Arbitrary thoughts

Its funny how anti war this book really is, its written about privates which is the lowest form of a solider. They don't choose to be there they are forced to be in battle, it also focuses on prisoners of war, people kept captive. The villains in this book are the characters who love the art of killing, who romanticizes it.
Its quite arbitrary that right after we read Night we stumble across this book, however this book is written from the complete and other side of everything. Night focuses on a young Jewish boy, and this book is focused on an American soldier, the Americans where fighting for the jews (and all of Europe) but you couldn't imaging someone so different. However reading this book sparks a lot of different ideas which then solidify to be a pretty identical to meaning that Night had. Its funny how similar I find these books. Maybe Vonnegut wanted to show the struggle it had emotionally on Billy, and how that struggle was very similar, to the one Ellie had emotionally and physically.

Leaving something behind

In the book I see a few small different things, it seems as if each character is already given a script and follows that script, their is not a lot of free will, free determination, I see each character cast by Billy. The Tralfamadorians tell Billy that the thought of free will is one earthlings don't understand. Does that encourage Billy to break free from the norm, after all he was told he must go to war, he was drafted meaning he had no choice, no option to say no. The world told him what to do, he never had a chance to fight back. In my opinion Billy uses his new knowledge to fight against pain and age and suffering. This information is something Billy needed to insure that he is a little different from everyone else? Maybe he is a little "out of this world."

Maybe Vonnegut wanted us to challenge the norms in life after reading this book, he obviously is a very humorous writer who can change our opinion of life in a very dramatic way. He writes and talks with a lot of humor, and maybe this is just him telling us to do something in his unique funny little way. I'm not really sure how to conclude this thought I guess, like Vonnegut I just want to leave a little something away with you readers something you can think about and maybe act on.

The Children's Crusade

The book Slaughterhouse Five has two names, the second of which being The Children's Crusade. This is shown on the second physical page of the book. I think the second title makes a lot more sense than the first, because I think it can be interpreted in many different ways. The most obvious way I can think of is that World War Two was a child's crusade in many ways. It was fought by many young people, and a lot of them ended up dying. The only actual reference to the Children's Crusade in the book that I can remember is when the colonel on page 106 says "My God, my God… it's the Children's Crusade," after seeing the youth of his soldiers. Do you guys think there are any other deeper meanings behind the title? Why did Vonnegut have multiple titles for the book?

An Atonement for Sin

In chapter 9, I noticed a biblical reference that made me look at my knowledge of Christianity through a completely different lens. Kilgore Trout's perception of religion is fascinatingly unorthodox.

One of Trout's novel tells about a man who travels back in time in order to meet Jesus. He finds himself in the wood shop owned by Jesus and his father. The story says that, "Two Roman soldiers came into the shop with a mechanical drawing on papyrus of a device they wanted built by sunrise the next morning. It was a cross to be used in the execution of a rabble-rouser" (202).

According to the Bible, Jesus was executed on a cross by Roman soldiers, so the irony of the situation does not go unnoticed. If Jesus was as kind and benevolent as he is represented in the Bible, then he would have refused to build such an evil object. However, he seems glad to have the business, and gets to work. Why does Vonnegut choose to represent Jesus so differently from the way he is known in the present to the general population?

The Aftermath of Greed

While reading chapter 8, I came across a situation described in one of Kilgore Trout's scientific fiction books. His novel describes a tree of a very unusual nature.

"It had twenty-dollar bills for leaves. Its flowers were government bonds. Its fruit was diamonds. It attracted human beings who killed each other around the roots and made very good fertilizer. So it goes" (167).

Not only is this tree a dream for every man and woman thirsty for wealth, its value is extremely dangerous. I can only imagine the horrible events that would take place if a tree of this kind existed on Earth. Billy describes the gruesome scene taking place at the base of the tree; materialistic humans fighting each other to the death for nothing but money. The blood and decomposed bodies of greedy people is absorbed gratefully by the tree's roots. I was intrigued by the idea of human gluttony directly benefiting the Earth. The fictional money tree actually thrives on the violence of humans.

Did Vonnegut intentionally give us the hint that the bad habits of humans will somehow have positive consequences? Is this theme present in any other places in nature?

Poo-tee-weet

As we all know, the book ends with a bird telling Billy Pilgrim "Poo-tee-weet?" (215). I wondered what the significance of that simple phrase was. At first, I didn't think it had any meaning, but the more I read the book, the more I wondered how it fit in with all of the violence.

Poo-tee-weet seems so innocent, especially coming from some bird who can't even talk. The question mark at the end tells me that the bird is actually asking Billy a question, perhaps about war. That brings me back to the beginning of the book when the author told us "...there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre...Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds" (19).

