K. M. Zeigler
Mr. Shambaugh
American Literature
1 March 2023
Ice-Nine as an Allegory
Ice-nine is a fictional type of ice that instructs water to change its structure to ice-nine and freeze without a temperature change, found in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. Ice-nine represents scientific discoveries that destroy life. Ice-nine is an allegorical reference to all catalysts that in forethought seemed beneficial, but end up causing the annihilation of something indispensable to the continuation of existence. Kurt Vonnegut’s opinions about the atomic bomb were portrayed through the allegorical reference of ice-nine to the real-life atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan.
Ice-nine represents technological advancements that cause unbelievable destruction;
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The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki similarly were created to help end a war, which they did, but also created a horrific aftermath of destruction. Kurt Vonnegut’s book Cat’s Cradle puts the concept of the atomic bomb into the form of ice-nine, both substances that will dramatically alter the world for the worse. Both creations do in fact solve the problems they were created to solve, but they create a slew of new dilemmas. Vonnegut uses Jonah’s attitude toward ice-nine to show the concept of Vonnegut’s attitude toward the atomic …show more content…
In Cat’s Cradle, ice-nine creates apocalyptic collapse. Kurt Vonnegut wants to portray that the atomic bomb very well could’ve created apocalyptic collapse as well. In fact, the damage Hiroshima and Nagasaki endured was far worse than what scientists had predicted considering the burns and radiation many victims suffered for years prior. Even though the bombs did not end the world, they created an entirely new scheme of warfare. Both the atomic bomb and ice-nine are discoveries that were based off the smallest building blocks of matter. The atomic bomb was based on the atom and ice-nine was based off of the structure of water. The scientists that created the atomic bomb knew to an extent what they had created and the purpose it was being create for. Dr. Felix Hoenikker knew what he was getting into when he investigated and researched the creation of ice-nine. Both scientists knew the ramifications of their discoveries; however, both decided to publicize their
As many countries joined WWII, many of them were finding new ways to protect themselves. Thus the atomic bomb was born. The Germans found a way to split a uranium atom that created a huge explosion thanks to famous scientist, Albert Einstein. It wasn't long before the U.S. heard of this and started doing the same thing. In 1941, America hired a German physicist ad created a secret project called The Manhattan Project.
Paul Boyer, the author of By the Bomb’s Early Light, has an unusually high level of expertise on the subject of atomic bombs. He is an American biochemist, analytical chemist, and a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is at the top of his field, and is a perfect candidate to write this book. Not only will he be an expert in the science of atomic bombs, but he will know the history of this kind of technology. Paul Boyer’s main idea in this book is more of a discussion of Nuclear Policy and a look back at the nuclear age.
And the most important item to create the bomb is uranium which can be found in the Belgian Congo Einstein stated. With this information, the United States could start making its own atomic bombs. Albert Einstein helped them by telling them where to find the materials needed, he was a main part of the United States creating the atomic
Through this particular dialogue between the two characters, Vonnegut concretely makes his point on the myopic nature of the scientific community. Dr. Breed’s reluctance to speak about the catastrophic nature of an invention such as ice-nine, as well as his ad-hominem disparagements of Jonah show the quick to anger nature when the morals of creating such an invention were questioned. The specific mention to the “yellow press,” an article or specific type of scientific journalism with sensationalized articles, shows the insecurity that Breed feels having the morals behind such experimentation questioned and works to show that even scientists are not
Einstein wrote a letter to the President Roosevelt in which he says that the United States should invest in developing atomic program. Later in 1941, that is what happened and the program for developing atomic bomb was code named the Manhattan Project. The first major discovery happened in December of 1942, when Enrico Fermi produced first controlled nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago with a few of his
In 1939, the scientific community, specifically German physicists had learned the secrets of splitting a uranium atom (The Manhattan Project” 2015). America realized that Adolf Hitler’s Germany obtained a massive amount of scientific talent. With their access had necessary raw materials and knowledge of the splitting of the uranium atom, they had the industrial capacity to produce an atomic bomb(“Manhattan Project”2014). The atomic bomb would eventually become the turning point of weaponry during World War II. On October 11, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein about the splitting of the uranium atom which could be beneficial in developing weapons for America during World War II.
