"Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt"

To end my blog, I'd like to share this quote with you all.

This is one of my favourite quotes in the entire book. It is arguably the most significant one as well. From how I see it, Vonnegut is wishfully portraying a perfect world, where pain and ugliness cease to exist. However, he may be implying that in our world, laden with war, pain, famine, and disease, there is a sliver of hope that happiness and order will ensue. I, too, like Vonnegut, like to imagine how beautiful life could be, without all the hardships that the world presently faces.

In reality, a perfect society will never exist. It is inevitable, just like how war and violence was described in SH5. According to Vonnegut's friend at the beginning of the novel, to have a world living in peace and harmony " is as likely as moving a glacier."

Writing Assignment #10 - Reflection

I present to you Marié's blog!

Here is the link:

http://amberblob.blogspot.com/

To start off, I gotta say, the visuals and media clips are incredible! I first came across this blog two days ago during our last blogging session in the library. The first thing that I saw was the Tralfamadorian animation which left me completely amazed. (Marié, you've got to show me how to make these one day!) I found your welcoming post, "Here you are, trapped in another blob of amber. It was your fate to read this," really clever; it is a great portrayal of the Tralfamadorians' perspective. I also like the play on word "blobbing" for "blogging". Now without further ado, let's get started with the analysis.

Fate vs. Free Will by Marié

I've always been a partisan of "free will" until I read this post. I believed that the every thought and action of an individual results in the present state of his or her life. However, after reading Marié's explanation of "[w]hen a person is born, the place into which they entered will somewhat define how they will live their life, and thus the person they become," it made me rethink my position. I, too, find validity in Rachel and Anna's argument that if "a person may be born into a not-so-opportunistic life that they can still do as well, if not better, than a person that is born into a wealthy family with lots of opportunity." An individual's upbringing may play a minimal role in the process, but their future is ultimately dependent on personal choices. For example, my dad came from a very poor family. His parents urged him to find a job after graduating high school but he stubbornly refused. Instead, he chose to attend university and study English, which he loved. Without his firm decision, my family would not be here in Canada right now.

Wisdom from Kurt Vonnegut by Marié

I really like the hot fudge sundae analogy! I totally agree that SH5 is a "mushy mess of strong emotions". In addition to that, I think Vonnegut had a hard time organizing his life story in a coherent way. He even said so himself, it took him over 20 years to write this war novel!

However, I think it's fair game that critics are attacking his story. It's likely due to the fact the book condemns Americans, whereas we are peace-loving Canadians. Since we are from a different nation, we may not feel the same shock as patriotic Americans would feel after reading the book. What it really boils down to is the difference in cultural views.

I do think there are few elements that Billy and Vonnegut have in common, but not to the extent that "Billy Pilgrim might even be Vonnegut." I'd argue that Vonnegut has a lot more depth to his personality than Billy. Vonnegut took great risks in writing this novel. He possibly wanted to prevent or minimize war efforts by highlighting the abominable nature of it. Bill, however, was a mere "dummy" who allowed to be pushed around by others and accepted life as it came.

Lastly, here are some more similarities that I came up with:

• Many of Billy and Vonnegut's family members died untimely deaths
• They were both highly educated people (attended university after the war and received degrees)

Slaughterhouse-Five Censorship by Marié

Religion

SH5 did not condemn religion at any point, nor did it try to impose any religious views on readers. I think the critics are wrong to say that religion was negatively portrayed in SH5. Instead, the theme of fate in the novel even works in religion's favour. Many times, the characters insisted that life was predetermined and nothing could be done to change it. This is extremely similar to having a higher power dictate the lives of mankind, which is the premise of numerous religions.

Sexually Explicit

This is the part that I'm against. I think that the sexual content was gratuitous. Instances like when Billy and Montana Wildlhack "mated" in the Tralfamadorian zoo, and the detailed description of Billy and Valencia's honeymoon activities served no purpose in the book; they did not contribute any vital components to the plot or the characters. To me, these parts could have been kept out.

