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
Jumbled or Jambled?
As hard as it, when reading SlaughterHouse Five, most of us were confused at first as to what is going on and slowly, most of us got used to the storyline and started to understand what was happening, because like what the heck at first most of us were lost. Now coming to the point, yes a visual of what SlaughterHouse Five is about is very helpful becuase the effects that are done in the editing process makes it easier to visualize the storyline rather than confuse the audience. But if it was performed on stage, the viewers would be like "what on Earth is happening here" if it was there first time watching the play, in my opinion. That's what I would totally say if it was my first time watching it to. It would not work well as a play because, as I have said before everyone would be confused, but other than that how the play will be executed would be very difficult for the performers becuase it would have to be very clear to them how they visualize the warps and how to properly execute them while using the time effectively and not making it look all jumbled and jambled up. When I was in the process of making the basics of my stop animation (taking the pictures), and came the time to take pictures of the warping scene, I thought what I was trying to visualize would not work out (doubting my abilities) and it would look all jumbled and jambled, but when it came time to edit the pictures, I could increase the speed, slow it down, and even have the pictures spin continuously, which looked much better opposed to clicking the pictures and just leaving them as is. In all, nobody would want to watch something they don't understand and that looks professionally undone.
By: Puja
By: Puja
Friday, April 15, 2011
Through a Blink of an Eye
Arms over her head making a peak in front of her face, with her toes curled around the ledge ready to dive into the pool, she dives, loses balance and falls into the pool, sinking slowly and slowly to the bottom of the pool trying to communicate as her brain turns off as seconds pass by. Suddenly everything goes blank and sounds of clapping and singing arise from the midst of nowhere: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PUJA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU." It was Puja's 16th birthday. The house was filled with guests during this joyous event. The flashing lights of the camera were blinding everyone's eyes and her mouth was stuffed with cake and so was her face. There were Aunties and Uncles shocking us teenagers by revealing their true inner selves at events such as this. Unravelling through the many presents and admiring the wonderful job of wrapping gifts done by her uncoordinated friends who are always lost, she looks at one of the golden foil wrapping paper, admiring her reflection through the mirror while brushing her teeth half awake in the stroking heat on the terrace of her house in India. The open roofs, the beautiful smell of her mother’s hometown, and the black cow (or bull) that sits under the tree, are just so remarkably beautiful. As she walks down the cement stairs watching each and every step very carefully, she turns around and waves to her uncle as she finishes checking in and moves toward security check and toward the terminal on her way back to Canada from the Delhi Airport.
Tralfamadorian Society..
The central government is imaginary for there is no need for control since everyone follows the Tralfamadorians principle of enjoying the moment, they do not think ahead, or plan for they live in the spur of the moment as we are all bugs trapped in amber. They live in the present; choose to focus on the pleasant aspect of any moment for they ignore the future.
Humans have a defined culture since they conserve the past but the Tralfamadorians do not....
Opinion about Earthlings: Huge millipedes with baby like legs at one end and old people’s legs at the other. Considers free will, and emphasizes on this concept. Focuses on a moment at time, are mentally incapable of visualizing and interpreting the various stages of life at one stretch. The planet is very unique among other 31 planets.
Humans develop emotions, and attachment to other humans or object if in contact for a long time. They are very incapable of handling death or non-existence of a person for they show extreme emotions at that stage.
History and Views: Tralfamadorians have a unique history of having no history for they live in the moment, chooses to focus on the positive, and ignores the negative for they believe that each moment is structured that way and to let it happen. They have adapted to seeing their life in one stretch, they predict the path of each star in the Universe, its origin to its destruction.
Tralfamadorian Language: The novels are laid out in groups, similar to clusters of stars. Each grouping symbolizes a situation or scene. They read it all at once, emphasizing their focus on the whole stretch of moments rather than one. Communication is telepathic through the exchange of waves. A keyboard type instrument was devised to translate foreign languages so that the response can be telepathically communicated to the zoo viewers.
View on death: When someone pass away, they only appear to die for they livein every other moments. If you compare it to the human's society, it is true for moments and memories from the past operate the same.
Education: The Tralfamadorians do not believe in education since it molds the mind to plan and prepare for the future which contradicts the principles of free will as said by the humans. They acquire common knowledge from experience such as not to touch a hot object, or to stay away from danger. They are taught not step out of the atmospheric realm, for they are bound to be sucked into vaccum...But they are very curious creatures for they observe the behavior of other planet’s inhabitants, and this is done by a specimen (usually done by taking a sample being from the area). Similar environments of their particular habit is recreated to observe their response and to see if there is any physiological or psychological responses to the environment.
A zoo was created for placing these specimens so that there is a control environment for observation and experimentation.
Continuation of life: There were 5 types in Tralfamadore, each designed to carry out a process in the creation of an organism. Their visible differences are evident in the 4th dimension.
Peace and War: The Tralfamadorians believe that events are inevitable, seeing the negative and the positive helps them to appreciate the present for the world ends not by an atrocious war but by an accident. An explosion!! Moments are structured for some days, there is horrific war in Tralfamadore, and some days are filled with peace.
