The Defense-- I agree with Yuemin for I also believe that Vonnegut did not project the message that he agrees or disagrees with his German ancestry. He did not explicitly convey the message that they are aggressive or calm, but he did present both sides! He stated how the Germans responded to prisoners who tried to escape, and also how they behaved to the Englishmen who were pleasant and optimistic for they made the war look stylish and exciting. They provided the extra ration they got by accident to the prisoners, and also the fact that they provided shelter for their enemies displays a lot about their character (Yuemin's post). I love how she found two examples which clearly emphasizes his vague voice about his opinion about his men. Again, Vonnegut laid out the truth with details so that we can make the guesses and interpret the message!! What do you think after reading this? DO you agree with war or disagree? Why? These are I think the questions what Vonnegut wanted us to answer............
The Difference-- When looking back at the two major novels we have analyzed this year, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell both sheds light on the unpleasant aspect of the humans; the unbecoming of man, the greed, the obsession for power, the decline in morality, the extreme punishments employed and so on. All these aspects take pessimistic approach to life leaving no hope for the humanity to learn and evolve. A shut window with no space for opening.
On the other hand, Slaughterhouse-Five, completely changed that aspect, even though we were bombarded with the incapabilities of Billy, we are later told a universal truth which should be interpreted and applied that events are bound to happen, and that we can only try so much to avoid it.. the inevitability of the moment..Billy survives the war and goes through education again to bloom as a wealthy optometrist . Sometimes I wonder, Vonnegut planned so that his inevitable death is not the last thing read for he hated planned endings and wanted hope for we begin with the end....As Billy made mistakes, we learned from it, we cried along with him, and survived along with him and for this I thank Vonnegut for making me grow along with Billy, and I hope to learn more if the accident will........
Billy in the Trailer (Nancy)- I agree and disagree at the same time. I think the actor was the right for he was weak and immature, unsure and apprehensive of every move he takes. He displayed that air of uncertainty which Billy always displayed; when he was captured by the Germans, when he was about to be killed if it wasn't for Weary!! The actor did portray that in my opinion! If you think about it, the movie is not pleasant for a reason, there is nothing to be excited about a massacre, the confused state of mind with the warping could have been done better for we have to consider that it was produced in the absence of advanced technology.....The transitions and the warps could have been better portrayed, and the music does have an impact for it communicates the sense of hope which Vonnegut wanted to convey to the future............
By: Parvathy
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
In response to Puja's Parvathy and the Tralfamadorians
I am doing this topic solely to avenge my dear friend, Puja.. As we all know, she is a shy bird who is very capable of flying in the open like a majestic eagle but she keeps to herself. I have always wondered why aren't there any remarkable women directors as we are all used to James Cameron, well I believe that Puja is the next one....
Back to the context of the novel, I compare Puja to Edgar Derby. Derby is wise and proactive, he is the ideal soldier. A poor teacher, he has sworn to live an idealistic and healthy life even in the midst of war. He appreciates the encouragement provided by Howard. Campbell, and constantly remembers his family he left behind. He is the ideal father and soldier for he fought so that he could return, do his country men justice and make his family happy....He worked hard to achieve this, he would work alongside Billy even though young, Billy was weak and mediocre to do the tasks....
Similarly, my fellow classmate Puja is dependable and a genius who conforms to herself, a blooming flower within if let outside would prosper into a wonderful orchid. She like Derby is very realistic and optimistic, a very mature character for she understands and offers advice in the midst of hurdles and other difficulties..
Billy, even though it was not mentioned, feels as if compared Derby to a role model, for he even was selected as a leader before they marched to Dresden...If I am Billy, Puja is Derby...We were Mutt and Jeff in real life.. For I would not be able to excel without her wonderful idealistic and artistic approach.. I would like to work with her again, if the accident will..............
By:Parvathy
Back to the context of the novel, I compare Puja to Edgar Derby. Derby is wise and proactive, he is the ideal soldier. A poor teacher, he has sworn to live an idealistic and healthy life even in the midst of war. He appreciates the encouragement provided by Howard. Campbell, and constantly remembers his family he left behind. He is the ideal father and soldier for he fought so that he could return, do his country men justice and make his family happy....He worked hard to achieve this, he would work alongside Billy even though young, Billy was weak and mediocre to do the tasks....
Similarly, my fellow classmate Puja is dependable and a genius who conforms to herself, a blooming flower within if let outside would prosper into a wonderful orchid. She like Derby is very realistic and optimistic, a very mature character for she understands and offers advice in the midst of hurdles and other difficulties..
Billy, even though it was not mentioned, feels as if compared Derby to a role model, for he even was selected as a leader before they marched to Dresden...If I am Billy, Puja is Derby...We were Mutt and Jeff in real life.. For I would not be able to excel without her wonderful idealistic and artistic approach.. I would like to work with her again, if the accident will..............
