Kurt Vonnegut, Shape of Stories (subtitulos castellano)

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  • čas přidán 13. 07. 2018

Komentáře •

  • @xDMrGarrison
    @xDMrGarrison Před rokem +510

    He is 81 years old here. What a hero.

    • @skrtskrt1266
      @skrtskrt1266 Před rokem +14

      Still sharp as hell!

    • @justonemori
      @justonemori Před rokem +3

      Before enduring his stay at slaughterhouse five he was caught up in a place called the Schnee awful. Against all odds he survived both and the world was better for that.

    • @drigodamus
      @drigodamus Před rokem +1

      The brain is a muscle…he had the Dwayne Johnson of brains!

    • @Bebtelovimab
      @Bebtelovimab Před 9 měsíci

      Powering through the emphysema

  • @georgeovitt5443
    @georgeovitt5443 Před rokem +609

    I saw Mr. Vonnegut give this presentation as a college student, in 1968. We laughed until we cried. That was a year when most stories were sad.

    • @helio2k
      @helio2k Před rokem +1

      Were it so dark times?

    • @jabrokneetoeknee6448
      @jabrokneetoeknee6448 Před rokem +67

      @@helio2k John Kennedy and his brother Robert had both been assassinated, MLK had also been assassinated, the Vietnam war showed no signs of slowing, race riots were burning through major cities, violent clashes between students and police became regular, and corruption within the Democrat party handed the presidency to Nixon… many have argued that the late 60s was the period when the country lost its “innocence” and Americans became cynical about their government (relative to the country’s previous post-WWII optimism). It’s just one period of turbulent cultural change in America.

    • @shunkela
      @shunkela Před rokem +16

      @@jabrokneetoeknee6448 Thank you for such a good answer

    • @JeffreyGoddin
      @JeffreyGoddin Před rokem +3

      I saw him give it in 1997 or so, and was glad to be able to shake his hand and thank him. Not sure all our appreciation ever reached him, sadly. But he made a deep difference in my life, and I quote this lecture often to this day in trying to explain to people how degenerate our cultural production has become.

    • @ericfox4655
      @ericfox4655 Před rokem +1

      I saw the same @ college in 1985

  • @kelseybartalsky2612
    @kelseybartalsky2612 Před 3 lety +311

    “we don’t know enough about life to know what the good news is and what the bad news is” thanks king 🥰

    • @MiserableStroman
      @MiserableStroman Před 3 lety +11

      Such a simple yet utterly disarming statement, and it's absolutely true. Whenever I think of that sentence I come back to watch this clip :)

  • @bernie4366
    @bernie4366 Před 4 lety +1960

    A towering intellect and titan of literature, more than happy to play the fool if that's what it takes to entertain you. So humble and deeply human it's staggering to think about.

    • @paytonking4673
      @paytonking4673 Před 4 lety +12

      how was he playing the fool?

    • @drewnucs5372
      @drewnucs5372 Před 3 lety +5

      he may be human but he aint humble - humble people don't hurl insults at the rate he does. Bitter man

    • @paytonking4673
      @paytonking4673 Před 3 lety +20

      drew nucs who did he insult?

    • @rinnhart
      @rinnhart Před 3 lety +14

      He was a fuckin' ham bone, he was great.

    • @silkegehtyoutubegarnichtsa892
      @silkegehtyoutubegarnichtsa892 Před 3 lety +5

      @@paytonking4673 The "windbag" Polonius, pay attention mate! ;)

  • @saloneeshetty5506
    @saloneeshetty5506 Před 5 lety +3910

    If this isn't nice I don't now what is

  • @Loomismusic
    @Loomismusic Před 5 lety +2117

    "A true masterpiece cannot be crucified on a cross of this design"

    • @nuthineatholl6434
      @nuthineatholl6434 Před 4 lety +26

      Certain of KV's elders in Milwaukee would no doubt have bandied-about humorously cynical adaptations of stirring catchphrases from ex-Nebraska-Congressman William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech delivered in Chicago in 1896.
      [From Wikipedia:] "In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism or 'free silver', which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. He decried the gold standard, concluding the speech, 'you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold'. Bryan's address helped catapult him to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination; it is considered one of the greatest political speeches in American history."

    • @johnbarber9417
      @johnbarber9417 Před 4 lety +29

      With respect, I thought he said, “...on a cross of it’s design.”? I could be wrong. If what I heard was true, I thought it was insightful.

    • @archkeytechdan7537
      @archkeytechdan7537 Před 4 lety +11

      John Barber I'm certain that's what he said too, it makes more sense, and its more impactful

    • @gkazanjian5976
      @gkazanjian5976 Před 4 lety +32

      ​@@johnbarber9417 it was a play on words with a duel meaning: cross in a biblical sense (crucifixion) and cross of the 2 axes he used in his illustration. At least that's how I understood it.

    • @georgedaffin1654
      @georgedaffin1654 Před 3 lety +2

      @@nuthineatholl6434 Not quite good enough, however.

  • @feedbackloop9960
    @feedbackloop9960 Před 3 lety +1156

    that ending to the speech made me cry, the rumble in the room, all those names, remembered, and not forgotten. if this isnt nice, I dont know what is...

    • @edpeters6290
      @edpeters6290 Před 3 lety +21

      Nice of you to make this remark, thanks.