-Parvathy
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Slaughter House-Five Video
I decided to make a stop motion animation during the start of this blogging assidnment and now finally here it is all done. Its not the greatest video but I tryed my best and I just hope you all like it. Enjoy!! :)
Possible Endings..and Transitions
Well!! We know that the world ends because of an explosion for which the Tralfamadorians are responsible. When I was reading the novel, I felt as if many scenes could lead on to a climax. For this post, I wanted to list all these possible situations..
1. We all remember Billy being thrown into the swimming pool so that he learns how to either through swim or sink method. Well what if a transition occurs when he sinks down, light slowly diminishing, and he feels painless. Then there is a smooth transitions to when Billy is in the shower in one of the prison camps for he was lost in the moment.
2. We see Billy Pilgrim warming up under a blanket for the furnace has broken down, we see Billy complaining of his bossy daughter with her Edwardian piano like legs, he feels as if he was a zoo animal trapped and he could remove the blanket to see his son, Robert, staring hysterically into empty space in his bedroom....
3. Lake Placid Mental Institute, 1948, Billy is placed in morphine for people thought he went crazy during his final year at the Ilium School of Optometry!!!He is placed near Eliot Rosewater who fantasizes Kilgore Trout's creation. We are told of their wild adventures discussing the various science-fiction stories of Trout, a robot with bad breath, a tree which grows money and so on... We can then smoothly jump to 1948, three years after the war in the veterans' hospital, where he is pretends to be happy about seeing his future wife, Valencia.
Wee see a lot of transitions between postwar and prewar episodes which Vonnegut ties it in flawlessly into the narrative.
4. He is travelling on a train back in 1944 to attend his father's funeral in Ilium. The trains were slow, he was disgusted by the poor conditions..He got to sleep peacefully three hours from Ilium..This moment of silence and calm can be connected to another similar moment which occurs when he sleeps peacefully standing up along with the hobo for they were both not permitted to sit within the boxcar.
By:Parvathy
1. We all remember Billy being thrown into the swimming pool so that he learns how to either through swim or sink method. Well what if a transition occurs when he sinks down, light slowly diminishing, and he feels painless. Then there is a smooth transitions to when Billy is in the shower in one of the prison camps for he was lost in the moment.
2. We see Billy Pilgrim warming up under a blanket for the furnace has broken down, we see Billy complaining of his bossy daughter with her Edwardian piano like legs, he feels as if he was a zoo animal trapped and he could remove the blanket to see his son, Robert, staring hysterically into empty space in his bedroom....
3. Lake Placid Mental Institute, 1948, Billy is placed in morphine for people thought he went crazy during his final year at the Ilium School of Optometry!!!He is placed near Eliot Rosewater who fantasizes Kilgore Trout's creation. We are told of their wild adventures discussing the various science-fiction stories of Trout, a robot with bad breath, a tree which grows money and so on... We can then smoothly jump to 1948, three years after the war in the veterans' hospital, where he is pretends to be happy about seeing his future wife, Valencia.
Wee see a lot of transitions between postwar and prewar episodes which Vonnegut ties it in flawlessly into the narrative.
4. He is travelling on a train back in 1944 to attend his father's funeral in Ilium. The trains were slow, he was disgusted by the poor conditions..He got to sleep peacefully three hours from Ilium..This moment of silence and calm can be connected to another similar moment which occurs when he sleeps peacefully standing up along with the hobo for they were both not permitted to sit within the boxcar.
By:Parvathy
Monday, April 11, 2011
Vonnegut's life...
Slaughterhouse-five was bashed, criticized, evaluated, and frowned upon by many for its negative themes, and political views. I think that this is a masterpiece of a genius whose perspective on life and war sets him from the rest for he was not taught Shakespeare or contemporary literature. Traces of his life answers the questions which puzzles the readers of Slaughterhouse-five.
Steps..
1. He was born in Indiana, Indianapolis to Kurt Vonnegut Sr, and Edith Lieber on November 11, 1922. He had a German background which was ironic for he ridiculed his country men in the novel for he was not proud of his family history. His father attended the Institute of Technology in Massachusetts (Architecture).
2. He attended the Cornell University and majored in Chemistry. I think his unique perspective comes from his inexperience in the literary world for he never planned to be an author. During his education at Cornell, he enlisted in the US army.
3. He was captured in the Battle of Bulge on December 19, 1944 and around that time, his mother committed suicide. I think the guilt that evolved from his absence when his mother needed him prompted him to focus on the concept of death which is evident in the novel. We see Valencia dying in an accident while hurrying to reunite with Billy who has survived a plane crash, we see Roland Weary die of gangrene, Wild Bob and the hob has the same fate, his accomplices in the plane along with his father-in-law, Edgar Derby, the two scouts who were a part of the Three Musketeers, the Tralfamadorians die for the world is destroyed. This focus on death, I think explains his mentality as if he is wishing or planning for his inevitable death as an act of forgiveness. His insecurity as a child, and his helplessness when his mother passed away fired his sense of grief and remorse.
