Chapter 10: A Final Look

     I am grateful that this book was assigned for AP Lang summer work. I was able to take many thoughts away from the story as well as a few unanswered questions. Overall I really liked the book. It was the first book I have ever read where it continuously switches time, going from 1948 to 1922 and back. Kurt Vonnegut is a genius writer to me and Billy Pilgrim is an inspirational character. Before this story I had never heard of the fire-bombing of Dresden, or Kurt Vonnegut who may be my new favorite writer. He subtly incorporated a large range of literary techniques that provided vivid and stunning details. Slaughterhouse Five is a unique book with a few important lessons: life is too close to death; war is destructive; free will is not free; life is ironic; and death is not the end. So it goes.

Chapter 10: Dead Metaphor

"But the the bodies rotted and liquified, and the stink was like roses and mustard gas."

     Vonnegut repeatedly used the metaphor of "roses and mustard gas" throughout his story. This dead metaphor compared breath, dead corpses, and other things to mustard gas and roses. The bodies after the bombing began to smell as well as Vonnegut's breath when he was drunk. This comparison related smells to something that was deadly and horrific as well as something that was romantic, fancy, and fragrant. This contradiction of smell was able to nurture the idea that the smell was bad, but familiar in a sense. Vonnegut creatively used this dead metaphor to relate parts of his story together.

Chapter 9: Corruption of Society

     In chapter 9 when Billy traveled to New York City I realized how realistically Vonnegut described society. The corruption in the bookstore was disturbing. Most books focused on money, sex, drugs, or alcohol, and people discriminating Billy for selecting a book that was sci-fi. This corruption exists in the real world today, with money and substances ruling people's lives. Vonnegut added characteristics of the real world to emphasize how realistic his story was, minus the aliens and time travel. 

Chapter 9: Quatrain

"The cattle are lowing,

The Baby awakes.

But the little Lord Jesus

No crying he makes."

   Once I read the quote above everything started to make sense. I remember this quatrain from the beginning of the book. Vonnegut had used this piece from a song to relate to Billy. "No crying he makes," related to Billy Pilgrim, because he rarely cried no matter how harsh the conditions were. Vonnegut directly stated that this quatrain was the epigraph of the entire book. Relating much of the story to this carol, Vonnegut was able to create a character that thousands of people could relate to Christ.

Chapter 8:Enemy of Friend??

     As I read the section in chapter 8 following the bombing, I was disturbed by the line that describes an American fighter plane attempting to shoot down American refugees. The reason why they attempted to kill them is because they were not dressed as American soldiers. This helped me realize how horrible wars are. The only things keeping fellow soldiers from killing one another are identical uniforms, their home country, and familiar places. Without these they would brutally kill each other. Even though war is inevitable today, maybe one day war won't exist and there will be peace in the world.

Chapter 8: Mood

"There was candlelight. There were fires in three fireplaces downstairs. There were empty tables and chairs waiting for anyone who might come, and empty beds with covers turned down upstairs."

     The scene of the inn in chapter 8 creates a warm mood of anticipation. After the bombing of Dresden, two innkeepers open for business, hoping that refugees would come. Vonnegut creates this warm feeling to show that the Americans are closer to returning home. The warm feeling brings comfort to the prisoners, who were fed well and provided rest in the stable. The blind innkeeper told the Americans goodnight and sleep well, even though the Americans were prisoners of war. The comfort of the " fires in three fireplaces downstairs" gave me a warm feeling and a vivid image of crackling fires in the wintertime.

Chapter 7: Time and Feelings

     Billy Pilgrim became unstuck in time. This was the reason he could travel into the past or the future, and every event in his life was set on an unchangeable track. The result of knowing what was to come created a depressing mood. Billy never attempted to prevent events in the future because they had always happened and will happen. This phenomenon that Billy experienced made me realize how important time is to humans. Without knowing the future we can expect new things and live in a state of anticipation for the future. The way time works is unknown to humans and that is what keeps us from becoming unstuck in time, always waiting to see what comes next.