Jailbird

Jordan, James; Vonnegut, Kurt

doi:10.2307/4638277

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This concern for the poor is an enduring theme in in his "Preface" to Jailbird (1979) where he informs the reader what sense he makes of the Sermon; he summarizes it as, The prediction by Jesus Christ that the poor in spirit would receive the Kingdom of Heaven; that all who mourned would be comforted; that the meek would inherit the Earth; that those who hungered for righteousness would find it; that the merciful would be treated mercifully; that the pure in heart would see God; that the peacemakers would be called the sons of God; that those who were persecuted for righteousness' sake would also receive the Kingdom of Heaven; and on and on. (Vonnegut, 1979)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Love and Charity: A Biblical Humanistic Study of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You Mr. Rosewater

Herbert¹,

Frederick²

2022

WJEL

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This paper attempts to see how Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater offers biblical humanism as an antidote to the self-centred attitude that plagues human society. Here Vonnegut is suggesting that a combination of the biblical tenets of charity and love together is the hope for the future. While humanism emphasised individualism, the Gospels insists on individual acts of charity and love. So, a biblical humanism demonstrated through individualised acts of love and charity can counteract the sufferings caused by greed-driven selfish behaviours that are responsible for most of the private and social ills. Vonnegut in this novel through two opposite characters Eliot Rosewater and Norman Mushari demonstrates how love and greed are always antithetical to each other and how the former needs to prevail. Here Vonnegut covertly and at times, explicitly seeks to underpin this theme with the help of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%