Obscene Language

Like Marié, I also think that the explicit language should be kept as it is, but for different reasons. It captures the dirty, cruel habits of the men in the war. For example, Weary is seen an uncultured, violent man because he constantly swore and hit Billy. Also, Lazzaro's use of expletives in his sadistic descriptions of murder and his violent death threats served to obtain a fearful and shocking reaction from the readers. Obscene language is essential to portray these ugly, but realistic events in life.

Sexism

I completely agree with Marié that the book takes place in a period when women were housewives, and men were considered the breadwinners of their families. It was simply the way of life back then; it is the truth and the truth should not be censored. This issue more so contributes to a positive development of society, rather than a hindrance to it. Though this phrase is a bit cliche, it remains true that "knowledge is power". By informing the masses about past issues, the new generation can learn from them and prevent them from occurring again.

Anti-American Sentiment

So first off, let me ask: why isn't propaganda banned? SH5 serves the same purpose, except in the opposite direction; it criticizes violence and war instead of promotes it. This should not be a matter of "anti-American sentiment" but a matter of saving lives of Americans. Now which one is more important? As I've mentioned before, SH5 effectively condemns war. Americans can still be patriotic, without having to go into combat. I am a firm believer that international issues can be dealt with in a diplomatic, non-violent way. Looking at the big picture, Vonnegut did a noble deed by getting this message out, not only for his country, but also for the rest of us.

Writing Assignment #9 - Time

After seeing Allison's post in the news feed, it reminded me of a major theme and motif in SH5: time.

Time is something that we as humans never seem to have enough of. I, without exception, am one who's in desperate need for more time. I'd give anything to make the days on earth last 48 hours instead of the meager 24. As a result of my time-deficiency, I sometimes suffer from of inadequate sleep and show zombie-like symptoms during the day.

Now back to SH5. Every jump that Billy made, led to an anachronistic period in his life. In Chapter 2, Billy went from the basement of his apartment in 1967, to the war in 1944, to the little league banquet in 1958, and so on. Also, Parvathy counted over 65 times that Billy "time-travelled" throughout the entire book, proving that time and time travel are recurring elements in the story.

Time is too a central theme in the novel. Billy and the Tralfamadorians explained how it was a constant, unalterable thing, and any point of it can be revisited over and over again. I especially liked the Tralfamadorians' description of a person's life "as a great millipede - with babies' legs at one end and old people's at the other" (87). They believed that people were born with their entire lives set in stone: every thought, every feeling, every choice already determined. Furthermore, Billy said that he had seen his birth and death dozens of times and could relive any part of his life due to the fact that time was unchangeable.

Perhaps Vonnegut is suggesting that destiny is the dictator our lives. Or on the flip side, he may have come up with this ridiculous storyline to insinuate that it is the individual who has complete power over their lives. But who knows? If he were alive, this would be one question I'd like to ask.

Coincidentally, I watched Tuck Everlasting last weekend so kudos to Allison for bringing this up! :)

Writing Assignment #4 - Warped Narrative (Just Thinking)

I was a fifth grader sitting nervously in a church pew. The silence rang loudly in my ears. Inside, my heart was pounding. I turned around and anxiously looked at my mom. She smiled at me and then gave me a reassuring look. I went back to picking at my nails. It seemed like the sound of every movement in the church was amplified a hundred times. Around me were other fidgety contestants who were slightly older than me. At last, the adjudicator stood up and walked to the front. She began by giving us a welcoming speech that I've heard many times before. Hurry up and get to the end of it, I thought impatiently. Then, she got to the individual critiques. One by one, she explained what she liked about our performances and where we could improve. I sat there stiffly in my itchy dress shirt and my tightly-pinching shoes, waiting for the moment to come. Finally, she finished her closing remarks and began the awards. "In third place, we have..." Aww, I really wished she had called my name. I quietly sighed in despair. "In second place..." Yeah, I guess that girl deserved it. She was better than me. I lost hope. I was going to go home empty-handed. I wish I could just go home now. I've got to practice for my next competition tonight, anyways. "And first place goes to Tina Lei." This can't be happening! Did she really just call my name? "Tina?" Then everything seemed to pass by in a blur. All of a sudden, I was up on my uncomfortable shoes, shaking the adjudicator's hand and hearing her say, "Congratulations!". I accepted the certificate and spun around to face the audience and take my bow.