    • @charliekowalski7163
      @charliekowalski7163 Před 3 lety +19

      Dude the flood gates were released at that ending, wow just wow

    • @mraduldubey9614
      @mraduldubey9614 Před 2 lety +14

      If this comment isn't nice, I don't know what is

    • @BenPalmer3000
      @BenPalmer3000 Před rokem +10

      Me too! I never had a teacher like that, but I did have a students parent say that about me, out of the blue, right in front of my own dad, who taught me how to teach. So now I'm gonna think about that moment as "peak Ben Palmer".

    • @feedbackloop9960
      @feedbackloop9960 Před rokem +6

      @@BenPalmer3000 teacher cross our paths in many shapes, your father was a teacher to you even though it was not his profession and now you made it your calling to pass some on to kids who are not "your" kids but who you treat as though they were your own.
      so love grows in the world and one single act cascades into a symphony of life that even outlasts the death of the person. thank you for sharing!

  • @dismith73
    @dismith73 Před 4 lety +418

    'Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.' Kurt Vonnegut (November 11, 1922 - April 11, 2007)

    • @moltimondi
      @moltimondi Před 3 lety +6

      He captured the essence of human existence with those words

  • @TheSonytex
    @TheSonytex Před 5 lety +1744

    that "shit" was perfectly timed, perfectly said. most perfect shit i've ever seen

  • @SwaroopKodur234
    @SwaroopKodur234 Před 4 lety +436

    After having spent more than 10 years on CZcams, I think I have finally found the perfect video.

    • @brownstonecustomcabinetry5309
      @brownstonecustomcabinetry5309 Před 4 lety +4

      Watch 4 minute lecture Professor Shutt. You can thank me later

    • @andrewprahst2529
      @andrewprahst2529 Před 4 lety +2

      You know, I think I need to make a top ten list for myself

    • @eliasowen115
      @eliasowen115 Před 3 lety +3

      there's a video where bjork takes apart a tv you should check it out

    • @richcawte
      @richcawte Před rokem +2

      In many years of arching CZcams and reading comments. I think I have found the perfect response to one, ( yours not mine).

    • @SwaroopKodur234
      @SwaroopKodur234 Před rokem

      @@richcawte :) :)

  • @rudegoat5706
    @rudegoat5706 Před 5 lety +4201

    This was funnier than most Netflix stand-up specials.

    • @lucasreta6625
      @lucasreta6625 Před 5 lety +42

      oooof, those pretentious laughers that celebrated every tiny insignificant word kv said, this vid would be better of without them

    • @martinet1985
      @martinet1985 Před 5 lety +131

      @@lucasreta6625 You are pretentious for having written that.

    • @jacobyoung112
      @jacobyoung112 Před 5 lety +101

      @@martinet1985 And YOU'RE pretentious for having pointed that out. And now I'm pretentious for pointing THAT out. Let's all just sit around and huff our own farts.

    • @mannyorange3098
      @mannyorange3098 Před 4 lety +16

      @Sharad Kazimi Sounds like a Catcher in The Rye reference....... Uber Pretentious

    • @mannyorange3098
      @mannyorange3098 Před 4 lety +13

      Kurt Vonnegut Netflix stand up comedy special "Triggered"

  • @tommynorthwood
    @tommynorthwood Před 5 lety +2487

    I owe this guy a minute or two. A weekend psychiatrist let me go home from a mental hospital giving me a Kurt Vonnegut quote. "Civilization is an unnatural act."

    • @auntihooha
      @auntihooha Před 5 lety +55

      If you like that thought, I think you'd like his books as well...also, along the same vein: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Catch 22 and Veronica Decides to Die.

    • @kilgoretrout3966
      @kilgoretrout3966 Před 5 lety +23

      he was right to quote, cuz Kurt was right.

    • @graydonb8957
      @graydonb8957 Před 5 lety +42

      Breakfast of Champions was really good to sums up the craziness of life.....except it started to trigger my mental illness had to keep putting it down....

    • @kilgoretrout3966
      @kilgoretrout3966 Před 5 lety +30

      @@graydonb8957 Even though it has more whimsy, and is probably the most accessible, Breakfast of Champions is no light read, despite the sharpie drawings(Turn around, you just passed Sacred Miracle Cave!)
      As a person with depression myself, i totally get it. i often have to steer clear of things like this when i am mentally vulnerable. Mother Night is my favorite, but 2 weeks of depression generally follow a reading of it.
      Mr. Vonnegut has a gift beyond most any other author....the ability to intertwine the most awful, regrettable part of the story with such deft humor that you laugh, but then it falls away and you realize the humor works to ramp up the sense of tragedy. One of the best examples of that is in the last chapter of Mother Night. Of course all his books contain this. Slaughterhouse Five has it in spades, too.
      Hopefully this wont bring up anything bad for you, but i do feel compelled, given my name, to close this post with:
      Make me Young!

    • @clumsiii
      @clumsiii Před 5 lety +37

      hey tommy - when i was 13 my english teacher gave me "invisible man" by ralph ellison. No one else in the class was reading that. Sometimes we are seen for what we are by elders, they do they're best.

  • @NoOne-nk5fe
    @NoOne-nk5fe Před 5 lety +2448

    *Sometimes CZcams recommends me very good stuff*

    • @marklewis4793
      @marklewis4793 Před 5 lety +13

      ..it's kinda creepy,..but nice.

    • @jasonruka1665
      @jasonruka1665 Před 5 lety +4

      YES!!!