4. He witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden which is very evident in the novel and the extremes of the war is evident as "there were too many corpses to bury. So instead the Germans sent in troops with flamethrowers. All these civilians' remains were burned to ashes."
5. After the war, he attended the University of Chicago (Anthropology), and the University accepted one of his novels as thesis for his original one was rejected.
6. He was then offered a teaching occupation at the University of Iowa (1950s), and it was during that time he started to write Slaughterhouse-five, his life changing novel.
7. In 1960, he married Jane Marie Cox, but the couple divorced in 1970. He later remarried Jill Krementz, and this unorthodoxy is revisited in the novel when he engages in a relationship with Montana Wildhack after leaving Valencia.
All these individual moments in his life shaped him, and therefore Billy Pilgrim, for I consider a Vonnegut as a genius who raises numerous questions for which answers are limited.
By:Parvathy
6. He was then offered a teaching occupation at the University of Iowa (1950s), and it was during that time he started to write Slaughterhouse-five, his life changing novel.
7. In 1960, he married Jane Marie Cox, but the couple divorced in 1970. He later remarried Jill Krementz, and this unorthodoxy is revisited in the novel when he engages in a relationship with Montana Wildhack after leaving Valencia.
All these individual moments in his life shaped him, and therefore Billy Pilgrim, for I consider a Vonnegut as a genius who raises numerous questions for which answers are limited.
By:Parvathy
Friday, April 1, 2011
THE WARPS... I COUNTED IT
Let's see, ever since this year started, time is one thing I never had. The assignments, projects and everything else.... Well, we were introduced to a different outlook on time and how structured a moment is!!!!!!!!! Tralfamadorians belive that human's believe in free will and see one moment at a time. Well, we do! Tralfamadorians, on the other hand, see an entire stretch of events laid out infront of them and they take it for as it is as we are all bugs trapped in amber.
Tralfamadorians think humans see through a pipe which extends and they cannot interpret curves or other twists and turns in their life. The narrative jumps around everyhwere from wedding nights to wars, from the optometrist's office to the Grand Canyon, from the prison camp to the veteran's hospital, from Ilium to Dresden............
I agree with the fact that Vonnegut used the phrase "time warp" and "time travel" to connect the passing of various moments in his life but I was curious to see how many times Billy warped in time according to Vonnegut (and what is revealed to the audience)?
The WARPS:
(italics-taken from the text; my interpretation of the situation)
1. Billy became first unstuck in time while WW2 was in progress. He was a chaplain's assistant! - Billy describes his uselessness with the title as the assistant. A reference is given as Billy having no friends, and how he practices a meek faith which correlates with Howard W. Campbell's description of the American military and its citizens.
Billy was given an emergency furlough home because his father was shot dead by a friend while they were hunting deers. One of his time warps relates to his adventure back on a train to visit his father for a last time. The narrative and one of the time warps connect, which can be an evidence that this might be the imagination of one of the greatest's minds or the darkest humor portrayed by Vonnegut.
2. He obeyed orders to go overseas to Luxembourg. This was in December of 1944, during the last German attack of the war. The audience is introduced to the hopelessness of war where soldiers are poorly equipped; Billy was not issued a steel helmet and combat boots. The Three Musketeers unwillingly welcome Billy who should not have joined the war....Billy Pilgrim who looked like a filthy flamingo survived an enemy attack with the help of Roland Weary for Billy wanted to die amidst the cold, hunger, and the incompetence for he repeated, "You guys go on without me!"
He moves on after the attack, and stops at a forest. He was leaning with his eyes closed and his head tilted back. His attention passed from life to death, which was violet light (p 43).
3. And then he swung into life again and stopped. He was a little boy taking a shower with his hairy father at Ilium YMCA.
4. He traveled in time to 1965. He was 41 years old and visiting his ailing mother at Pine Knoll, an old people's home. His mother inquires, "How did I get so old?"
5. He traveled in time to 1958 where he was at a banquet in honor of a Little League team of which his son Robert was a member.
6. He blinked and traveled to 1961, at a New Year's Eve and he was heavily drunk. His unorthodoxy to Valencia is evident when he involves himself with another woman.
7. Billy finds himself back in WW2 and was being shaken by Weary. Billy was dragged and flattened by Weary who wanted to be deemed heroic. Billy hallucinated of wearing clean and dry shoes which emphasized the anti-heroic and tragic side of war.
8. His hallucinations leads him to the Chinese restaurant in Ilium of 1957. He was elected President of the Lions Club and he was asked to speak which he does!
9. He was back with Weary who was going to beat him up if he did not wake up. Weary continues to hit Billy but notices the German soldiers who were witnessing the scene. Both Billy and Weary are captured and are kept as prisoners in a stone cottage and Billy falls asleep.
10. He wakes up in his optometry office in Ilium. He seems disoriented as his female patient inquires whether he is fine.