We are Mexico's dumping ground for their poor, uneducated and unskilled people. That makes us its social safety net. We bear the costs that Mexico should bear. Mexico's government actively encourages its disadvantaged people to immigrate to the United States, illegally or otherwise.
According to history.com, an atomic bomb is a very powerful weapon that uses nuclear reactions as their source of explosive energy. After World War II began, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein and his colleague Leo Szilard that stated a very powerful bomb could be created by using the forces of nuclear fission. The Manhattan Project was the code name for an American-led effort to develop and produce a functional atomic bomb during World War II that was led by General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the formation of the Manhattan project on December 28, 1942, which allowed military officials and many scientists to form a team to develop the atomic bomb. According to nobelprize.org, “Code-named "The Manhattan Project," the effort eventually employed more than 200,000 workers and several thousands scientists and engineers, many of European background.
With the current election raging, illegal immigration has been the hot topic amongst both liberals and conservatives. Many conservatives believe that illegals steal jobs, abuse tax benefits, and, most importantly, threaten their way of life. Liberals, on the other hand, support immigration reform based purely on sympathy. They understand that many Latin Americans go through extreme measures to escape hopeless situations back home. While there’s nothing wrong with sympathy for our fellow humans, it may serve to be beneficial to look at immigration reform through the lens of reason.
Joseph Rotblat, 1995 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, stated, “I have to bring to your notice a terrifying reality: with the development of nuclear weapons Man has acquired, for the first time in history, the technical means to destroy the whole of civilization in a single act” (“Joseph”). Nearly fifty years before Rotblat’s warning, the world witnessed devastation when the United States dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan during World War II. Over 200,000 people perished. Just five years after these tragic days in history, Ray Bradbury, one of the most inspiring artists of the twentieth century, conveys a view similar to Rotblat in his short story, “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains” (“Ray”).Throughout this story, Bradbury dramatizes the American Dream as an American Nightmare resulting from
Throughout Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut intertwines reality and fiction to provide the reader with an anti-war book in a more abstract form. To achieve this abstraction, Kurt Vonnegut utilizes descriptive images, character archetypes, and various themes within the novel. By doing so, he created a unique form of literature that causes the reader to separate reality from falsehood in both their world, and in the world within Vonnegut’s mind. Vonnegut focuses a lot on the characters and their actions in “Slaughterhouse Five.”
This experience deeply affected Vonnegut and this shaped his views on war, and it included the destructive power of science that was described in his writing from his novel, Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut saw firsthand the devastating consequences of the atomic bomb and was deeply troubled by the idea that science and new technology could be used for such a destructive purpose. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut uses the fictional character of Felix Hoenikker, a scientist who invents ice-nine, to explore the dangerous consequences of
Kurt Vonnegut enlisted in the United States Army at the time of World War II. He was captured as a prisoner of war where he received much of his literary inspiration for Slaughterhouse-Five. The anti war theme throughout the book is touched on and also rebutted when Vonnegut states, “there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers” (Vonnegut 4). Vonnegut knows he is writing an anti war book but also is aware that wars cannot altogether be halted he is only trying to relay the horrors of war. The number of innocent victims killed by the bombing is alarming and Vonnegut keeping with his anti war theme made it a point to center his novel around the Dresden bombing which increased knowledge of what the historical city Dresden once was.
Satirical essay How would you talk about a serious issue? Some may show statistics or facts to bring up problems. Others can use video representation or presentations to prove their point to make people aware of issues. Although there are many ways to bring up serious problems and issues, a lot of people use Satire to bring up problems in our society and world. Satire is taking problems and using comedy or irony to make people aware of issues.
“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it. ”-Frank A. Clark (Psychology Today). A man named Jonathan Swift saw many problems in his government and society. He realized it needed to be fixed. Swift’s strong beliefs pushed him to write satire to try and help Ireland.