    • @thicc_reap7569
      @thicc_reap7569 Před 5 lety +12

      If you haven't read his books I highly recommend them. His writing has changed my life and way of thinking in many ways

    • @pacopiedad6182
      @pacopiedad6182 Před 5 lety +11

      If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

    • @RankusOs
      @RankusOs Před 5 lety +2

      yeah, the new algoritms are working as a charm, wonder how long it will take them to hep us alter our story and help us see more 'good news' around us, right?

  • @troyjensen8184
    @troyjensen8184 Před 4 lety +536

    "how many of you had a teacher who made you prouder, happier to be alive than you had previously thought possible"
    god, i wish that were me

    • @ratkeller9608
      @ratkeller9608 Před 4 lety +20

      for me it was John Connors a University Professor who was crucial in that pivotal moment that I really saw myself for the first time, as successful and positive.

    • @sibsbubbles
      @sibsbubbles Před 4 lety +16

      ain't that the truth. most of them were so wrapped up in their own egos and just looking for a paycheck that not a single one of them from CU could've even tried bullshitting that if said paycheck depended on it. that's in part why I think higher-ed is pretty fucked among many other reasons. on the outside of higher ed? thankfully I have a best friend who does that along with me more times than I would've ever believed and did it again just last Thursday. And if that isn't nice, then I really don't know what is.

    • @b.bailey8244
      @b.bailey8244 Před 3 lety +15

      life's not over yet, and if you think outside the box of the educational "system," I'll bet you can think of someone in your life who helped you feel that way. College education is not the end-all, be-all.Plenty of people who don't have degrees or even high school diplomas have intellect and critical thinking skills (cabbies, bartenders, janitors often have more critical thinking skills than professors) - plus you yourself have these skills innate in your being. Imagine that!

    • @dbentleyto95
      @dbentleyto95 Před 3 lety +1

      @@b.bailey8244 ❣

    • @ChrisNorburyAuthor
      @ChrisNorburyAuthor Před 3 lety +15

      @@b.bailey8244 However, Vonnegut only said "teacher." Most of us inferred he was referring to someone working at a school with an education degree. To me, a teacher can be anyone who educates you in any way. I agree with you that everyone in the world has the capacity to teach someone else.

  • @vanhohenheim9249
    @vanhohenheim9249 Před 5 lety +249

    he ended up his lecture in a high note just as the stories he described

  • @CaptainBobRockets
    @CaptainBobRockets Před 4 lety +530

    I love this man. His work influenced me throughout my life. His overall point - Don't take anything or anyone too seriously. It's your life, so live it. I was working on a stage adaptation of Breakfast of Champions many years ago and wrote to him to get his permission. He was kind enough to write back to me and signed his letter with his usual hand drawn 'asshole' signature. * I still have and will always treasure that letter!

    • @morpheusdamon348
      @morpheusdamon348 Před 3 lety

      what do you mean by asshole signature

    • @cptnmochi
      @cptnmochi Před 2 lety +5

      @@morpheusdamon348 he used to sign off letters/essays like that.

    • @morpheusdamon348
      @morpheusdamon348 Před 2 lety

      @@cptnmochi ohh thnx

    • @nealalexanderarmstrong4711
      @nealalexanderarmstrong4711 Před 2 lety

      That sounds awesome! Did you do the play?

    • @CaptainBobRockets
      @CaptainBobRockets Před 2 lety +3

      @@nealalexanderarmstrong4711 He explained in the letter that the rights had already been given to someone else. So it never happened. I was just thrilled to have gotten a reply from him! I just noticed your name. Cool. I did get to meet the original Neil Armstrong when I was asked to present an award to him. My dad also worked with Neil at NASA/Dryden when Neil was an X-15 pilot.

  • @Jesse-fk3xc
    @Jesse-fk3xc Před 4 lety +425

    "nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so"

    • @goldeneddie
      @goldeneddie Před 4 lety +5

      Nice quotation from my favourite Shakespearean play 'Hamlet'. A brilliant story!

    • @elfsieben1450
      @elfsieben1450 Před 4 lety +8

      He stole it from Milton's "Paradise Lost", though:
      "The mind is its own place
      And in itself
      Can make a heaven of hell,
      A hell of heaven."

    • @oisingilligan9627
      @oisingilligan9627 Před 4 lety +7

      Elf Sieben Milton was zero years old when Hamlet first premiered. There are certainly similarities but it’s the other way around

    • @Connor-fj5rc
      @Connor-fj5rc Před 4 lety +11

      Elf Sieben Dude, Hamlet was written 58 years BEFORE Paradise Lost. Milton was 0 when Hamlet premiered. Shakespeare didn’t steal anything from Milton. In fact, Milton has said that he was influenced by Shakespeare so that line in Paradise lost is possibly inspired by Hamlet.

    • @JLar-bb5hl
      @JLar-bb5hl Před 3 lety +1

      A famous, but stupid quote, yes.

  • @aerohydra3849
    @aerohydra3849 Před 4 lety +564

    Haha I always wondered whether Kurt Vonnegut was a happy person or not. Its so hard to tell from his books, he's so critical and cynical so much of the time but yet there's sort of crazy optimism and lighthearted humor too. Now I got my answer lol

    • @eastlynburkholder3559
      @eastlynburkholder3559 Před 3 lety +9

      I agree with you.

    • @lochlannturner4086
      @lochlannturner4086 Před 2 lety +85

      I think Kurt Vonnegut is a happy man ultimately. But I think that's so much more potent because he grapples so honestly with how much sadness is in life and the human condition and how he has met it first hand

    • @mr.t6142
      @mr.t6142 Před rokem +4

      Indeed, I've pondered this as well. If you dig Vonnegut, check out Thomas C. Stuhr, 💀❤ He's the world's most underground author.