11. He closes his eyes to be waken up by Germans for falling asleep with the other war prisoners. The soldiers marched and photos were taken of them as evidence to show how miserably equipped American soldiers were.
12. He warps in time to 1967, and on his way to the Lions Club luncheon meeting, and he passed streets which looked like Dresden after the attack, and then he listens to the interpretation of a Marine officer about the Vietnam War. The Major told that Robert's group, the Green Berets, were doing great and that he ought to be proud.
13. Back in war. Continued walking until they reached Germany where they were regrouped according to status and packed in boxcars. He intervenes with Wild Bob who later dies, and he witnesses the unclean and unhygienic side of war but Wild Bob mentions that he has seen worse.
14. He traveled in time to 1967. Prepares to be captured by Tralfamadorians! He watches a movie backwards. He enters the saucer and he bombards them with Earthling questions!
15. The acceleration of the saucer pushed Billy back into the boxcar crossing Germany. The conditions were pathetic, and Weary dies and mentions his murderer BILLY! He reaches the camp and is told to take off his clothes. We are introduces to Edgar Derby and Paul Lazzaro. Their clothes were being cleaned!!
16. He zooms back to infancy. He was bathes by his mother and he feels the comfort which he compares to the present drastic environment.
17. He is then a middle-aged optometrist who was playing golf. He went out to take the ball out of the cup...
18. He was strapped to s chair in the flying SAUCER to TRALFAMADORE! They explain the Earthling's perspective on time and free will for they have been observing our species. He reads the Tralfamadorian novel, where the life is laid out as a stretch!
19. He took a trip to the Canyon. His insecurity as a child is evident when he feels afraid and longs for his family's protection.
19. He takes another trip to Carlsbad Caverns.
20. He found himself back in the war, and he was off the shower. He got his clothes back and put on the coat. Germans laughed at his appearance. The British men were eager and pleasant. They made war look stylish and fun. They were welcoming to American prisoners and put on a play (Cinderella) for the guests. Billy laughed too much and was then put on morphine and placed in the prisoner's hospital.
21. He had a hallucination where he considered him a giraffe and later falls asleep.
22. He woke up in the veterans' hospital near Lake Placid, New York (springtime, 1948). He was placed there for being crazy when he was enrolled in the Ilium School of Optometry. He meets Eliot Rosewater who has a collection of science fiction and he introduces Billy to Kilgore Trout. They both found life meaningless and putrid and was trying to reinvent themselves. Billy avoids his smoking mother who was welcomed by Eliot! They discuss of Valencia, Billy's bargain for a good life.
23. Derby was waiting with Billy in the prisoner's hospital and the Englishmen renders credit to him for being alive.
24. Travels back to veterans' hospital and inquires whether his mother had left and meets with Valencia even though unwillingly.
25. Billy travels in time to the zoo in Tralfamadore. He was 44 years old and was displayed naked for the aliens were all curious and waiting outside of the zoo. His questions about time and peace are answered by them.
26. He then time warps to his wedding night with Valencia.
27. He travels back to the prison hospital again, and encounters the dark face of the American soldiers.
28. He then time travels to his night with Valencia again.
29. He then jumps to his train ride to attend his father's funeral.
Meanwhile Lazzaro is brought to the prison hospital after trying to steal an Englishman's belonging. We are introduced to Campbell's speech as per the guard translating.
30. He then travels in time to 1968 to the present where Barbara scolds him for acting childish.
31. After Barbara left, he time travels to the zoo in Tralfamadore, and Montana was brought for him. We learn about their relationship.
32. He returns to the present but goes on to practice and sees the patient. People consider him to be ill because of his odd behavior in retelling the tales of Tralfamadorians to the patient.
33. He travels back to the prison hospital, and we are introduced to Lazzaro's hit list.
34. He then experiences his death as he foresaw through his Tralfamadorian experience.
35. He swings back into life again, back to 1945 after his life was threatened by Lazzaro. They were asked to meet other prisoners in the theater for an election. They left for Dresden. They reached the Slaughterhouse-five after overcoming the terrain and the extreme.
36. He travels to 1975 (25 years later) where he encounters an expected plane crash as told by the Tralfamadorians.
37. He then closes his eyes to travel back to 1944. He is back with Weary and wants to give up this pursuit.
Meanwhile, he is taken to a small private hospital and he dreamed a million things!
38. He thought of his first day after reaching Dresden, and the work Derby and him did before Dresden was bombed. Campbell was a visitor and they took refuge on a locker while Dresden was being bombed.
39. He woke up to see Barbara arguing!
40. He retaliates his meeting with Trout in 1964.
41. He traveled back to the night Dresden was destroyed. (177)
42. He travels to the zoo where Montana is placed.
He relives the Dresden bombing and how he took refuge under the enemies (German innkeeper). We are told of his encounters with Rumfoord in the private hospital. He then is visited by his daughter.
