Ahh . . . nothing like a belated post!

Today, I was looking through the novel and my notes for some more compelling evidence for my paper and I re-read one of the chapters: "The Eternal City." The first time I read through it, it just seemed like a brutal scene that was meant to depict how war ravages a city. However, upon a second reading, it has taken on a greater meaning.

As Yossarian ambles through Rome, he is a first hand witness to many atrocities: rape, beatings, abject poverty, and theivery. He knows all these things are wrong and is genuinely concerned that they exist in this world. Yet, he does absolutely nothing to help those who are being wronged. He reflects on page 426 that he "knew he could help thr troubled old woman if she woould only cry out." And isn't that such a reflection of . . . well, everyone? It is impossible to say that no one is unaware of the attrocities that exsist in our world (although there are probably certain degrees of awareness), but many of us still do not do anything about it. I think Yossarian's excuse for not helping the old woman is one that many people employ. Just think of how many times you've seen someone drop their books in the hallway and not helped them pick up, just because you didn't know them or they didn't seem to need your help.

"The Eternal City" is an interesting spin on the concept of minding one's own business that is startlingly true.

And also, I just like making new posts. The orange "Publish Post" button is so inviting. =)

Final Comments on Catch-22

I guess this is where we can all wrap up with our final comments and reflections on Heller's snazzy little book. I think some good topics would be final thoughts on what Heller specifically was trying to communicate about WWII and war in general through his book, whether you guys still think Yossarian is just as crazy as all the other characters, what you feel the irony brought to the book, why there was continually all the silly silly silly character interplay, et cetera et cetera. Remember the developmental threads we decided to follow during the book club meeting, i.e. why Yossarian appears to be the central character. Blog away!

I think it might be time for a proper post.

HI GROUP! Our blog is looking a little lonely, so I thought I might liven it up a bit.

First of all, there was a movie made of Catch-22 in 1970, and some of the casting is kind of funny. You can see it here. Some of my favorites:


Bob Newhart as Major Major Major Major

and


ART GARFUNKEL as Nately. (Did you know Art Garfunkel has read nearly 1000 books in the past thirty years? And that he numbered and catalogued them?)

Now we have some super-exciting pictures of old men on our blog. You can thank me tomorrow in class.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I am seeing a lot of similarities between Catch-22 and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. There is a prevading sense of "Why do we even bother?" in both, whether it is Rosencrantz questioning his own existence, or Yossarian avoiding real life -- his role in the war -- by hiding out in the hospital. I think that there are many topics that we discussed in relation to R&G that also apply in a major way to Catch-22. For example, our book club conferences about why Yossarian is the main character seem to hark back to whether we are the main characters in our own lives. Just because a story is from Yossarian's point of view doesn't make him the most interesting character.

Blog Away Folks!

So sorry guys. I probably should have posted this earlier, but anyways, the blogspot is here so blog on...

COOL SITES!!!

Here's a link to resources on Heller.

Reading Assignments

January 2nd-p. 196 (Chapters 1-18)

January 11th-p. 327 (Chapters 19-28)

January 25th-p. 463 (Chapters 29-42)