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.

Chapter 7:Irony

"He stuck the lollipop into poor old derby's gaping mouth. A moment passed, and then Derby burst into tears."

     At the end of chapter 7, the final scene is confusing on the surface. Vonnegut uses irony to bring out Derby's inner feelings. As Billy,"...stuck the lollipop into poor old Derby's gaping mouth," he burst into tears, pouring from several emotions. Derby had to carry a great deal, being the leader of the Americans, along with depression, sadness, hunger, and hope. That single lollipop created a feeling of joy for Derby. He may have thought of his freedom in his childhood, using the lollipop as a connection between then and the past. The irony in this scene is that a full grown man is crying after receiving candy commonly associated with small children.

Chapter 6: A Glimpse of Heaven

     The prisoners, aboard a train, were struck with awe when the boxcar's doors opened, revealing the beautiful city of Dresden. This made me think of seeing heaven for the first time. Even though they were prisoners of war, arriving in the city changed the mood to wonder and awe. The architecture amazed them, as well as the impressing size of the city. This part of the chapter gave me the image of being in heaven for the first time. I saw in my head great buildings glowing a soft, warm gold, with elaborate carvings covering the stone. People in flowing cream colored clothes walked the streets, and they knew I was new because of amazed I looked. This image was created by this small portion of the chapter. Sadly, as revealed by Billy, Dresden would not remain "heavenly", as it would be bombed in less than a month.

Chapter 6: Verbal Irony

" Next to Lazzaro was the poor old high school teacher, Edgar Derby, mournfully pregnant with patriotism and middle age and imaginary wisdom."

     As the soldiers began to parade through Dresden to their new temporary home, they looked around in awe of the architecture. Billy Pilgrim and Edgar Derby led the parade, with Edgar," mournfully pregnant with patriotism and middle age and imaginary wisdom." Recently elected as leader of the American prisoners, Edgar attempted to act more patriotic and wise in order to support his fellow countrymen through their struggles. Vonnegut shows that Derby dreaded being burdened with patriotism and imaginary wisdom. He was selected because of his age, which wisdom is commonly associated with. Vonnegut uses this verbal irony to compare the hardships and effort required to sustain important qualities of being a leader to pregnancy.

Chapter 5: Self Acceptance

     Billy Pilgrim's attitude towards his mental state is an example of self acceptance. After the war Billy admits himself to a non-violent ward for veterans because he realizes he is going crazy. He stays at the hospital voluntarily, and is often visited by his wife and fiancee. Self acceptance is important because it allows one to know himself and be happy with who they are. Billy is believed to be insane by others for his outrageous abduction tales. Whatever the cause for his insanity, Billy accepts what is happening and what is still to come. His self acceptance is the key to his existence and greatly impacts his relations with other characters in the story.

Chapter 5: Implied Metaphor

"If I'd known I was fighting a chicken, I wouldn't have fought so hard."

     Vonnegut added flare to his writing with implied metaphors. While Billy was in the hospital at the prison camp, Paul Lazzaro was injured in a fight with an Englishmen. Paul started the fight when he attempted to steal cigarettes. The Englishmen said,"If I'd know I was fighting a chicken, I wouldn't have fought so hard," because Lazzaro was malnourished, fairly thin, and weak. Many of the American prisoners fit the term "chicken" because of the harsh war. Vonnegut created the idea of a scrawny and aggressive prisoner by using chicken to describe his physical appearance.

Chapter 4: Tralfamadorians + Germans

     In chapter 4 Vonnegut begins to elaborate on Billy Pilgrim's encounter with the Tralfamadorians and Germans. Striking similarities are revealed between experiences with each. Both the Tralfamadorians and the Germans take Billy's clothes. Billy asked few questions in return for fewer answers from both parties. The Tralfamadorians put Billy in a zoo with other humans, while the Germans locked him in a prison. Billy's experiences with the Tralfamadorians and the Germans are unbelievably similar, creating a storyline that is slightly repetitive and distinctly different. Vonnegut's intentional connection between the two creates separate stories that are woven together by their similarities, and  are recognized by their distinct differences.

Chapter 4: Simile

"With the help of fear and echoes and winter silences, that dog had a voice like a big bronze gong."

     In chapter 4 Vonnegut uses the characteristics of the setting to his advantage. He uses similes throughout his writing to improve the image the reader receives. Comparing the dog's bark to "a big bronze gong" gives the reader the idea of a loud bark that echoes across the cold barren landscape of winter. Utilizing the power of similes, Vonnegut created a vibrant and interactive story for the reader and emphasizes the power, qualities, and different aspects of objects in his writing.