The whole book was jumbled and didn't make much sense, which I see as a metaphor for war. Those who have experienced war have a hard time talking about it, probably because of how dark it was, so there isn't much one can say. Maybe the bird is a symbol for what those soldiers can say; not much. Or that it wouldn't matter, because no one can understand what it was like, much like the bird's phrase. What do you think Poo-tee-weet suggests? Is it just something to fill the void outside after the war is over, or is there a deeper meaning the author is trying to imply?

Billy's Epitaph

In chapter 5, Valencia is pressing Billy to tell  her about the war. She let him know that she was proud he was a solider, even though it was an awful experience. A person can't let go of all of the death they saw, and for some, they never got over the nightmares.

However, Billy came across a truth that alarmed him. The epitaph would read "Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt" (122). He thought it would make a good fit for when his time comes. What do you think the meaning of it is?

The author used a whole page, perhaps to make this point stand out to the readers. I see it as serenity. Maybe it will be on Billy's tombstone after he dies. He will no longer have to see pain and death, and hear the screams of soldiers around him. When he dies, nothing will hurt anymore, and the war might be over; all is beautiful now...

The Pain of Being Alone

When Billy spoke about his interpretation of the Gospel, I was fascinated by his perception of its morals. The most obvious lesson in the New Testament, according to Billy, is one that most of us would never have thought about.

"Before you kill somebody, make absolutely sure he isn't well connected" (109).

This claim could be referring to an event in the New Testament, where Jesus was killed. Jesus was very well connected, and all of the people he knew and who knew of him were devastated when he was killed. Billy may see death as an act of pity, so that the connection-less person will cease to feel the pain of being alone. If an unconnected person dies, less people will mourn and feel sadness, so the "connections" of the person in question are also spared.

Billy's perspective is very ironic, because he himself is not very well connected. He has a terrible lack of friends, and many of those have deserted him or been killed. His father is dead and he doesn't have any genuine connections to his mother or his fiance. Do someone's connections dictate whether or not they should be killed? If so, could Billy be implying that he wishes he were dead?

A Universe Unconfined

At the end of Chapter 4, when Billy has been abducted by aliens, we uncover a foreign perspective: that of an alien who has spent his entire existence studying the planet Earth from afar. In one such instance, a Tralfamadorian tells Billy how well traveled he is. "I've visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will" (86).

The alien's observation caught my attention because I, living on Earth, have always taken free will for granted. As people on Earth we cannot be completely free with our actions. We must be aware of the potential consequences.  However, the idea that we are the only planet known to the Tralfamadorians to have free will is a depressing one. Those who don't have free will must be constantly controlled by another force, as if they are machines with remote controls. I wonder if those who do not have free ever wish for it, or if they even know what it is. If one had never had free will, would they be any less happy than those who have it? If they had never experienced it, would they ever wish for it?

Vulnerability

In chapter 3 Billy looks into the commanders boots to see Adam and Eve, in my interpretation of this, I see something quite unordinary. Billy is very vulnerable in the state he is in, everything he does he questions, he is not a fighter but he lives surrounded by people who fight. "Next to the Golden boots were a pair of feet which were swaddled in rags." (pg. 54)
Alone the feet are very vulnerable, alone without the protection of anything guarding them, alone Billy, Adam and Eve and even the feet are very easily disturbed. Adam and Eve stay in the garden of Eden because its easy to be safe, nothing will attack them or hurt them, so they think. But no one can stay out of the ever pressing thought of harm. Sometimes you have to go into the night, you have to be vulnerable, vulnerability can only be apparent if their is harm in your way, you have to take off your boots, so to say, and run towards the night, with bloody feet ready to fight, because next to something that is holy and protected, their is always something that can hurt you or get hurt itself. Billy walks towards danger with a slight tremble, in order to stay strong he needs to have that tremble, but he should never back away, he faces the tremble, induced with fear full on and keeps on pushing. Is Billy vulnerable in the state he is in, or does he have what it takes to be a fighter?

Escaping life

Through out the book so far, and especially in chapter two, I have notice the constant term in which time travel seems almost as if Billy is escaping his thoughts he lives with. The quote "Billy is spastic in time, he has no control over where he is going next, the trips aren't necessarily fun." Really seemed to stick with me because its telling us, these "episodes" (for lack of a better word) are almost an escape goat for his real life problems.
             He leaves the normality of life to find something more, he has seen so many thing, so many terrible things that he strives to find something real, something worth living for, time travel is where and how he reaches a sustainable scene full of chaotic and crazy adventures, in my opinion its where he feels comfortable, where he feels like he is at home. Going someplace new is a metaphor for leaving where he does not feel comfortable. The aliens and the unique scenes he described is the result of a vivid imagination. A vivid thought of where his mind should be. Take this as an example, when I am doing something that needs my complete and utter focus, anything that could possibly be a distraction turns out to be one. Billy's imagination is ruined by the distraction of everyday life, with everything that he does throughout his life being a distraction for what really matters, and thats what is in his brain. Is Billy fearful of whats in the future, whats around the corner, or what he has seen in the past?