43. He traveled in time to when he was 16 years old, in a doctor's waiting room (189).
44. He traveled back in time after the Dresden bombing. They were looking for souvenirs of the war (194).
45. He then sees himself as an optometrist.
46. He then traveled to his private hospital in Vermont. He was then taken by his daughter (201).
During this scene, we are aware of Billy's conscious decision to announce the Tralfamadorian ways of living to the world. He goes on to the book store.
47. He is later back in Tralfamadore with Montana Wildhack and we see the same prayer as in his optometrist's office.
The narrative goes on to describe the aftermath of the Dresden bombing!
By:PARVATHY
Tralfamadorians think humans see through a pipe which extends and they cannot interpret curves or other twists and turns in their life. The narrative jumps around everyhwere from wedding nights to wars, from the optometrist's office to the Grand Canyon, from the prison camp to the veteran's hospital, from Ilium to Dresden............
I agree with the fact that Vonnegut used the phrase "time warp" and "time travel" to connect the passing of various moments in his life but I was curious to see how many times Billy warped in time according to Vonnegut (and what is revealed to the audience)?
The WARPS:
(italics-taken from the text; my interpretation of the situation)
1. Billy became first unstuck in time while WW2 was in progress. He was a chaplain's assistant! - Billy describes his uselessness with the title as the assistant. A reference is given as Billy having no friends, and how he practices a meek faith which correlates with Howard W. Campbell's description of the American military and its citizens.
Billy was given an emergency furlough home because his father was shot dead by a friend while they were hunting deers. One of his time warps relates to his adventure back on a train to visit his father for a last time. The narrative and one of the time warps connect, which can be an evidence that this might be the imagination of one of the greatest's minds or the darkest humor portrayed by Vonnegut.
2. He obeyed orders to go overseas to Luxembourg. This was in December of 1944, during the last German attack of the war. The audience is introduced to the hopelessness of war where soldiers are poorly equipped; Billy was not issued a steel helmet and combat boots. The Three Musketeers unwillingly welcome Billy who should not have joined the war....Billy Pilgrim who looked like a filthy flamingo survived an enemy attack with the help of Roland Weary for Billy wanted to die amidst the cold, hunger, and the incompetence for he repeated, "You guys go on without me!"
He moves on after the attack, and stops at a forest. He was leaning with his eyes closed and his head tilted back. His attention passed from life to death, which was violet light (p 43).
3. And then he swung into life again and stopped. He was a little boy taking a shower with his hairy father at Ilium YMCA.
4. He traveled in time to 1965. He was 41 years old and visiting his ailing mother at Pine Knoll, an old people's home. His mother inquires, "How did I get so old?"
5. He traveled in time to 1958 where he was at a banquet in honor of a Little League team of which his son Robert was a member.
6. He blinked and traveled to 1961, at a New Year's Eve and he was heavily drunk. His unorthodoxy to Valencia is evident when he involves himself with another woman.
7. Billy finds himself back in WW2 and was being shaken by Weary. Billy was dragged and flattened by Weary who wanted to be deemed heroic. Billy hallucinated of wearing clean and dry shoes which emphasized the anti-heroic and tragic side of war.
8. His hallucinations leads him to the Chinese restaurant in Ilium of 1957. He was elected President of the Lions Club and he was asked to speak which he does!
9. He was back with Weary who was going to beat him up if he did not wake up. Weary continues to hit Billy but notices the German soldiers who were witnessing the scene. Both Billy and Weary are captured and are kept as prisoners in a stone cottage and Billy falls asleep.
10. He wakes up in his optometry office in Ilium. He seems disoriented as his female patient inquires whether he is fine.
11. He closes his eyes to be waken up by Germans for falling asleep with the other war prisoners. The soldiers marched and photos were taken of them as evidence to show how miserably equipped American soldiers were.
12. He warps in time to 1967, and on his way to the Lions Club luncheon meeting, and he passed streets which looked like Dresden after the attack, and then he listens to the interpretation of a Marine officer about the Vietnam War. The Major told that Robert's group, the Green Berets, were doing great and that he ought to be proud.
13. Back in war. Continued walking until they reached Germany where they were regrouped according to status and packed in boxcars. He intervenes with Wild Bob who later dies, and he witnesses the unclean and unhygienic side of war but Wild Bob mentions that he has seen worse.
14. He traveled in time to 1967. Prepares to be captured by Tralfamadorians! He watches a movie backwards. He enters the saucer and he bombards them with Earthling questions!
15. The acceleration of the saucer pushed Billy back into the boxcar crossing Germany. The conditions were pathetic, and Weary dies and mentions his murderer BILLY! He reaches the camp and is told to take off his clothes. We are introduces to Edgar Derby and Paul Lazzaro. Their clothes were being cleaned!!
16. He zooms back to infancy. He was bathes by his mother and he feels the comfort which he compares to the present drastic environment.
17. He is then a middle-aged optometrist who was playing golf. He went out to take the ball out of the cup...
18. He was strapped to s chair in the flying SAUCER to TRALFAMADORE! They explain the Earthling's perspective on time and free will for they have been observing our species. He reads the Tralfamadorian novel, where the life is laid out as a stretch!
