Tag Archives: The Sirens of Titan

Sirens of Titan Closing

Great discussion today everyone! We covered a plethora of interesting and difficult topics. I just wanted to post something regarding the discussion so anyone can bring something up that they may have wanted to say during class but didn’t get to for whatever reason. I really liked Alex’s reading of the title of the book. Throughout the entirety of the novel we kind of question the relevance of the Sirens as an appropriate symbol, but I think near to the end of the novel the imagery comes full circle, like many other themes. Mythologically speaking, the Sirens are meant to be threatening, something to steer clear of. Using Malachi as an example, we see how the reverse experience is possible. Giving into the tempting power of the Sirens (ie fate) need not be detrimental thing for oneself, as long as a person is able to find love and reverence in life through elements of of one’s surrounding that are present. Alex is this close to what you meant?

We also covered a couple other things such as consumerism of intellectual property, determinism via biology or fatalism, and implications of science as a subjective form of knowledge. Very interesting and controversial topics indeed. If anyone has anything that they would like to add to those discussions that we had feel free.

Determinism and Fatalism

Determinism yielded a very interesting discussion near the end of last class time. Determinism is actually very similar to to a philosophical idea that alot of people have claimed Vonnegut to be operating under within many of his novels. This is a fatalistic viewpoint.

Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

  1. That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible.[1]This belief is very similar to predeterminism.
  2. That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end.[2] This belief is very similar tocompatibilist predestination.
  3. That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar todefeatism.

I stole that off of wikipedia. After reading this, could we discuss whether or not, based on Vonnegut’s novel The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut himself is a fatalist…

Subjectivity of Authority

Today in class we talked at length about authority in the novel and how a major theme may be developing. At the end of chapter 6, we are still under the impression that Rumfoord is the ultimate authority on both Earth and Mars. What other relationships are there in the novel that are similar to this power relationship that Rumfoord has with Earth and Mars, and visa versa? If these relationships are similar, how are they similar? How are they different? How can they tie into something that is externally suggested by Vonnegut? i.e. what is Kurt trying to poke fun at or satirize with his power relationships in the novel?

n.b. don’t feel as though you have to answer every question posed here, if you have a theory about one part of it, feel free to leave a comment.

Tony

Sirens of Titan-Setting off any “sirens” in the old noggin?

Vonnegut’s first couple of pages of the novel are quite presumptuous. He casually claims that humans have figured out all their is to know about themselves, i.e. the 53 portals to the soul. Why do you think he starts off his novel in such a way? What comes to mind when he mentions this type of internal human consciousness and claims the problem it causes has been solved?