This section is basically split into four sections by blue asterisks. In traditional Vonnegut style, the prose is quick and the action shifts quickly. The first section is a conglomeration of thoughts and ideas, with a seemingly new one almost every paragraph. First, Vonnegut makes the statement that he considers anyone unworthy, who hasn't read "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," by Ambrose Bierce (in Vonnegut's opinion, the greatest American short story) or "Democracy in America," by Alexis de Tocqueville.
Vonnegut lists a couple paragraphs more of examples, before wrapping up his lists by pointing out how every single great piece of literature was about how much of a bummer it is to be a human being. He follows this with a paragraph on how evolution can go.....
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