    • @summercoat
      @summercoat Před rokem +17

      He tried to commit suicide at least once, possibly more, so he was never what you’d call a happy person, as in generally happy. KV surely had happy moments, but also lots of deep abysses of dark depression too.

    • @laurentyler4786
      @laurentyler4786 Před rokem +27

      George Carlin once said that if you scratch a cynic you’ll find a disappointed idealist underneath. Maybe that quote described Vonnegut?

  • @MrAnonymusic
    @MrAnonymusic Před rokem +42

    I like how it's only towards the end of this talk that you realize he was joking about primitive stories being stupid and dead, and that in fact they too are as much a masterpiece as any masterpiece, in that they testify for the paradoxical and confusing nature of life, the mystery that evades the simple minded ideas such as good and bad news

  • @jeffstone2136
    @jeffstone2136 Před 5 lety +463

    Kurt was an unique mind, funny and cutting, but absolutely _human._

  • @bluetoad2668
    @bluetoad2668 Před 2 lety +128

    I attended a lecture by him in about 1991 in London, afterwards I had the honour of meeting him and exchanging a few words, I had read everything he'd published just about. He's the only hero of mine I have ever met.

    • @jonathanperkins69
      @jonathanperkins69 Před 2 lety +11

      This seems like one of those few cases where “Never meet your hero” does not apply.

    • @marcdeckard7064
      @marcdeckard7064 Před rokem +1

      I have never met him but I carry part of him with me in my humor.

  • @NiMz849
    @NiMz849 Před 4 lety +38

    he's so comfortably and effortlessly himself that he couldn't stop the outpour of his knowledge and humor.

  • @hay_bail1
    @hay_bail1 Před 3 lety +34

    The way he cued the music! This felt like a scene from Dead Poets Society and I lived for every moment of it.

  • @eye1726
    @eye1726 Před 5 lety +753

    "she's so heavily made up that her relatives don't recognize her"

    • @faithabern7979
      @faithabern7979 Před 4 lety +1

      Daniel Malikov Don’t you remember the name of the movie? I would be so thankful, if you could share it! 😊

    • @faithabern7979
      @faithabern7979 Před 4 lety +1

      @@DanielMalikov thank you sooo much!

    • @s.j7423
      @s.j7423 Před 3 lety

      @@DanielMalikov thank you :]

    • @juainott5281
      @juainott5281 Před 3 lety

      Instagram type of stuff, sheilas Already got tons of make up yet they dare, have the audacity to use filters. Oh my gawd

  • @johnnyvinchenzo
    @johnnyvinchenzo Před 3 lety +21

    Essential viewing for anyone who has to make a decision, or wants to understand anything...

  • @NP-fh7or
    @NP-fh7or Před rokem +21

    After reading Kurt for many many years since childhood, that felt like watching a Great Uncle give a presentation and based on the feel of the audience, they all felt the same way - a true sign of Kurts reach. That sign off brought a lump to my throat. The master of social dystrophy ending with the most valuable lesson on happiness. And so it goes....RIP to the best!

  • @JerseyMiller
    @JerseyMiller Před 4 lety +50

    I love this man. Have read every single one of his novels and much of his other work. He has both hardened an softened my soul. He is my favorite author.

  • @grayson5812
    @grayson5812 Před 4 lety +89

    "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." RIP Kurt Vonnegut and the heavy role he still plays on my life to this day, and remember: "If you would be unloved and forgotten, be reasonable."

  • @forestsoceansmusic
    @forestsoceansmusic Před 5 lety +318

    Kurt Vonnegut: great man. The greatest describer of the positive possibilities for humanity, and someone who was never scared to challenge sacred cows, not just in Religion, but in 'History' and 'Sociology' too.

  • @Melancholyhills
    @Melancholyhills Před 5 lety +630

    And so it goes.

    • @plasticweapon
      @plasticweapon Před 5 lety +10

      and so on.

    • @kilgoretrout3966
      @kilgoretrout3966 Před 5 lety +9

      and so forth. Listen: i am glad you typed that. :)

    • @TheBadMadPanda
      @TheBadMadPanda Před 4 lety +3

      This slipped into my daily vocab so quickly

    • @sedditguy1836
      @sedditguy1836 Před 4 lety +1

      like the river flows

    • @grayson5812
      @grayson5812 Před 4 lety +3

      Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. RIP Kurt Vonnegut and the heavy role he still plays on my life to this day, and remember: If you would be unloved and forgotten, be reasonable.

  • @Decentralized_Maze
    @Decentralized_Maze Před rokem +15

    I clicked because of the title. I gave Kurt/the video a chance, because he made me laugh in the beginning. I continued watching because of wanting to hear the overall point(s). Then finished the video with amazement that: 1) a nearly 18 minute video was finished before I realized it, 2) its topic, presenter and points were unexpected, 3) ended on a wonderful note (teacher sharing moment), 4) he kept me interested the entire time and smiling, & 5) points valid throughout and presentation memorable.

  • @edmundcolell8530
    @edmundcolell8530 Před 2 lety +136

    "I'm an Creative Writing major, when am I ever going to use trigonometry?"
    Vonnegut: "Here's how you can make stories out of sine and cosine functions."