19. He took a trip to the Canyon. His insecurity as a child is evident when he feels afraid and longs for his family's protection.
19. He takes another trip to Carlsbad Caverns.
20. He found himself back in the war, and he was off the shower. He got his clothes back and put on the coat. Germans laughed at his appearance. The British men were eager and pleasant. They made war look stylish and fun. They were welcoming to American prisoners and put on a play (Cinderella) for the guests. Billy laughed too much and was then put on morphine and placed in the prisoner's hospital.
21. He had a hallucination where he considered him a giraffe and later falls asleep.
22. He woke up in the veterans' hospital near Lake Placid, New York (springtime, 1948). He was placed there for being crazy when he was enrolled in the Ilium School of Optometry. He meets Eliot Rosewater who has a collection of science fiction and he introduces Billy to Kilgore Trout. They both found life meaningless and putrid and was trying to reinvent themselves. Billy avoids his smoking mother who was welcomed by Eliot! They discuss of Valencia, Billy's bargain for a good life.
23. Derby was waiting with Billy in the prisoner's hospital and the Englishmen renders credit to him for being alive.
24. Travels back to veterans' hospital and inquires whether his mother had left and meets with Valencia even though unwillingly.
25. Billy travels in time to the zoo in Tralfamadore. He was 44 years old and was displayed naked for the aliens were all curious and waiting outside of the zoo. His questions about time and peace are answered by them.
26. He then time warps to his wedding night with Valencia.
27. He travels back to the prison hospital again, and encounters the dark face of the American soldiers.
28. He then time travels to his night with Valencia again.
29. He then jumps to his train ride to attend his father's funeral.
Meanwhile Lazzaro is brought to the prison hospital after trying to steal an Englishman's belonging. We are introduced to Campbell's speech as per the guard translating.
30. He then travels in time to 1968 to the present where Barbara scolds him for acting childish.
31. After Barbara left, he time travels to the zoo in Tralfamadore, and Montana was brought for him. We learn about their relationship.
32. He returns to the present but goes on to practice and sees the patient. People consider him to be ill because of his odd behavior in retelling the tales of Tralfamadorians to the patient.
33. He travels back to the prison hospital, and we are introduced to Lazzaro's hit list.
34. He then experiences his death as he foresaw through his Tralfamadorian experience.
35. He swings back into life again, back to 1945 after his life was threatened by Lazzaro. They were asked to meet other prisoners in the theater for an election. They left for Dresden. They reached the Slaughterhouse-five after overcoming the terrain and the extreme.
36. He travels to 1975 (25 years later) where he encounters an expected plane crash as told by the Tralfamadorians.
37. He then closes his eyes to travel back to 1944. He is back with Weary and wants to give up this pursuit.
Meanwhile, he is taken to a small private hospital and he dreamed a million things!
38. He thought of his first day after reaching Dresden, and the work Derby and him did before Dresden was bombed. Campbell was a visitor and they took refuge on a locker while Dresden was being bombed.
39. He woke up to see Barbara arguing!
40. He retaliates his meeting with Trout in 1964.
41. He traveled back to the night Dresden was destroyed. (177)
42. He travels to the zoo where Montana is placed.
He relives the Dresden bombing and how he took refuge under the enemies (German innkeeper). We are told of his encounters with Rumfoord in the private hospital. He then is visited by his daughter.
43. He traveled in time to when he was 16 years old, in a doctor's waiting room (189).
44. He traveled back in time after the Dresden bombing. They were looking for souvenirs of the war (194).
45. He then sees himself as an optometrist.
46. He then traveled to his private hospital in Vermont. He was then taken by his daughter (201).
During this scene, we are aware of Billy's conscious decision to announce the Tralfamadorian ways of living to the world. He goes on to the book store.
47. He is later back in Tralfamadore with Montana Wildhack and we see the same prayer as in his optometrist's office.
The narrative goes on to describe the aftermath of the Dresden bombing!
By:PARVATHY
Sunday, March 27, 2011
My own novel!!!!!!!!
Ok, I completely agree with Mr. Lynn's statement that "everything happens for a reason" because I finished this post but accidently clicked something without saving the post and well I am trying to believe that it was all for the best.......
I prepared a story line last summer so that it can be submitted to the Literary Journal but I don't know what happened, I sank in because of the course load. Anyways, the story focuses on the stability of each moment in our life. I have always believed that there is a fine line between coincidence and fate, and that CHANCE IS THAT FINE LINE...........
Listen:
A young and ambitious girl was bidding goodbye to her apprehensive father who was sweating as if he was going to take the MCAT exams. She assured her father that she was going to be just fine, and that she was going to pursue her higher education. After her father leaving, she had to wait an extra hour for the train was late. She was going to gently step foot on the massive train, but then she felt a strange emotion to turn and look back......She did!!!! So it goes...
A sudden feeling prompted her to purchase a bottle of water, which she did. She was gulping it down as if she tasted water for the first time. Little did she know that the massive train slowly chooed its way out of the station.....She ran but was unable to catch up with that mode of transport. She left the station questioning WHY this happened? FOR WHAT? It is always easier to ask questions rather than to answer them.
