How Is Catch 22 Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Aldridge, John W. "THE LOONY HORROR OF IT ALL- 'CATCH-22 ' TURNS 25." The New York Times ON THE WEB. 26 Oct. 1986. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .

Aldridge’s essential claim in this article is that even 25 years after publication, Catch 22 has remained relevant and ubiquitous due to its many revelations that come only after reading. One of Aldridge’s main points in this article is that while Catch-22 is known for its satire, it ultimately ends with a realization of the terror war encompasses. Aldridge makes such an eloquent statement that sums his exclamation up, “as the comedy is finally neutralized by the weightier force of terror and death, the fateful ubiquity of Catch-22 finally eclipses all demands for logic and sanity”. Aldridge ends his article discussing how after 25 years, Catch-22 is a novel that reminds us how much we not only take for granted, but also the madness

Dickstein’s main focus in the article is how even after 50 years since Catch-22’s creation, we have not escaped the novel’s message. Dickstein repeatedly calls attention to the cynicism and madness presented in the novel and how it has and continues to impact the world. Dickstein uses the prototypical college undergraduate, selfish soldiers, and even American presidents all as examples of cynicism. Dickstein specifically uses John F. Kennedy’s famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” as his main example. Dickstein eloquently sums his claims up towards the end of his article when he states, “But subsequent history from Vietnam to Watergate, from Nixon’s lies to Bush’s wars, dimmed youthful idealism, stoked disenchantment, and turned peaceful protest into cynicism and rage. Kennedy had a vision; Catch-22 had legs. The state of the world conspired to keep it in play.” In conclusion, Dickstein’s claims are well supported and extremely thorough, which lends this article to be exceedingly useful and