Blog Topic #5: Personal Review

I really enjoyed this book! Not only did I take pleasure in reading the humor that Joseph Heller used in the dialogue between characters found on basically every other page in this novel, I also enjoyed the themes of paranoia, war, and the corruption of bureaucracies as well as the ethical aspects of the story. Arguably, the most interesting parts of the novel were supported by Heller’s witty humor and his ability to criticize his society deliberately through the fictional story of another man. However, the real attention-grabbing elements of the novel were created with the constant attack on the rules that organizations make for self-centered people who make them.

            Somewhat contrary to my overall appraisal of the book, Catch-22 certainly had its frustrating moments. Many times throughout the novel, I found myself re-reading and interpreting Heller’s words. I found that a lot of his foolish rants were specifically crafted to be paradoxical and clever vehicles to facilitate the author’s attack on the political issues of the period. These interpretations demanded a larger amount of effort when reading, but it was most likely a personal reading issue.

Blog Topic #4: Text Connections

The literature in Catch-22 strikes a peculiar similarity to that of Breakfast of Champions, another one of my most favored novels. Although Kurt Vonneguts’s novel jumps from 3^rd person to 1^st person omniscient, the style of humor and satirical moments mimic those found in Joseph Heller’s.  However similar their humor may be, the real comparison can be found between their characters and their society. Both texts offer detailed descriptions of characters and allow the audience to make their own assumptions. The authors spend a great deal of effort creating humorous passages that both serve the purpose of comparing characters to the values in society. For example: Both Yossarian  from Catch-22 and Dwayne Hoover from Breakfast of Champions represent mentally unstable individuals who struggle to get over the past. Both experience death and it haunts them. Both undergo serious mental instability and cowardice.  In Yossario’s situation, he must run away in order to escape his corrupt society. In Dwayne’s case, he has been corrupted by his environment and goes completely crazy near the end of the novel. The two authors offer an insight to the effects of society on an individual within their pieces and use the same styles of writing to do so.

Blog Topic #3: Syntax

Joseph Heller puts a heavy emphasis on the syntax in Catch 22. The reader will notice parallel structure in sentences such as…

"Justice?" The Colonel was astounded. "What is justice?"

"Justice, sir –"

(and also…)

"Old?" asked Clevinger with surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Old.

The lack of elaboration on much of the dialogue in his novel allows Heller to stipulate the readers own inference.  For example:

“Years.”

“Years?”

“Years,” said Dunbar. “Years, years, years.””

The dialoague tends to stay pretty terse throughout the novel. However, this gives Heller an opportunity to set the style of his text and express tone in a unique way that keeps the reader interested. A major purpose that is prevalent throughout Joseph Heller's text is his goal of getting the audience to make inference on the various topics of war, honor and corruption throughout the story. And I think that he achieves his purpose because of the common uses of repetiton and patterns of syntax that make the novel unique, keep the tone of story uniform, and accuarately express Heller's purpose.

Blog Topic #2: Diction

Low Diction:

- Yossarian? Who the hell is Yossarian? What the hell kind of a name is Yossarian, anyway? (125)

- "You pompous, rotund, neighborly, vacuous, complacent..." (156)

Formal Diction:

- “And looking very superior, he tossed down on the table a photostatic copy of a piece of V mail in which everything but the salutation ‘Dear Mary’ had been blocked out and on which the censoring officer had written, “I yearn for you tragically…’” (393).

- “…snickered triumphantly” (125).

There is a combination of different types of diction present in Catch 22. When characters speak, Joseph Heller uses low and informal diction to express tone. However, when narrating the story, Heller switches his diction to a more formal and powerful tone. This is important in setting the tone in the book because it aids the reader in understanding what is meant to be humorous and what is not, as well as interpret the tone expressed by the characters speaking.

Blog #1: Rhetorical Strategies

Repetition: "Who promoted Major Major? Who promoted Major Major?" (96)

& also “Major Major Major Major” (82)

Alliteration: "Me and Major Major" (97), "Whine, whimper, wheedle" (73)

Character Name Alliteration Also: “Colonel Cathcart”, “Milo Minderbinder”, “Doctor Daneeka”

Irony: "The people who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was." (66)

Anophora: "’They're trying to kill me,’ Yossarian told him calmly.

‘No one's trying to kill you,’ Clevinger cried.

‘Then why are they shooting at me?’ Yossarian asked.

‘They're shooting at everyone,’ Clevinger answered.  ‘They're trying to kill everyone.’”

Irony/Repetition: "Of course they're crazy…I just told you they're crazy didn't I? And you can't let crazy people decide whether you're crazy or not can you?"

Analogy: "It certainly is not your leg! ...That leg belongs to the US government. It's no different than a gear or a bedpan. The army has invested a lot of money to make you an airplane pilot, and you've no right to disobey the doctor's orders." (207)

Cliché:  “It was love at first sight.” (7)

Onomatopeia: "'Oooooooooooooooooh', Dunbar moaned..." (226).

Joseph Heller utilizes many of the capabilities of rhetorical strategies to develop his style in Catch 22.  These commonly used devices are instrumental in his work, since he is best known for writing passages that contain satirical, humorous, and harsh styles, and tone. Through the use of repetition, Heller can express stress on important topics in his novel. Frequently throughout the text, an important concept is highlighted by the use of  frequent repetition. Another commonly used strategy is found on practically every page as well: Irony, which is mostly utilized in the verbal type of device. Again, this strategy helps Heller keep the reader interested and indicate when there is a key idea that should be interpreted. Overall, the rhetorical strategies that Heller includes in his text help establish his comical and satirical style and strengthen the power of his work.