But I couldn't see anyone at all. In the place of 500 people was a flood of bright, white light. I closed my eyes and quickly tried to remember why I was up here. For the past few months, my elementary school had been rigorously practicing for this night. As grade eights, we planned to end our last year together with a memorable event - something that would impress our school. So our class decided to put on Tom Sawyer, as a play. I got the role of Doc, one of the robbers in the story. As I reopened my eyes, I took a deep breath and started to recite my lines. Without thinking, words continuously flowed out of my mouth and the rest of it went by in a blur. My henchmen and I danced and sang our final number, "Money, Money, Money" and then our act was over. The lights dimmed and darkness slowly blanketed the gym.

It seemed to extend indefinitely. The pitch-blackness was all I could see for miles and miles on end. We were travelling about 200 km/h. Occasionally, I'd see a swish of light, but I couldn't make heads or tales of it. Everything outside seemed to pass by in a blur. Earlier in the evening, our club had attended the awarding ceremonies for DECA. The two-day competition was a fruitful one; 3 of our competitors made it to Nationals in Florida and a handful of others received medals of distinction. It was a long day for all of us and now everyone in my compartment was asleep. Except for me. I can't sleep on any type of moving vehicle. Or airplanes or boats for that matter. So I simply sat there, staring out into the darkness. Thinking. Thinking about what my future would look like. Thinking of what the future has in store for me.

These days, I think a lot. Hours seem to pass by in a blur when I'm thinking. Just thinking.

Writing Assignment #8 - SH5 Movie

I really enjoyed making the storyboard trailers in class. SH5 would attract a whole lot more people if it were made into a movie. The visual and auditory effects of this type of media can help articulate Vonnegut's message to various groups of people, in a fresh and effective manner.

A specific part of the novel that would work really well as a movie scene would be when the Three Musketeers and Billy trudge across the cold and uninhabitable land during the war. Just picture this:

The scene starts off with an establishing shot of the silent, white landscape, dotted with snow-covered pine trees. In the distance, the silhouettes of four people can be distinguished. Zooming in, two gruff soldiers are seen leading the way. Slightly lagging behind them is Billy Pilgrim, wobbling up and down as he walks. Closely following behind is Roland Weary, often pushing, shoving, and cursing at Billy. The camera zooms out into a long shot again and eventually fades to black. In the distance, a dog barks...

The purpose of this scene is to emphasize the loneliness of war. Even though the soldiers are physically close to one another, they each feel a sense of isolation and homesickness. This is the exact feeling I want to portray to the viewers. Also, the close-up shot with Weary abusing Billy is to show the brutality among American soldiers.

Another scene that would work very well in a movie is when Billy gets shot. Like my group described in class:

The camera closely zooms in on Billy’s face, moments before he is assassinated. A red laser beam points directly in the middle of his forehead before the screen begins to fade to black. Then, a crackling gun shot is heard.

This scene will create an extremely dramatic effect and will leave audience holding their breath - perfect for a thriller or action movie.

In the technological era today, visual and auditory effects can help SH5 gain appreciation from a wider audience. This way, Vonnegut could receive even more recognition for his attempts to deglorify war.

Future farm: a sunless, rainless room indoors

I was just checking my email when this news story caught my eye. Apparently, there's a new technology that allows for plants to grow without sunlight in some totally enclosed farm. Sounds pretty much like Billy and Montana Wildhack being placed in their artificial environment to me!