    • @bldjln3158
      @bldjln3158 Před 2 lety +16

      The idea behind the graph was that it was an irrelevant simplification of the complex, sporadic nature of stories and how a stories are not actually based around an arch in protagonist gratification, but singular and unique ideas that convey a deeper meaning in a specific way.

    • @kemojoaquin
      @kemojoaquin Před 2 lety +8

      My liberal arts education brain: tee hee fun story time look like math wave

    • @monkeycarz
      @monkeycarz Před rokem

      Yeah, I also thought sine and cosine functions, and actually Cinderella and The Metamorphosis are kind of like tangent and cotangent. But a sine or cosine function simply presents position on a unit circle in two different dimensions,...which is just what Vonnegut has done here,...regarding story telling. It would be interesting to try to relate a novel to hyperbolic functions. Maybe it would be a good idea to try to design a novel to do so. Keep in mind the unit circle is x^2 + y^2 =1 while the unit hyperbola is x^2-y^2 = 1. If the classic story relates to the former equation as Vonnegut states, then how will it be different using the latter equation?

  • @leonov1965
    @leonov1965 Před 5 lety +507

    I saw Vonnegut do this in the 1980's at the University of Michigan. I still think about the graph when dealing with life's ups and downs.

    • @johnknox1537
      @johnknox1537 Před 5 lety +9

      Dean! I was there too! And as I watched this I said the same thing. It was in the late 70s!

    • @wmascolin
      @wmascolin Před 5 lety +9

      John Knox small world. Now kiss?

    • @idontgetlaidbut
      @idontgetlaidbut Před 4 lety

      @@wmascolin that would be gay. Nobody wants that.

    • @leonov1965
      @leonov1965 Před 4 lety +6

      @@johnknox1537 Hi John, Thanks for the corrected time period. I see Vonnegut had an anthropology degree, which not only informed this talk but probably the rest of his writing, I'm sure. Hope you are doing well!

    • @ericdfox33
      @ericdfox33 Před 4 lety +11

      I attended the same talk in 1986 as a freshman at Radford University. I skipped classes the rest of the day and read Slaughterhouse Five cover to cover. What a brilliant introduction to genius and freedom. I have enthusiastically told the story of this lecture to many people over the years. Thanks Kurt!

  • @bubbercakes528
    @bubbercakes528 Před 4 lety +19

    What a wonderful person. He is one of the few authors whose works I intentionally did not read back to back so I could lengthen my time with his greatness. He is sorely missed.

  • @xmariner
    @xmariner Před měsícem +1

    I was so lucky to see him do this lecture at Randolph Macon as a High School Class trip in 1983. I am so blessed. and I tell everyone who doesn't care and I think Kurt would approve.

  • @acitizen5186
    @acitizen5186 Před 5 lety +60

    I heard him give this talk at MIT in the mid 1980s. It's nice to be able to hear it again. I remember the same "Beginning and.... Entropy!" joke back then.

  • @mikealexander2005
    @mikealexander2005 Před 2 lety +51

    I think Kurt was the most human any human being has ever been

  • @rachelbhall
    @rachelbhall Před rokem +22

    I love him so much, my personal hero. Every time he speaks, or I read his work, it’s like sitting with an old friend.

  • @johnstuercke3438
    @johnstuercke3438 Před rokem +22

    I went through HS thinking reading was a chore. In college a friend loaned me Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions and the book changed my life.

  • @allwheeldrive
    @allwheeldrive Před rokem +6

    The first time I read him was in high school, more than 45 years ago. It floored me. Vonnegut was one of the most brilliant, aware, honest writers this era. I've read (I think!), now, everything he's written. And I feel a better person for it. Thank you for posting this.

  • @haynescommabrooke
    @haynescommabrooke Před 8 měsíci +4

    I watched this for the first time several years ago before reading any Vonnegut and was stunned and thought I really needed to check his work out. Life got in the way and it took me a minute. Now I rewatched this after finally reading Slaughterhouse Five a month ago, and I loved it even more than ever. Kurt’s writing and essence has really deeply changed my life. What a legend. RIP to one of the greatest minds ever (“as far as we know”, he might say) ❤️

  • @canadianhappyinitalytruest6556

    This balance of irritation and genius and generosity of intellect is amazing. He was an Amazing communicator

  • @itomba
    @itomba Před 5 lety +273

    Our modern day Mark Twain! Forgot how much they even look alike.

    • @valdeezycleaver
      @valdeezycleaver Před 5 lety +11

      Holy shit. You're right.

    • @eddyfree33
      @eddyfree33 Před 4 lety +35

      Quite possibly Vonnegut is Twain reincarnated. If you entertain such concepts. For your consideration; Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) died in 1910, and Vonnegut was born in 1922. Both born in November and died in April, following a flyby of Halley’s Comet. Vonnegut and Twain were both from the midwest, Indiana, and Missouri, respectively. They were both heavy smokers. Both were fascinated by science and technology and wrote about time travel with Vonnegut's most notable being Slaughterhouse 5. Twain wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. Each was a master of satire and subtle pun. Each writer gave us a story centered around the earth equator, Galapagos and Following the Equator. Both were ardent anti-imperialists. Twain becoming so in later life. They both suffered from depression and lived many of their final years in Manhattan, New York.

    • @erestube
      @erestube Před 4 lety +6

      @@eddyfree33 That comment is as good as the video!

    • @eddyfree33
      @eddyfree33 Před 4 lety +11

      erestube thank you for those kind words. I had the honor and pleasure of attending one of Mr.Vonneguts crash courses at Rutgers. If ever i become unstuck in time, I wish to return to that classroom for an extended lesson.