Chapter 3: Monk

     Throughout chapter 3 I kept noticing aspects of Billy Pilgrim's attitude that resembled those of a monk. He was usually quiet, which automatically caught my attention as a connection since many monks take vows of silence. Other qualities of Billy that were similar to  monks were his abilities to listen, observe, and share. These were all the obvious qualities of Billy that made him appear to be a monk. Two other qualities took a little more thinking. One was that he fasted, though involuntary, he survived with small quantities of food. The final quality was when he would become unstuck in time. As Billy moved through time it seemed like he was meditating. All of these qualities described Billy and his actions, making him more monk-like every page.

Chapter 3: Personification

"Flashlight beams danced crazily"

        Vonnegut describes the scene where Billy Pilgrim is captured by the Germans in chapter 3. As Billy and other captured Americans marched towards the interior of Germany," flashlight beams danced crazily." Personification is commonly seen throughout SH5. Vonnegut creates a fun and engaging experience by using personification in his writing. The thought of dancing flashlight beams creates an image where beams of light are randomly shooting back and forth across the sky.

Chapter 2: Torture

     Throughout chapter 2, Vonnegut frequently mentions different torture techniques and devices. Many were ancient or from medieval times, such as the iron maiden (pictured above), or modern weapons, such as the 57-millimeter antitank gun, knifes, and tanks. Vonnegut's references to these gruesome methods and items may be included to help the reader more easily understand the pain and gore associated with war. With the help of his unique style of describing objects, Vonnegut was able to create vivid images of what these weapons and torture devices looked like.

Chapter 2: Imagery

"The letter said that they were two feet high, and green, and shaped like plumber's friends. Their suction cups were on the ground and their shafts, which were extremely flexible, usually pointed to the sky. At the top of each shaft was a little hand with a green eye in its palm."

     Throughout chapter 2 Vonnegut vividly describes several characters and places. His creative description of a Tralfamadorian creates an image easily understood by most readers. Comparing the Tralfamadorian to a "...plumber's friend," he automatically presents the reader with an image. As he elaborates on the specifics of these creatures the reader is able to imagine them with,"Their suction cups on the ground and their shafts, which were extremely flexible, pointing to the sky." With a basic shape Vonnegut adds details such as a hand imbedded with an eye on top as well as the creature being green. Vonnegut elaborates on the forest in Germany as well as Billy Pilgrim, the two scouts, and Weary in the same way, presenting the reader with familiar object, gradually adding finer details. This simple way of creating vivid images introduces the reader to the characters and settings, easily allowing them to become submerged in the world of Vonnegut.

Chapter 1: A Little more German in a Dresden story

   

  Reading through the chapter I recognized that the large German passage was written by one of the most intelligent German scholars in the world, Goethe. His input on such a horrific event summarized the brutal destruction that Dresden experienced. Roughly translated, Goethe said,” From the dome of the Frauenkirche (a famous Lutheran church), I saw the wretched debris between the beautiful city and the land. I praised the builder, the art of the builder, and the church dome which had always seemed bombproof. The good sacristan showed me the ruins all around and said laconically: An enemy hath done!” This statement from Goethe provides a simple insight on the severity of the destruction. Vonnegut created a unique approach to the writing of his account on Dresden by incorporating the statement of another witness. Goethe’s passage helps the reader better understand Vonnegut’s cold and almost depressing attitiude towards the events that occured in Dresden. (PHOTOS: Frauenkirche before and after)

Chapter 1: Motif

" And what do the birds say? All there is to say about a massacre, things like "Poo-tee- weet?"

     Vonnegut continuously repeats saying such as ," My name is Yon Yonson, I work in Wisconsin..." and "There was a man from Stamboul..." to remind the reader that he views the Dresden part of his memory as useless. Unable to recall large portions of the raids, including major events, Vonnegut repeats one of these phrases occasionally to affirm to fact that he struggles with recalling thoughts and events from the war. "Things like 'Poo-tee-weet'" were added by Vonnegut to add an interesting, yet subtle twist. Vonnegut used "Poo-tee-weet " to relate himself to birds after a massacre. Vonnegut uses this motif to compare himself to birds, having nothing to say or remember about horrific events. Motifs used throughout chapter 1 creatively interlace Vonnegut's feelings in different scenes with his original reason for including them in his writing: his difficulty with recalling the war in Dresden. Poo-tee-weet!