accepts war and its consequences, such as death, without protest. Vonnegut wants us to question war and to search for the real truths of war.

The book Cat’s Cradle is about the main character John searching for information to write a novel, called The Day the World Ended, of events leading up to the day the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. His search for information leads him to the day the world is actually destroyed. In Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut talks a lot about science and religion. He writes about how religion is based on lies and that science can disprove it. There is a fictional religion in the book, called Bokononism, which everyone follows. Bokononism is introduced through this passage:

‘I do not intend that this book be a tract on behalf of Bokononism. I should like to offer a Bokononist warning about it, however. The first sentence in The Books of Bokonon is this: ‘All of the things I am about to tell you are shameless lies.’ My Bokononist warning is this: Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either.’ (Cat’s Cradle 5)

Vonnegut is criticizing all religions in this passage. He is saying they might as well start off their scriptures saying that everything they are about to read is a lie. He thinks we should question religions and search for meaning in life ourselves. Klinkowitz says of Vonnegut, “He consistently portrays the masses the ’little people’…as grotesque or despicable, or just stupid, unthinking sheep” (563). Vonnegut considers people who do not think independently to be “stupid, unthinking sheep.” They are people of society who simply do what everyone else is doing. Vonnegut wants people to search for the truths, such as the truth about religion.

Vonnegut does not consider religion to be true because none of it is based on scientific reasoning. He writes, “‘New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.’ Had I been a Bokononist then, that statement would have made me howl” (Cat’s Cradle 41). Vonnegut is showing how religions do not like how we are learning more and more every day. Bokononism is based off of lies, and the more we know, the less credible Bokononism would be. The same applies with our religions. Olderman says, “The universe he pictures is indifferent to man and man spends his time trying to twist that indifference into order and meaning” (505). Vonnegut wants us to take what we know and apply our knowledge to search for the truths, as Olderman says. Vonnegut does not think it is right to just accept whatever society accepts. We need to think independently.

Vonnegut believes that science is the one thing to clarify all questions. Science can discredit or credit all ideas and beliefs. He writes, “’The trouble with the worlds was,’ she continued hesitatingly, ‘that people were still superstitious instead of scientific. He said if everybody would study science more, there wouldn’t be all the trouble there was’” (Cat’s Cradle 24). This shows how Vonnegut thinks science is the answer to everything. Science would solve many problems if people would just take the time to learn about it. He wants us to question popular beliefs and ideas with science. Schulz writes:

Cat’s Cradle is a novel about the varieties of truth available to man: scientific, religious, political, social, economic, humanistic. Ultimately, in its presentation of the open-ended, unconfirmable dilemma of human knowledge and wisdom, the novel sardonically blurs veracity and faslehood, treating them as interchangeable for all practical human purposes. It refuses to confirm what is reality.” (348)

This shows how there are many different truths in the world, and many of them contradict each other. Vonnegut wants us to search for the real truths; he wants us to find the facts. Without the facts, we will be lost in a jumble of contradictory beliefs and ideas. He wants us to find the truths and set ourselves apart from the rest of the ignorant society.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a satirical author that writes about the follies of men. Specifically, he writes about how people accept whatever society accepts and how people should question popular ideas and beliefs, like religion and war. In The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. urges his readers to question popular beliefs and ideas that are accepted by society. Vonnegut tells us to think independently and search for the truths in the world.

Works Cited

Kazin, Alfred. Bright Book of Life: American Novelists & Storytellers from Hemingway to Mailer. Atlantic Monthly Press, 1973.

Klinkowitz, Jerome. The Vonnegut Statement. Dell Publishing, 1973.

Kroll, Jack. “No More Heroes.” Newsweek October 1970: 123.

McNelly, Willis E. “Science Fiction-The Modern Mythology.” America September 1970: 125-27.

Nicol, Charles. “The Ideas of an Anti-Intellectual.” National Review September 1973: 1064-65.

Olderman, Raymond M. Beyond the Waste Land: A Study of the American Novel in the Nineteen-Sixties. Yale University Press, 1973.

Reed, Peter J. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Warner Paperback Library, 1972.

Schatt, Stanley. “The World of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr..” Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction 1971: 54-69.

Schulz, Max F. “The Unconfirmed Thesis: Kurt Vonnegut, Black Humor, and Contemporary Art.” Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction 1971: 5-28.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat’s Cradle. New York: Dell Publishing, 1963.

—. Slaughterhouse-5. New York: Dell Publishing, 1969.

—. The Sirens of Titan. New York: Dell Publishing, 1959.