    • @dismith73
      @dismith73 Před 4 lety +1

      @@eddyfree33 Thank you for this interesting information :)

  • @craigramsay53
    @craigramsay53 Před 5 lety +79

    My hero, favourite author, and subject of my Honours English thesis more than a few years ago. RIP Kurt.

    • @rodkvic9513
      @rodkvic9513 Před 5 lety +2

      Just watching this now didn't know he passed... so sorry 😓

    • @modernchampionmusic81
      @modernchampionmusic81 Před 5 lety +1

      Me too except it was a high school English paper comparing Evelyn Waughs Men at Arms and Vonneguts Slaughterhouse 5

    • @jx14aby
      @jx14aby Před 5 lety +1

      And he ghost wrote papers for Thornton Melon at Grand Lakes University.

    • @benjammin6692
      @benjammin6692 Před 5 lety +1

      Where to begin?

  • @kbarnes6108
    @kbarnes6108 Před 3 lety +120

    I play this for my 9th grade ELA students as they prepare to start their narrative unit. His humor makes them realize that they have nothing to fear.

    • @noahhertzman7999
      @noahhertzman7999 Před rokem +1

      That's great but the denigration of Native American stories by a famous author is not something that High Schoolers need to hear. I hope you at least criticize that part of the lecture in front of them.

    • @so-tz8lp
      @so-tz8lp Před rokem +1

      @@noahhertzman7999 lmao

    • @o.steinman3855
      @o.steinman3855 Před rokem +2

      @@noahhertzman7999 He says Shakespeare was just as bad about five minutes later. I don’t think he was being serious lol

  • @vantrickpaughney3830
    @vantrickpaughney3830 Před 4 lety +112

    "Why is she so low? Well her mother's died."
    *malicious grin*

  • @eanayac
    @eanayac Před 3 lety +100

    07:15 Best Kafka’s Metamorphosis review I’ve ever seen!!!

  • @takieddineferrag8950
    @takieddineferrag8950 Před 4 lety +151

    what a genius, kurt vonnegut has come unstuck in time

  • @marchodgkinson
    @marchodgkinson Před rokem +4

    Saw this lecture in Stratford, Ontario in 1994. I was riveted and remember it well. Laughed at every joke and still teach this story structure to my students to this day.

  • @StonyRC
    @StonyRC Před 5 lety +28

    What a wise Man. His chuckles as he faces the chalkboard and recounts each story are PRICELESS and finishing with the "shape" of Hamlet brings his entire point to a wonderful conclusion.

  • @cyfertau1975
    @cyfertau1975 Před 5 lety +72

    "If this isnt nice, i dont know what is." I just had this moment after watching this video. Thank you for upload!

  • @lisagreen-cudek9735
    @lisagreen-cudek9735 Před rokem +34

    He left us with laughter and wisdom and then Vonnegut danced off the stage!

  • @jameseenacoene7680
    @jameseenacoene7680 Před 2 lety +5

    I was a teacher. I hope to God that one of my students raised a hand. I had two high school and one elementary , and one junior high teacher that made me love Science and English.

  • @chiralhead7577
    @chiralhead7577 Před 4 lety +9

    i have many teachers who makes me feel more alive,happier than i was earlier and you are now one of them too

  • @cate1657
    @cate1657 Před 5 lety +20

    This is a man who knows about real power. What a treat to get to see him after reading so many of his novels in the late-Sixties. Thank you, Eva Collins Alonso, for posting this.

  • @PoppyB2011
    @PoppyB2011 Před 3 lety +6

    I miss him so much. I believe that the day he died (I wept) that the human condition changed. People started moving opposite of the way they once were, writers, men, people, like him started to die out with him. It was a sad end of an era. It has only become worse since. He was a beautifully raw and honest man. He is terribly missed. Everyone needs to read him.

  • @RollingOrmond
    @RollingOrmond Před 5 lety +41

    Met Vonnegut outside the Will Rogers Follies in 1991 with my dad. He got to tell him his favorite novel of his was Player Piano.

  • @MadCITYprods
    @MadCITYprods Před 5 lety +21

    Reading his stories in middle school were very memorable, Harrison Bergeron was such a cool story. Even as a little kid you could appreciate how deep that story was.

    • @glammer
      @glammer Před 5 lety +3

      My first was Cat's Cradle. I gave it to a friend and we became big fans. I recently gave it to my friend's son. It's our wampeter.

    • @FaCiSmFTW
      @FaCiSmFTW Před 5 lety +1

      that story slaps

  • @glenmchargue5461
    @glenmchargue5461 Před rokem +1

    Mr. John Van Niel and Marty Dodge. You helped me realize that learning/education can be woven into the fabric of your life. It isn't just an outside obligation needed to ascend the next ladder rung. And it can be really wonderful and not just an ego crushing burden. I don't currently work in "my field" and I'm definitely not financially well off but I wouldn't trade my education for anything. Thanks to all of the teachers that communicate more than what is just in the syllabus.

  • @deeliciousplum
    @deeliciousplum Před 4 dny

    Priceless Vonnegut. Loved his writing in my early reading years. Then, loved his talks in my latter years. A gem. 🌸

  • @cerclesvicieux
    @cerclesvicieux Před 5 lety +56

    I really love & appreciate this post. It was invaluable to me while I was majoring in literature & creative writing in college and is invaluable to me even now.