She was terrified and shocked by the news which reached her the next day. Apparently, the train never reached the destination and nobody knew about its whereabouts! She thanked that moment of time which dragged and prompted her to step out of that machine, which completely changed her life.
This is the summary of that story line! I have seen many boast, many weep, many break down over small unimportant details but none looks at the bigger picture! Vonnegut through this novel wants us to evaluate ourselves by considering the half-full versions of our moments.
Similarly, I wanted to question the validity of chance and coincidence in our lives. If we focus on the pleasant aspect of a situation and shape the present, the future tends to be pleasant and rewarding. If we focus on the negative, there would be no pleasant emotion to fill in the emptiness. Let's consider this example: If Vonnegut did not write Slaughterhouse-Five, we would not be writing this very post.
I wanted my novel (or story line) to remind the general public about the validity of each of our lives. We are fragile beings climbing the ladder of fate and chance with a flaw leading us downhill into the pitch of darkness to emerge again. Let us focus on the positive and IGNORE THE NEGATIVE as there will always be wars, conflicts, irritation, and quest for power. We can always pave the way for a change as the leader says, BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THIS WORLD....
By: Parvathy
I prepared a story line last summer so that it can be submitted to the Literary Journal but I don't know what happened, I sank in because of the course load. Anyways, the story focuses on the stability of each moment in our life. I have always believed that there is a fine line between coincidence and fate, and that CHANCE IS THAT FINE LINE...........
Listen:
A young and ambitious girl was bidding goodbye to her apprehensive father who was sweating as if he was going to take the MCAT exams. She assured her father that she was going to be just fine, and that she was going to pursue her higher education. After her father leaving, she had to wait an extra hour for the train was late. She was going to gently step foot on the massive train, but then she felt a strange emotion to turn and look back......She did!!!! So it goes...
A sudden feeling prompted her to purchase a bottle of water, which she did. She was gulping it down as if she tasted water for the first time. Little did she know that the massive train slowly chooed its way out of the station.....She ran but was unable to catch up with that mode of transport. She left the station questioning WHY this happened? FOR WHAT? It is always easier to ask questions rather than to answer them.
She was terrified and shocked by the news which reached her the next day. Apparently, the train never reached the destination and nobody knew about its whereabouts! She thanked that moment of time which dragged and prompted her to step out of that machine, which completely changed her life.
This is the summary of that story line! I have seen many boast, many weep, many break down over small unimportant details but none looks at the bigger picture! Vonnegut through this novel wants us to evaluate ourselves by considering the half-full versions of our moments.
Similarly, I wanted to question the validity of chance and coincidence in our lives. If we focus on the pleasant aspect of a situation and shape the present, the future tends to be pleasant and rewarding. If we focus on the negative, there would be no pleasant emotion to fill in the emptiness. Let's consider this example: If Vonnegut did not write Slaughterhouse-Five, we would not be writing this very post.
I wanted my novel (or story line) to remind the general public about the validity of each of our lives. We are fragile beings climbing the ladder of fate and chance with a flaw leading us downhill into the pitch of darkness to emerge again. Let us focus on the positive and IGNORE THE NEGATIVE as there will always be wars, conflicts, irritation, and quest for power. We can always pave the way for a change as the leader says, BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THIS WORLD....
By: Parvathy
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Livin in the Brown World
If I was to write a novel I would base it mainly on my culture, my life, and everyday situations an individual has to face. I would write about the brown life and how different and similar life is to other cultures. This way people of other cultures can gain knowledge about different cultures. The novel would talk about family issues, highschool life, and struggle for the future and it would also talk about environmental issues, basically global warming and the destruction of the world, 2012!!!!!!!! Because that's all that I hear about nowadays, natural destruction, moon's coming closer to the Earth, and DOOM'S DAY like come on who cares if the world's going to end, we are all going to die one day or another and after we die will we only know if we are truly stuck in time. But I really don't think that the world is going to end becuase of all the brown scientists and physicists that are going to save the world and one day the brown's will rule the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By: Puja
By: Puja
Friday, March 25, 2011
Potweeting through time....
I woke up on a mid summer day ready to carry on with the daily business but was welcomed by a large gush of wind and storming thunder. I heard the loud "rum" of the cars steering out of the driveway as my parents were leaving for work. I stood up and went back to bed and so it was. It was unusually cold at that moment and I felt a sudden gush of wind on my face.
My face was about to solidify as I opened my eyes and stepped out of Air Canada which landed close to 18:00 on a mid winter day. The plane was humangous and I felt like a grain of sand when compared to the massive machinery. Let me tell the truth, I felt as if I owned the whole universe or as if I was the President of the United States. Well I felt as if I was part of the FBI entering a secret location with an expensive suit and a $500,000 German Maybach waiting for my arrival. Returning to reality, I didn't have a Maybach waiting but I did find my dad's Chevrolet waiting outside of the Pearson. I was eager to step onto the car and begin my journey onto a new world.