So it Goes

There seems to be a pretty clear pattern in the story whenever someone dies, or when it's describing the death of someone. The same line "so it goes" appears everytime.

In chapter 5, when Billy was with the Tralfamadorians, one of the guides mentioned that they know how the universe ends. "'We blow it up, experimenting with new fuels for our flying saucers. A Tralfamadorian test pilot presses a starter button, and the whole Universe disappears.' So it goes" (117).

The Tralfamadorian claims that there is nothing they can do about it, because he always presses the button, and they'll always let him. It's how the moment is structered. So I was wondering if they're living in the past, or have they visited the future to know how it ends? They also inform Billy that the 'Earthlings' should learn to ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones. But how does one achieve that when there is a huge war going on with so many people dying? The Tralfamadorians don't have to deal with the war, but Billy does.

Jerry: The Man Responsible for All Misfortune

Chapter 5 gives us a peek into the lives of some well-off British prisoners in Germany during the war. They are nourished, optimistic and eager to share with the American soldiers, but very ignorant as far as their knowledge of the outside world.

A British man thinks that Billy's child-sized coat is ridiculous and unfair, calling it "...a deliberate attempt to humiliate you. You mustn't let Jerry do things like that" (98). 'Jerry' is the name that the British use to refer affectionately to the Germans.

Millions of people were cruelly generalized by Hitler and his subordinates, but hearing that practice be reversed is just as troubling. Perhaps those who use the term 'Jerry' are not fully aware of the damage that has been caused by 'him', or maybe they just take their safety and freedom for granted.

The man giving advice to Billy seems to think that he is a small and vulnerable child, which is not an unfamiliar feeling for Billy. However, the British, who have been given sufficient food and well-fitting clothing, have barely experienced the horrors of the war going on around them. They assume that obtaining a larger coat is as simple as asking for one. Why would the British believe that self-advocacy is the answer to all the other prisoners' problems? Are they extremely trusting, or completely oblivious?

Time Travel

As I was reading chapter 3, I came across this quote: "Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future" (60).

Since Billy 'time travels', wouldn't that mean that he CAN, in fact, change the past, present, or future in some way? Throughout the book, it's clear that he can time travel. He can travel to different sections of his life, and relive those moments. Because of this "ability" to go to different periods of his life, I can't help but wonder if Billy going back in time will change the past and the present. Or maybe towards the end of the book, it will all catch up to him.

Obedience of Those With No Other Choice

The dehumanization of soldiers in Chapter 4 shows us that mankind can be separated and united, and each is mighty in its own way.

When Billy Pilgrim and his comrades arrived at their destination, the German soldiers "peeked inside Billy's car owlishly, cooed calmingly. They had never dealt with Americans before, but they...knew that it was essentially a liquid which could be induced to flow slowly toward cooing and night" (80).

Comparing the prisoners to a liquid made them seem vulnerable. Metaphorically, they could be swayed and moved like liquid by the German soldiers, unable to resist. Humans are tiny, insignificant water droplets by themselves. In large numbers, however, they form rivers and oceans and can be extremely powerful. The passage made Americans sound like inanimate objects, or small children who didn't know anything about the world around them. What was the intention of the soldiers and their calming noises?

Example Posts - Meets and Exceeds

The following are two posts that may serve as models for your own. These posts use The Grapes of Wrath as the considered text, but the requirements are the same. The first is an example of a post that MEETS the standard; the second is an example that EXCEEDS the standard.

Meets:

It became apparent in chapter 5 that the narrative of the Joad family is only one perspective of the struggles people faced in the 1930s. The use of racial slurs and culturally insensitive language reminds us that the Joads, although they are a poor family lacking many basic resources, they do have the privilege of being white. The use of the word "nigger" and the highly insensitive way of speaking about Native Americans remind us that whiteness was a privilege that could elevate the status of even the most desperate farmer.

I wonder how this theme of race and culture will continue to develop over the course of the novel. What will the presence of race and racism continue to teach us about the social fabric of the U.S. in the '30s?

Exceeds:

The description of the land in Chapter 5 tells us a lot about the tensions arising out of the industrialization of farming. The physical connection to the land is broken, and this seems to lead to a bigger gap that transcends the physical.

In chapter 5, we learn that the tractor driver "could not see the land as it was, he could not smell the land as it smelled; his feet did not stamp the clods or feel the warmth and power of the earth...Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses" (35, 36).

Humans are being replaced by machines, and these machines will never love and appreciate the land (and what the land provides) as much as the humans who farmed it with their own hands. I am curious to see how this theme continues to play out in the novel - will the divide between the human and the machine continue to grow, and will it cause the farmers' struggle to become increasingly bitter and devastating?

Notes:

• Please consider your grammar and spelling. These posts should be thoughtful and well-crafted. 
• As you can see, the posts need not be long. A few sentences, or a small paragraph or two is sufficient. Remember - quality over quantity! 
• Please title your post purposefully - your title should help give a heads-up about the content of your post.