Orange peppers

Strawberry plants

Now that I look at these pictures again, the setting is freakishly similar to how I envisioned the Bottling Room in Brave New World. So artificial and high-tech! It also has the dim lighting and fully-controlled environment. I can almost hear a faint humming noise now

What do you guys think??

Wrinting Assignment #7 - Comparison Piece: Billy Pilgrim (and Tralfamadorians) vs. Angie Sayers

Here is an inspirational piece that caught my eye. It just made me appreciate everything in my life so much more. I'd also like to compare this piece with SH5.

http://downloads.chickensoup.com/file/CSS_Angie_Sayers.pdf

Briefly, Angie Sayers is a terminal cancer patient who blogs about her daily events. Her optimistic view on life is incredibly admirable. Despite her disease, she is a supporter of the notion of moving forward. In fact, she even created a list of 10 ways to do so. These steps not only pertain to cancer patients, but also to the general public. I know that it has definitely has made a profound effect on me. In the midst of the grade 11 stress and craziness, I think we can all take something away from her guide. For me, I will strive to follow rule # 9: Focus on the Good Things. A lot of tough challenges were thrown at me this year and there were times when I felt like giving up. Thank you, Angie, for helping me put things back into perspective. Stay strong! Anyways... I DIGRESS... majorly.

So back to my comparison:

1. The biggest difference between Vonnegut and Angie is that Angie has an optimistic tone in her writing. For example, she describes that her new medication "Thalidomide doesn't seem to have too many side effects on [her], except for some general weariness along with a couple of dizzy spells... [I]n comparison to the chemotherapy treatments that [she] began with (high dose Cisplatin to name one), these side effects are definitely minor and manageable." The girl is undergoing chemotherapy, yet she still has such a positive outlook on life! In contrast, Vonnegut writes with a resigned, defeatist attitude. Phrases like "so it goes" are indications of this tone.
2. Both Angie and Billy accept their lives as they are. While Angie is trying to make the best of hers, Billy does nothing. A prime example is his waiting for death, as I've mentioned in the previous post.
3. Billy and the Tralfamadorians believe that time is stationary. Unalterable. They think that every detail in one's life, from birth to death, is predetermined. Billy tries to convince others of his belief by speaking on a radio show and writing news articles. In contrast, Angie knows from her disease that time is precious. Like Billy, she shows others how to make the best out of it by sharing her guide to live happily.
4. Lastly, time travel exists in Billy and the Tralfamadorians' world but obviously does not in Angie's.

Harrison Bergeron

Here is a cartoon of Harrison Bergeron from the short story that we've read by Kurt Vonnegut. I found it pretty funny, and I thought I'd share it with you guys.

 

Also, if you want to find an electronic version of the story, check out the link below:

http://www.teacherweb.com/OR/cottagegrovehighschool/scrima/Harrison-Bergeron.pdf

Enjoy!

Writing Assignment # 5 - Welcome to My Life

"Welcome to My Life" by Tina Lei
An autobiographical book about the life of a grade 11 teenager

There is no story that I know better, than my very own. I can articulate this plot very well because it is current, extremely personal, and raw. I would not want to write a detailed, fictitious story because it would require much time to plan out and, as the genre suggests, fake.

In my book, I'd like to take the reader on a roller-coaster ride through the life of an insanely busy grade 11 Massey student (i.e. Moi). I'd recount all my academic endeavours, extracurricular clubs and activities, my job, and volunteering positions I've held. I want to discuss in-depth the frustrations I've had with some people, challenges that I've faced, and achievements that I've made throughout the entire year. Themes that I would definitely include are the lack of sincerity in this world (which I've written multiple essays on before), the unhealthy competition among students, and plain old stress. The main message that I'd like to get across is to stay strong and tackle life as it comes at you.

This book would be extremely relevant to many of my peers because it will aptly describe the typical high school life at Massey - without any exaggerations or lies. I guess this book, if I ever do come around to writing it, would mainly serve as a way to vent my emotions. Better yet, I hope that those who can relate to my story will realize that they aren't going through these issues alone. My book would contain a specific message just like how SH5 does, except mine will be told using nothing but the truth.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Something cool about existentialism I found online.



