" 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.
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