Wrinting Assignment #7 - Comparison Piece: Billy Pilgrim (and Tralfamadorians) vs. Angie Sayers

Here is an inspirational piece that caught my eye. It just made me appreciate everything in my life so much more. I'd also like to compare this piece with SH5.

http://downloads.chickensoup.com/file/CSS_Angie_Sayers.pdf

Briefly, Angie Sayers is a terminal cancer patient who blogs about her daily events. Her optimistic view on life is incredibly admirable. Despite her disease, she is a supporter of the notion of moving forward. In fact, she even created a list of 10 ways to do so. These steps not only pertain to cancer patients, but also to the general public. I know that it has definitely has made a profound effect on me. In the midst of the grade 11 stress and craziness, I think we can all take something away from her guide. For me, I will strive to follow rule # 9: Focus on the Good Things. A lot of tough challenges were thrown at me this year and there were times when I felt like giving up. Thank you, Angie, for helping me put things back into perspective. Stay strong! Anyways... I DIGRESS... majorly.

So back to my comparison:

1. The biggest difference between Vonnegut and Angie is that Angie has an optimistic tone in her writing. For example, she describes that her new medication "Thalidomide doesn't seem to have too many side effects on [her], except for some general weariness along with a couple of dizzy spells... [I]n comparison to the chemotherapy treatments that [she] began with (high dose Cisplatin to name one), these side effects are definitely minor and manageable." The girl is undergoing chemotherapy, yet she still has such a positive outlook on life! In contrast, Vonnegut writes with a resigned, defeatist attitude. Phrases like "so it goes" are indications of this tone.
2. Both Angie and Billy accept their lives as they are. While Angie is trying to make the best of hers, Billy does nothing. A prime example is his waiting for death, as I've mentioned in the previous post.
3. Billy and the Tralfamadorians believe that time is stationary. Unalterable. They think that every detail in one's life, from birth to death, is predetermined. Billy tries to convince others of his belief by speaking on a radio show and writing news articles. In contrast, Angie knows from her disease that time is precious. Like Billy, she shows others how to make the best out of it by sharing her guide to live happily.
4. Lastly, time travel exists in Billy and the Tralfamadorians' world but obviously does not in Angie's.