The car was travelling at a high speed which was evident from the flashing objects outside, and I dared to open the window in this crucial weather. A sudden splash awoke me as I saw my mom pouring cold water onto my face so that I would wake up and get on with the usual routine. I jumped up and asked where the car went? My mom gave me a sneer as if I was insane!! I was not INSANE at that point since I did not take Physics at the time. I realized that it was not raining anymore but sunnyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! I was not in North America, I was in Asia and I was not the President.....YET!
By: Parvathy
My face was about to solidify as I opened my eyes and stepped out of Air Canada which landed close to 18:00 on a mid winter day. The plane was humangous and I felt like a grain of sand when compared to the massive machinery. Let me tell the truth, I felt as if I owned the whole universe or as if I was the President of the United States. Well I felt as if I was part of the FBI entering a secret location with an expensive suit and a $500,000 German Maybach waiting for my arrival. Returning to reality, I didn't have a Maybach waiting but I did find my dad's Chevrolet waiting outside of the Pearson. I was eager to step onto the car and begin my journey onto a new world.
The car was travelling at a high speed which was evident from the flashing objects outside, and I dared to open the window in this crucial weather. A sudden splash awoke me as I saw my mom pouring cold water onto my face so that I would wake up and get on with the usual routine. I jumped up and asked where the car went? My mom gave me a sneer as if I was insane!! I was not INSANE at that point since I did not take Physics at the time. I realized that it was not raining anymore but sunnyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! I was not in North America, I was in Asia and I was not the President.....YET!
By: Parvathy
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Good, Banned & the Published
If someones stops and stares at an object and comments negatively we can be certain that the object has changed his/her perspective. Similarly, Slaughterhouse Five had made a significant impact on the literary world. The banning of this publication showed how truthful and powerful the text was in showing the true American culture and society. Kurt Vonnegut mainly stated his view of how his experience in the second world war meant to him. In my opinion, should not literature allow individuals to express their point of view? A novel if does not set one thinking is not worth a shelf room, but I am certain that Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse has broken the rules of ignorance for this literature opens the eyes of individuals who are unaware of their surrounding. Censoring such a novel would not impact greatly in the world of education, in fact, such a novel will shed light on the true nature of war, giving the students views upon which they can arrive at their own conclusion. How would you feel about your creative piece of writing expressing your inner feelings be banned? We have also seen this attitude towards Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) which was also banned due to sexual promiscuity and anti-Christian references. In all, we believe that these novels should be praised for breaking the barrier in literature of dutifying matter and hats off for these novels for revealing the true nature of life.
By: Parvathy & Puja
By: Parvathy & Puja
Monday, February 28, 2011
Is Billy Pilgrim: fact or fiction?
In our opinion, Billy is not travelling through time but on the other hand he is a war veteran who is affected by the war's aftermath. Billy after serving in the war also suffered an airplane crash, and was the only one to survive. He claims that he was captured by a flying saucer after his accident. This idea is also revisited when his daughter with her Edwardian piano like legs stops trusting him, and mentions how he did not mention about Tralfamadore and the flying saucer before the accident. He gives a shrewd reply that the "time was not ripe."By: Parvathy & Puja
Billy is simply a veteran who relives certain moments of his life which he renders importance to, and through this paradox Vonnegut renders the uncertain nature of life. One should take life as it comes, and a small change in the natural order could disrupt the entire sequence. We do not have power over what we do or our impulse, but we do have control over what we think! This concept of being 'unstuck in time' renders Vonnegut a unique voice that distinguishes his voice from the rest. Vonnegut conveys the true thoughts of soldiers who have seen and surpassed death.
Billy is simply a veteran who relives certain moments of his life which he renders importance to, and through this paradox Vonnegut renders the uncertain nature of life. One should take life as it comes, and a small change in the natural order could disrupt the entire sequence. We do not have power over what we do or our impulse, but we do have control over what we think! This concept of being 'unstuck in time' renders Vonnegut a unique voice that distinguishes his voice from the rest. Vonnegut conveys the true thoughts of soldiers who have seen and surpassed death.
Humor is an almost physiological response to fear
We agree to this statement made by Vonnegut. We can see this in everyday life, when we respond to an irrational fear by laughing it off. We all remember the "ridiculous spell" in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban which was used to turn one's irrational fear into something ridiculous. When we are too tensed, we tend to laugh for no reason just to get that sense of nervousness off our system. Vonnegut has seen a lot througout his life from serving in the military and has surpassed a lot of emotional distress from bankruptcy to the suicide of his mother. All this changed him into someone who laughs and forgets his miseries and sorrows. This elimination of negativity gave Vonnegut his boost to succeed in life and to clear any obstacles presented in his life. As the Atlantic Monthly puts it, "Our finest black-humorist...we laugh in self-defense." Vonnegut should be everyone's role model considering how he looked at the "half-full" version of his life and strived to communicate to the public what war and victory meant to him.By: Parvathy & Puja
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