Sketchy-Mick-Sketch-Sketch...

As I dove into the intense reading known as “Speaking in Tongues,” I honestly had no idea what to expect. From the title alone, I personally thought that the story was going to be about some linguist… However, I then recalled Mr. Kunkle warning us about some of the content in this story, and by the end of the story, I think we could all see why.

But before I go into some of the nastier details of this short story, I first must say that I thought it was a very well-written piece. The author really knew how to keep the reader absorbed through clever uses of setting up the story by showing a clear contrast between the two girls, Tia and Marcelle. I especially appreciated the band room scene with Marcelle sharing her hilarious thoughts on the school’s band. Marcelle became one of my heroes after that stunt.

So as the story goes, Tia, quiet and reserved, eventually runs away from her heavily religious family after a series of events concerning a rather “pleasant” nun known as Sister Gwendolyn. I can’t blame her though; with such extreme religious practices like that, I probably would’ve ran away myself. But this is where the story really starts to pick up in a momentum that would eventually end in tragedy.

Alone with little items of her own, Tia eventually stumbles upon Sketchy-Mick-Sketch-Sketch, AKA: Dezi. Of course, this mysterious man helps out Tia with getting food, and later lets Tia into his apartment. It’s there that we find out that this lovely man is actually a drug dealer AND pimp! J (Rather reminiscent of the “good-gone-bad” Tom Shiftlet in one of our previous readings in my opinion.)

Skipping over some details regarding a hooker named Marie, who would later aid Tia in her escape from Dezi, Dezi eventually rapes Tia. It’s also in this event that the author displays one of the most disturbing to read metaphors that I’ve ever encountered in my life, which can be found near the end of page 700. Honestly, it would just feel rather awkward to type it again here. Thank God Tia manages to escape in the end of the story.

Now, one reason why I did find this reading to be so great, aside from the fact that was written so well, is because I believe it really shows a “darker” side of religion. Of course I’m not putting religion down; however, it’s a clear fact that too much forced upon a person can eventually lead he or she to rebel against it. Also, I thought the story was a perfect display of alienation and some of its possible outcomes, shown with Tia. In conclusion, the story of “Speaking in Tongues” truly grasped me with its hardcore writing and sinister themes.

Pondering about Censorship...

Something that we’ve all ran into at one point in our lives has definitely been censorship. While some of us can remember specifically when they’ve been censored, others, such as myself, cannot. Personally, I can’t really remember a single instance when another person or thing has censored my thoughts. Perhaps it is because I usually don’t always express my thoughts so often, so when I actually do express my opinions on a subject, people just don’t have time or the necessary ninja-like reflexes to censor anything I say. It’s usually in these kinds of expressive moments that my words just lie out in front of me, naked, blatantly displaying themselves to others nearby. Awkwardness ensues shortly afterwards.

However, there are many times when I feel we’re being prevented from learning something due to censorship, specifically from the news. When I feel like the information we’re receiving from the media has been censored, paranoia usually begins to seep in. What events can we truly believe being reported on the news when the media already censors so much outside of our lives, especially on TV. Visions of vicious curse words being spat at each other by the predictable cast of MTV’s latest rehashed version of The Real World come to mind; however, by no means can a not-so-real MTV reality show be compared to an event being reported by the news.

What I really mean to be getting at are historical events such as the Vietnam war. In AP Composition, we got to read a lot about how the US media would distort much of the information being relayed from the war to United States, so the US would look like they were doing well in the war, when in actuality, they weren’t. It’s acts like this that make me question sometimes what I hear on the news.

Finally, I began to think further about censorship in general, and I soon started thinking about how we censor ourselves many times throughout a single day. Countless times in a day, we won’t like what is happening between our classes, friends, or family, but won’t say anything about it in fear of making matters worse. This greatly reminded me of Mrs. Bartman and how she would teach us about using our “Filters” to block unnecessary or immature thoughts from blurting out of our mouths. Overall, I was just surprised at my own realization of how often we censor ourselves.

Thoughts on "Slaughterhouse Five"

As I first began reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, I couldn’t help but be perplexed on the first chapter. I didn’t really mind how it was basically more of a background on Vonnegut, and I also loved reading about the parts pertaining to his friend’s wife Mary and the Gideon Bible. However, I was hoping to get into the story right away, which made me glad when I finally got to chapter two.

But then I became even more perplexed. Had this Billy Pilgrim discovered time travel!? I’m sure Uncle Rico would’ve loved to have known (Kudos if you can figure out that movie reference). However, as strange as the book may be so far, I loved reading about Billy’s aliens: the Tralfamadorians. Their philosophy on death really was interesting and comforting. Although the person who has died may appear dead, he or she is still very much alive in the past. According to the people of Tralfamadore, “all moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist.” Then Vonnegut shows how Earth has the allusion that events and moments play out one after another like “beads on a string.” This was just so ingenious to me, making the Tralfamadore passage my favorite so far in the book.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed about the book so far are some of the descriptions Vonnegut wisely uses. For instance, when Vonnegut describes Billy being shot at from enemy soldiers, he describes the bullet as a “lethal bee buzzing past his ear.” Another simile that I loved from Vonnegut was when he described how he carried “a bottle of Irish whiskey like a dinner bell” in front of his friend O’Hare. It’s creative descriptions like these that really kept my interest while reading the book.

In the end, while I thought the book was oddly strange, it still did manage to capture my attention through Vonnegut’s original writing and imagination. Perhaps the book is meant to be so bizarre that it oddly works?