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!