By:Parvathy
Parvathy and the Tralfamadorians
I decided to write a post about how the Tralfamadorians relate to my dear friend Parvathy who I have been working on this blogging assignment with. Parvathy, as we all know is very intelligent and so are the Tralfamadorians. They know everything, (not to say Parvathy knows everything, but she knows a lot of things) and they are the great explainers, and so is Parvathy whenever I need some clarification, the #1 person to go to, (after the teacher) for me is Parvathy, especially in Math or Physics. Let's get a little side tracked from the novel. Parvathy and I also share a very historical relationship. Paravathy stands for mother Parvathy is the goddess of love and puja (or pooja) means to worship. Meaning, I worship Parvathy, which could be taken in many different ways. Now getting back to the point, Parvathy and the Tralfamadorians are very intelligent, knowledgeable people who are also very good explainers, and as the Tralfamadorians say "the moment is structured that way" so is this final blog post of mine.
Slaughter House 5 Quiz By: Puja and Parvathy
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As my last post I decided to post a quiz on the novel. Again I created it and embedded it to Blogger, but you have to go to the site, I don't know why, maybe due to stats, but it was Parvathy's ideas which I created questions out of.
So it goes...By: Puja and Parvathy
I decided to make a game as well. I created it, put it together and embedded it to Blogger, but it was Parvathy's concept of what to make the game about.
Response [Recurring Theme..By: Parvathy]
I agree with Parvathy that the text is really hard to understand as a first time reader, as I have already mentioned before. As Parvathy has mentioned, there is a framed prayer on the wall of his office that packs all the themes in the novel, which states:
In my view, what Vonnegut is trying to express through this poem, is that Billy is special in a way that he cannot do anything but help to do what he is going through and to give the idea that he is different and perceives the world in a completley different manner and wants them to understand that there is such a thing as travelling through time,Tralfamadore and the Tralfamadorians. And, yes I agree with Parvathy we have to accept the way things just are. As the Tralfamadorians say it, "the moment is structured that way".
We all learn from somethine we did wrong in the past and then we try to avoid the same mistake and try to better. Paravthy mentioned that when Billy went to war he was immature and unequipped but he still survived and grew off of that life changing experience. An example that I am going to share is you bake some cookies, you got everything prepared but as a youngster, especially when mamma is out of the country and your father and grandpa tell you that Baking Soda and Magic Baking Powder is the same thing, and you trust them, all that hard work of yours is gone down the drain because those cookies are going to come out flat and hard. So, in the end, I learned two things: 1. Don't trust a father that doesn't cook
2. Don't give up becuase you alway's learn
from your mistakes
By: Puja
GOD GRANT ME
THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT
THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
COURAGE
TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,
AND WISDOM ALWAYS
TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE.
We all learn from somethine we did wrong in the past and then we try to avoid the same mistake and try to better. Paravthy mentioned that when Billy went to war he was immature and unequipped but he still survived and grew off of that life changing experience. An example that I am going to share is you bake some cookies, you got everything prepared but as a youngster, especially when mamma is out of the country and your father and grandpa tell you that Baking Soda and Magic Baking Powder is the same thing, and you trust them, all that hard work of yours is gone down the drain because those cookies are going to come out flat and hard. So, in the end, I learned two things: 1. Don't trust a father that doesn't cook
2. Don't give up becuase you alway's learn
from your mistakes
By: Puja
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Recurring theme..
Well, throughout the novel, w are introduced to different aspects of Billy Pilgrim, his mind becoming spastic in time, the hurdles which he resolved, his view on the inevitability of the moment and so on.. For a first time reader, the irrational narrative presents a decent problem for it is very difficult to comprehend the text from all sides..
We see a framed prayer on his office wall which sums up all the relevant themes present in the novel. It mentions:
We see a framed prayer on his office wall which sums up all the relevant themes present in the novel. It mentions:
GOD GRANT ME
THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT
THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
COURAGE
TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,
AND WISDOM ALWAYS
TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE.
In my opinion, this quote is essentially what Vonnegut wanted to convey through this masterpiece. In my opinion, he did not explicitly project the message that it is for or against war, but we can be certain that he had a realistic approach to this idea. Through this passage, I think he communicates the view that moments happen as it is, and since we are just humans, its easier to accept the things which we cannot change but to try and make an effort for the ones we can..Billy Pilgrim fought the battle with his means, was not brave enough to stand up for others who were tortured but he did survive the war, he learned and grew from the experience.
Vonnegut emphasizes the reasoning capacity which differentiates the wise and virtuous men from the pessimistic and terrible. It is this reasoning capacity which should be developed. Whether this action is wrong or right? If this principle of being proactive and reasonable is employed when dealing with wars and conflicts. If one thinks of the consequence first before acting, it is very likely that a rethinking might happen? In the novel, we see Billy seeing the movie of the war, images of the American planes, full of holes and wounded men and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England. If this image of the destruction that occurs after the war is imagined, well then one should be less likely to perform the action..
By:Parvathy
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