Vonnegut Lecture

H umanist. Socialist. Liberal.

These words have been used to describe author and critic Kurt Vonnegut many times.

But when Union Board hosted "An Evening with Kurt

Vonnegut" March 1 at the

Auditorium, students weren't exactly sure what to expect. "I expected Vonnegut to be a sensationalist. He was definitely thought-provoking, but his arguments weren't just sensational — he backed them up," freshman Elizabeth Skomp said.

Vonnegut, the honorary president of the American Humanist Association, originally

Alter meeting with honors students for discussion at

the Lilly Library, Kurt Vonnegut greets guests at the door. Vonnegut spoke later that day, at 7 p.m., March 1 in the Auditorium.

(opposite page) Author and critic Kurt Vonnegut answers questions from about 50 honors students

and Wells Scholars before

his public lecture in the Auditorium. Vonnegut focused the discussion

and lecture around

societal values.

it ol)I) t till

came to the University to give his speech, "How to Get a Job Like Mine." But he admitted the topic turned into a speech on some random thoughts and ideas of his.

Vonnegut is responsible for writing "Slaughterhouse Five," "Cat's Cradle" and "The Sirens of Titan." He told the audience his books are about "ordinary people trying to behave decently in an indecent society." Vonnegut continued to say his books are written intuitively and reflectively, but because he is now in his 70s, he admitted he no longer has as much time to reflect. Instead, he spends most of his time lecturing,.

But sophomore Alix Miczulski, a fan of his books, appreciated the insight of Vonnegut's speaking and writing skills. He said, "He is someone I knew I should see. His works and his tone are extremely funny and satirical."

The native Hoosier had much to say about family values. He particularly concentrated on his theory of the "extended family support system." Vonnegut said he believes most divorces stem from a nuclear family. With a small number of people in these types of families, Vonnegut believes there may not be enough available members to offer advice. He said members usually have to seek the advice of outsiders. This may pull apart any closeness the family shares, and so, it is the large extended family that is a constant reinforcement for its members and keeps itself together.

Skomp appreciated Vonneg,ut's perspective. "I really liked his proposal about children being raised by the community. With this type of 'extended' family and a more unified society, it seems that we could eliminate some of today's societal problems."

The audience whooped and cheered throughout most of the speech. "\Voo!'s" and "Yeah's!" followed almost every point Vonnegut made.

Also, Vonnegut said "everyone in America should have a puberty ceremony." Vonnegut said that no one will accept his or her own responsibilities anymore. If boys and girls around the ages of 12, 13 and 14 were given a special puberty ceremony, they would have the official rights to adulthood. Vonnegut said they would be told to use their adulthood to "join us in making this society work."

He also said, "The only way to receive full credit as an adult these days is to commit a felony."

A veteran of World War II, Vonnegut had firsthand knowledge of the perils of war. He felt war is popularized in this generation and made to look like fun. He said,"War is terrible ... killin g is fun only from an airplane." From up in the sky, the death and destruction on the ground cannot be seen.

Overall, Vonnegut regarded himself as a skeptic. He said he always questions, "What's the good news? What's the bad news?"

To demonstrate this idea, Vonnegut used a chalkboard on the stage and a graph of his own invention, to plot certain high and low points that represented the good news or bad news in various examples of literature.

He concentrated on Shakespeare's "Macbeth." He said it produced a flatline because he could not decide which parts of the play constituted the good news or the bad news for the characters. He continued to explain that this is why "Macbeth" is the best literary work: it shows a strange likeness to reality. Real life is not knowing what is the good or bad news.

At the end of his speech, he further reached the audience by

assuring he always "tries to keep in touch with young people's concerns."

Before the lecture, Vonnegut had met with about 50 honors students and Wells Scholars for an informal discussion of their concerns. This discussion at the Lilly Library preceded his lecture at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium.

Junior Chris Ferrell said, "Vonnegut has a wonderful sense of humor. He was very enlightening and kept the audience captivated. It was well worth the time." E I

Melissa Gudell VONNEGUT ATTACKS SOCIETAL

"He was definitely thought-provoking, but his arguments weren't just sensational — he backed them up." VALUES

Rol)!) Hill