    • @notthedroidyourelookingfor8056
      @notthedroidyourelookingfor8056 Před 5 lety +2

      I'm thinking of pursuing a similar major and i'm curious, where has your major led you to now??

    • @m1xedp1ckle
      @m1xedp1ckle Před 4 lety

      I'm studying slaughterhouse 5 now. Super interesting

    • @TheGoldenCapstone
      @TheGoldenCapstone Před 4 lety

      @@notthedroidyourelookingfor8056 mine led to marketing copywriting and user experience writing for websites.

  • @adandap
    @adandap Před 5 lety +26

    "Nothing's good or bad but thinking makes it so."

    • @chicawhappa
      @chicawhappa Před 5 lety +1

      so true

    • @alfjones6377
      @alfjones6377 Před 4 lety

      So if i slapped you, unprovoked..

    • @alfjones6377
      @alfjones6377 Před 4 lety

      How will you judge that action?

    • @chicawhappa
      @chicawhappa Před 4 lety +1

      @@alfjones6377 that you're a madman? Lol 😊 social contract and lame jokes apart, I can totally choose to feel nothing but remove myself away from you physically, or laugh at your madness; or feel pity and compassion for the same, or get affronted and feed my ego "how dare he, or get in rage and hit you back. 😊 all my choice how I think and feel about an external event 😊

    • @Ruby-eq1qg
      @Ruby-eq1qg Před 3 lety

      @@alfjones6377 If he's a masochist he'll thank you for it

  • @StonyRC
    @StonyRC Před 4 lety +2

    I've watched this over and over and over and I NEVER tire of Kurt Vonnegut's wit and wisdom - his chuckles at his own comments are particularly funny. What an astonishing lecture!

  • @brookespears2266
    @brookespears2266 Před rokem +3

    I love this guy. His writing is just next level. It changed my whole way of thinking and seeing the world

  • @schmitzfrance
    @schmitzfrance Před 5 lety +139

    that was a pleasant little gem! Thanks uploader!

  • @BASEDBOARD
    @BASEDBOARD Před 5 lety +2095

    4:11 is the funniest joke he told. "missionaries, ethnographers, and other types of imperialists."

    • @BASEDBOARD
      @BASEDBOARD Před 5 lety +61

      funny and insightful i should say

    • @RogerBarraud
      @RogerBarraud Před 5 lety +1

      Maybe...

    • @jonesmike53
      @jonesmike53 Před 5 lety +12

      Adro Gman it IS ! Typical Vonnegut magic, sly, wise, funny and disposably whimsical.

    • @user-te7cy3zz2n
      @user-te7cy3zz2n Před 5 lety +71

      unfortunately no one in the audience got this one

    • @biofori
      @biofori Před 5 lety +12

      @@user-te7cy3zz2n apparently we did;)

  • @robertrishel3685
    @robertrishel3685 Před 5 lety +35

    I love Vonnegut...the first serious book I read as a child was Breakfast of Champions which was a real eye opener for a 10 year old boy.

  • @panther105
    @panther105 Před 5 lety +12

    You don't get the label of genius by your adoring public and peers for no reason... Thank you for saving this for us.....

  • @lutingh
    @lutingh Před 5 lety +25

    how can someone be so wise and charming!

  • @mortalclown3812
    @mortalclown3812 Před rokem +5

    Dude brings the holy without a drop of hubris.
    What an utterly delightful human. Basing some of that on his remarks about loving animals.
    Thanks for the upload.

  • @1980alsful
    @1980alsful Před 5 lety +16

    Profound, funny, educational and beautiful. This needs to be watched by everyone. I'm not sure we deserved him, but we can certainly learn much from him.

  • @jameswaters3939
    @jameswaters3939 Před rokem +1

    I saw this lecture on his tour. How the Nobel committee didn't award him the award in literature is, to me, content for a story. He did receive much acclaim, rightfully so, but remained humble and hilarious. He is my favorite author of the modern era. Jersy Kozcsinski was very gifted also.

  • @DennisMoore664
    @DennisMoore664 Před 5 lety +102

    There are some great minds and talents out there, but do we have anyone like this now that he's gone? Not an easily replaced individual, this one.

    • @captainkev10
      @captainkev10 Před 5 lety +1

      Yes. Her name is E.L. James.

    • @DennisMoore664
      @DennisMoore664 Před 5 lety +7

      @@captainkev10 If you are referring to the E.L. James who wrote the 50 shades series than I just don't... I mean... what?

    • @chrissirhc7337
      @chrissirhc7337 Před 5 lety +6

      @Tom Upton bwahahahaha . funniest thing ive heard all week

    • @rickrobertbob
      @rickrobertbob Před 5 lety +2

      Why do you want the same thing over again?

    • @cannabiscupjudge
      @cannabiscupjudge Před 5 lety +20

      We don't replace great individuals, we either build on their achievements or ignore them.

  • @MrBLAA
    @MrBLAA Před rokem +3

    What a wonderful man; what a wonderful presentation.
    I find myself usually leaving only negative comments (on video)… because that “good ones”, I never feel to mention their _goodness_
    This was a good video.
    And, if this isn’t happiness, I don’t know what is🤙

  • @williamburgis3207
    @williamburgis3207 Před rokem +1

    My favorite author....My plan to send him a letter got stuck in the planning phase. When i learned he had himself become an undifferentiated whisp of nothingness i cried. Thank you for posting this.

