A Long Way Gone, ' Slaughterhouse Five, And ' Novel Without A Name

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five demonstrates the importance of perspective. It challenges some of the most important human ideas that unite us and shape the human perspective, and presents an alternate world that is equally true. In addition, it achieves that status as the “greatest anti-war book of all time” by demonstrating the missing pieces in our view of war.

Humanity relentlessly finds a reason to tear itself apart. The slaughter of man is read about almost daily and one never typically thinks twice about it; however, when the lackluster conditions of others’ lives throughout time is conveyed via a novel or movie, we are forced to delve into the lives of those who fought tirelessly for their beliefs – even if “their beliefs” are actually society’s beliefs and are not correlated to their own. Prime exemplum of soldiers fighting for differing causes, such as an attempt to save the sliver of humanity remaining in them, is demonstrated in Erich Maria Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front through Paul Bäumer in the film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier: Stalingrad by Lieutenant Hans von Witzland. While both protagonists suffer brutal warfare and die in the end of their works, their attempts to transcend the dehumanization of war may be one of the few reasons that the characters survive as long as they do.

Slaughter House-Five is obviously an anti-war book, but there's more to it than that. Vonnegut believes that the human trait of looking back can make us aware of our problems (such as war) and, hopefully, be able to fix them in the future.

The Great War is much like the great irony. Nationalistic ideals has consumed the humanity of individuals and blinded them from the truth. Governments used propagandas, and more to persuade young and naïve soldiers to enlist in the war. In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque, illustrates the life of a soldier, Paul. He and his fellow comrades have to face the horrors of the war. For the soldiers that survive, they are not only physically destroyed but mentally as well. War World One is not justifiable because of the damages, and losses of lives it has created. The war ended approximately 90 years ago. Yet, still in today’s society, people are still going to war. The Great War has killed numerous lives, and put many at stake.

Throughout time humanity has relentlessly found a reason to tear itself apart. The slaughter of man is read about almost every day and one never thinks twice about it; however, when the lackluster conditions of others’ lives throughout time is conveyed via a novel or movie, we are forced to delve into the lives of those who fought tirelessly for their beliefs – even if “their beliefs” are not correlated to their own. Prime exemplum of soldiers fighting for differing causes is and attempting to save the sliver of humanity remaining is demonstrated by Paul Bäumer in “All Quiet on the Western Front,” by Erich Maria Remarque and Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in Stalingrad. While both protagonists die in the end of their works and suffer brutal warfare, their attempts to transcend the dehumanization of war may be one of the few reasons that the characters survived as long as they did.

War is a tragic experience that can motivate people to do many things. Many people have been inspired to write stories, poems, or songs about war. Many of these examples tend to reflect feelings against war. Kurt Vonnegut is no different and his experience with war inspired him to write a series of novels starting with Slaughter-House Five. It is a unique novel expressing Vonnegut's feelings about war. These strong feeling can be seen in the similarities between characters, information about the Tralfamadorians, dark humor, and the structure of the novel.

This quote is from the author of the book and it is said too many times to go unnoticed. Not only is it said on the second page but it is said every few pages or paragraphs throughout the entire book. The author uses this quote after he explains a story so it does not turn into a long and boring ordeal which becomes confusing after a period of time. He uses the quote to end the story in a way so we can only decipher the important details and leave out the rest of the irrelevent information. It is a smart way to end a story; however; the repetition in which the author says this quote is used extensively which makes it unique to his own writing style.

The narrative examines a vast variety of topics that address the human condition. Nonetheless, the aspects of war, destiny, and humanity are the nucleus of the message transmitted. Foremost, the book in itself is an exploration of the tragedy that comes with war. The prospect of a “fairy tale” ending violently eradicated as warfare increases exponentially around the characters during the finalizing chapters. After being captured by the Allied army, Werner deliriously wonders

Throughout the novel Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut we focus on three motifs/themes to define whether or not it is an anti-war novel. Through the anti-war illusion of free will theme and the “so it goes” motif we are able to make clear assumptions. The illusion of free will, “so it goes” and the presence of the narrator and gruesome images of war throughout the play defy Vonnegut’s idea that “writing an anti-war novel is the same as writing an anti-glacier novel” clearly stating that he is not writing against war. We further question the authorial intentions due to the fact the Vonnegut portrays both science

He dropped out of college, witnessed the bombing of Dresden, was captured by the Nazis, took in his niece after his sister died from cancer and her husband from a train accident. Yet all of this became the product of the bestselling book Slaughterhouse Five. Recognized for Vonnegut’s reaction to World War Two and humanity’s capability for destruction, he never could have written it without having to witness the war and acknowledged what he had seen. Vonnegut needed to have the push to motivate him to write his book and change the world. From reality to the world of fiction, adversity makes people stronger.

“War is hell” goes the commonly used phrase. While conducted with a purpose in mind, many believe war to bring nothing but violence and death. In the history of mankind and combat, men have committed many abominable acts against one another as a means to an end. The bombing of Dresden, Germany, one of these loathsome deeds, while seldom mentioned and not widely known, remains one of the deadliest air raids in history. Just as in all largely fatal events, the survivors reflect upon the unbearable guilt and emotions they have experienced. Billy Pilgrim, the main protagonist In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five, serves as Vonnegut’s vehicle to communicate his feelings and contemplations as a survivor. Throughout the story, Pilgrim, or the reader encounters an animal that Vonnegut uses to convey the range of emotions and incidents that humans are subject to as a result of war.

Kurt Vonnegut was a man of disjointed ideas, as is expressed through the eccentric protagonists that dominate his works. Part cynic and part genius, Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliance as a satirist derives from the deranged nature of the atrocities he had witnessed in his life. The reason Vonnegut’s satire is so popular and works so well is because Vonnegut had personal ties to all the elements that he lambasted in his works. Vonnegut’s experience as a soldier in WWII during firebombing of Dresden corrupted his mind and enabled him to express the chaotic reality of war, violence, obsession, sex and government in a raw and personal manner. Through three works specifically, “Welcome to the Monkey House,” “Harrison Bergeron,” and Slaughterhouse-five,

Kurt Vonnegut was an American author who published a variety of works including novels, short stories, plays, and a few works of non-fiction. Kurt Vonnegut explains how war and the experiences that come with it can cause suffering to the minds of people that it affects. In his novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses his novel to focus on his anti-war stance by showcasing humanity 's suffering due to war. Vonnegut reveals this suffering through Billy Pilgrim 's experience with the bombing of Dresden, his development of schizophrenia, and his time-traveling experiences with the Tralfamadorians.

Through his creative use of Satire, Kurt Vonnegut showes his readers that war causes a disconnect from reality. The first chapter of Slaughterhouse Five is entirely about Kurt Vonnegut. Told as a semi-Autobiography, Vonnegut details many important events in his life and how they correlate with his novel. Vonnegut enlisted into the United States Army and served in World War II.

In Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five, he has a way of not only revealing truth but hiding it as well. Many view this novel as an anti-war book and with that one could infer that the main truth he would wish to reveal is the sadness, horror and truth of war. However, there are other smaller truths one come to uncover as they read on. This book becomes an analysis by one, and reading is when they analyze his words how they want. Here is how I see his truths, whether being revealed or hidden through symbols, characters or even events.