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How Does Vonnegut Use Irony In Slaughterhouse Five

Decent Essays

Ask a child how they would describe a soldier, they would describe them as brave, strong, and just, but unknown to these children. These valiant heroes of justice are at a ripe old age of eighteen. The media portrays soldiers in a way to make them seem like they are stoic and strong fighters that are the servants of Mother Liberty. In Vonnegut’s book, Slaughterhouse-Five, he conveys a message through the experiences of Billy Pilgrim and his pilgrimage around time and space, with the masterful use of diction and irony.Vonnegut’s message is that war is a horrific place not properly described by the media and not meant for the wrongly portrayed soldiers. First, the diction that Vonnegut uses to supports his message of the horrors of war. Many …show more content…

While in the factory the soldiers would spoon syrup, however it is revealed that the syrup was not regular syrup in this quote, “the syrup was for pregnant women” (158). This is ironic because this is the exact opposite from what a perfect soldier as seen in the media would eat. Therefore this portrays soldiers not as brave and strong people like the media portrays them to be, but as people that just want to survive. Also pregnant women are usually people that are safeguarded so that they can give birth properly while the soldiers in the factory are being shielded from the horrors of war inside Dresden. This shows that soldiers are fragile and need to be protected, opposing the media’s views. It is also ironic because they consume food that the safeguarded and weak usually consume. This contradicts the media’s views in soldiers needing a “man’s meal” with nutrients and protein. Another way Vonnegut uses irony to show that soldiers aren’t what they seem to be is the quote: “he stuck a lollipop into poor old Derby’s gaping mouth. A moment passed and then Derby burst into tears” (159). This shows that Derby, a soldier that was sent to fight, is crying from a lollipop. This behavior is shown in younger kids, not a soldier. This also shows that soldiers are capable of emotion, unlike in the media where soldiers are stone faced even when a friend dies. In contrast with the media a simple gesture of kindness in

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