How Do the Ideas in Cat’s Cradle Complement the Ideas in The World We Have?

English

After reading over your notes on both books, think about how the moral visions of the two books are similar. You may also notice some differences, which you should point out in your paper, but your main purpose is to emphasize how the books complement and reinforce each other.

Both books warn us that human beings could cause the end of the world, and both books give us a clear picture of how people need to change their attitudes and behavior if our world is to be saved. Of course, Kurt Vonnegut employs satire to create black humor, while Thich Nhat Hanh explains his views in a serious tone, hoping the reader will accept his facts and follow his reasoning. With Vonnegut, we must decide how to interpret the irony and exaggeration of his imaginative creation. But with Hanh, we need only see the logic of his argument and examples. Hanh does use parables, but he always explains their meaning.

In your introduction, state the similarities in the moral visions of the two authors.

What do they agree is right behavior and wrong behavior? What ways of thinking do they both condemn, and what ways of thinking do they both advocate?

Remember to give specific examples from both books to support your general statements. Give page numbers for Hanh’s book, but chapter numbers for Vonnegut’s. Your middle paragraphs must contain specifics from both books to make a clear connection based on similarity of ideas.