  • @cmclaren7
    @cmclaren7 Před rokem +1

    Developing a habit of noticing the good things in our lives is something every parent needs to teach their children and it needs to be reinforced in schools. What made you happy today? What will make you happy tomorrow? It's important.

  • @SeanvanDoornum
    @SeanvanDoornum Před rokem +3

    That was great. I love his last point. Good teachers are such an invaluable thing in this world. In my opinion, if you're not actively engaged in and passionate about the thing that you're teaching then it's just a job. And if it's just a job then you're robbing someone of the joy of curiosity in life. I have been a Music teacher for a good part of my life. And to see the curiosity and wonder on a student's face, and to feel the electricity that discovering the magic of creativity brings is worth more than anything money can buy. And the good news is ... we are ALL teachers! In one way or another.

  • @gasparedori4445
    @gasparedori4445 Před rokem +3

    He is so brilliant and joyful, so full of love and respect for life... and with such a sense of humour!

  • @dianacrow7509
    @dianacrow7509 Před rokem +1

    Absolutely adorable! 🙏 simplicity is elegance in eloquence...such a way with words.

  • @mountain62
    @mountain62 Před 4 lety +4

    Saw him do this in person while at Virginia Tech in 1984. I was inspired and it left a lifelong memory - loved his humor and wisdom. The Kafka trajectory always makes me laugh.

  • @keepitclassyxoxo5049
    @keepitclassyxoxo5049 Před 3 lety +3

    I did so much research on Vonnegut this past semester and learned so much about him and his works, particularly Cat’s Cradle. His logic and satirical commentary is like no other when it comes to literature. As seen here is a very funny and wise man, it would’ve been nice to meet in him person.

  • @jackester6742
    @jackester6742 Před rokem +4

    Kurt Vonnegut was a rare treasure of a human.

  • @Hot4Thot
    @Hot4Thot Před měsícem +1

    This man was a POW in WW2 and subsiquently lived through The Bombing of Dresden, one of The Allies greatest crimes during the war. He went on to teach writing, made a career out of short stories, then novels, and raised a family which included children he adopted.
    I'd love to have met him, so it goes

  • @alexkagman
    @alexkagman Před 5 lety +16

    From all the Kilgore Trouts in the world, Thank you Mr. Vonnegut, it's been an honor and a pleasure. Rest In Peace.

  • @3D6Space
    @3D6Space Před 4 lety +4

    I never get tired of this story about the shape of stories.

  • @louisnguyen6610
    @louisnguyen6610 Před 3 lety +27

    3:06 “oh BOY, this is my lucky day! --- shit..”

  • @fstopPhotography
    @fstopPhotography Před rokem

    Since I wasn't in the room at the time he asked about a teacher that made me happier to be alive and made history a very real part of my life.
    That teacher is Mr Macky. Harrison High School, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1979-80. American History, "How The West Was Won."
    Thank you Mr Macky, you changed my life. Truly.

  • @unclepatrick2
    @unclepatrick2 Před 4 lety +5

    Was lucky enough to hear Vonnegut speak once and he included this routine in his speech. When he told the audience that Shakespeare was a poor storyteller, the whole room laugh for about 5 minutes.

  • @mindbuddha2340
    @mindbuddha2340 Před 5 lety +9

    This was beautiful. Like a voice from up above guiding the mortals.

  • @08pixiedust
    @08pixiedust Před rokem +3

    He would definitely be an answer to one of those imaginary dinner party guest questions. I just love him and his writing.

  • @jolujo5842
    @jolujo5842 Před rokem +1

    Mr. Vonnegut is/was a genious .
    I give him thanks for giving me food for thought and helping me develope my perspective.

  • @cheunky
    @cheunky Před 20 dny

    This brought me to the most confusing, beautiful place I frequently visit. A place warm enough to smile, cold enough to cry. “If this isn’t nice, i dont know what is.”

  • @alexanderm3269
    @alexanderm3269 Před 5 lety +17

    He was brilliant!

  • @Valentinlerena
    @Valentinlerena Před 2 lety +3

    Un maestro. Un regalo para el alma!

  • @marcvega9954
    @marcvega9954 Před rokem +1

    absolute gems here

  • @versetripn6631
    @versetripn6631 Před rokem

    Stopped here after rewatching 'Back to School'.
    This event was held on my Bday.
    I just uttered the name "Frank Meuers"...to myself.
    Half of my 6th Grade year was in his Homeroom class.
    2/3 of that time I spent alienating myself as I'd done in four other schools.
    Something about Self-Esteem.
    I still don't possess this ability.
    For one small moment after running side-by side with Mr M to open a Track and Field relay of students vs Teachers, just one moment...my peers didn't dislike me.
    I didn't dislike myself, nor them, or even Mr M.
    His legs moved, making my legs MOVE.
    The rest of that day is a fogbank.
    37 years later, I can now say that day was a good one!
    Thank you Frank!

  • @rahnumaahmad9711
    @rahnumaahmad9711 Před 5 lety +37

    I didn't understand all of it but it was nice listening to him. :)

  • @JoaoSantos-lv4rc
    @JoaoSantos-lv4rc Před 5 lety +4

    this whole talk, but that ending especially, made my day. Thank you for sharing.

  • @Kamamura2
    @Kamamura2 Před 4 lety +2

    One of the most gifted writers of our times. RIP, mister V., you always had my admiration!

  • @kiskakuznetsova503
    @kiskakuznetsova503 Před rokem +1

    Thank you for posting this!