Friedrich Nietzsche was a philosopher who held existentialist views.

And here's a good site with info on existentialism:

http://www.friesian.com/existent.htm

Writing Assignment #6 - Stop waiting and DO SOMETHING!

UGHHHHH!!!

Billy Pilgrim! Why, why, WHY???!

You knew you were going to die so why couldn't you do something about it?! I get that these things are "going to happen" but its your own life, for goodness sake! GAHHH, I'm so annoyed that you couldn't have at least made even the slightest attempt to prevent your own death from happening. GOSH, at least TRY!!! Stop standing there passively, awaiting for you "fate"! If I were in your position, I'd take any opportunity to escape my death.

JEEZ!

***** I just needed to vent out my frustration immediately after reading that chapter.

So. I also find it tragic, almost ironic, that Valencia dies in the attempt of reaching Billy after his freak accident. I pity the woman because she was such a loyal and selfless wife. To be honest, I don't think Billy deserved to marry her because in the story, he seemed like a stoic, uncaring husband. At one point, he was even unfaithful to her. *Sigh...* Being a reader can be so stressful sometimes!

If I were to change something in SH5, it would definitely be to let Valencia live. Maybe I'm a sucker for all the good and innocent characters in books, but I strongly feel that she has the right to live. I think she deserves a better ending than what she got in Vonnegut's story.

I'd also explore the concept of trying to prevent a person's fate from occurring by making Billy escape his preplanned death. It would be interesting to intertwine the effects of free will, in a novel that is primarily dominated by fate. For example, if Billy had allowed the police officers to protect him during his speech in Chicago, he might have come out alive and unharmed. Then he would be able to complete his story about the Tralfamadorians, which I find would be an interesting topic to develop further.

Writing Assignment #3 - SH5's Explicit Nature

The most effective pieces of literature are, in fact, the most controversial ones. In order to get a certain message across, the best way is the leave the readers horrified and dumbfounded by its contents. From the books that I've read and from the research that I've done, it seems like every highly-criticized book has an important message to convey. I think censoring or even "softening up" parts of a book in order to make it suitable for the general public will defeat the book's primary purpose.

Take Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", for example. This book about the evolution of the human species caused an uproar in many religious sects because its contents defied the beliefs of creationism and the existence of a God. However, the message remained clear: humans and other animals may have evolved from more primitive beings through a process known as natural selection. Though I'm not going to do an in-depth analysis on this book, I'd like to illustrate how a single piece of writing from one author can impact millions of people around the world.

In SH5, Vonnegut does not explicitly condemn his countrymen, but he insinuates his disdain towards them by describing the dirty and repulsive events that occur among them. One instance that really strikes me is the passage with the "Three Musketeers". Originally, Roland Weary and two other soldiers had promised each other to stick together through thick or thin, but the two soldiers decided to ditch Weary for no apparent reason. As a result, Weary blamed Billy for being ditched and brutally abused him. Just the way Vonnegut described this scene was horrific! He wrote something along the lines that Billy fearfully laid curled up in a ball on the cold, snowy ground with his back completely exposed. Then, Weary wound his leg to kick Billy's bare "button spine". This scene just gave me the shivers, which proves that Vonnegut aptly described war as a terrifying and merciless event.

The only gratuitous parts that could have been left out were Billy's activities with Montana Wildhack in the Tralfamadorian zoo and his honeymoon with his wife. These parts deserved the criticism that SH5 received because they were inappropriate and served no purpose in the plot development. If Vonnegut wanted to attract the entire American population to read his anti-war book, the sexual nature of it would stave off many people.

To conclude, I think that almost every improper, repulsive, or gruesome story has something important to say. Using explicit material effectively depicts the true, raw nature of a certain opinions or events, and Slaughterhouse Five is a prime example of a novel that makes use of this method.

Writing Assignment #2 - Life on the Edge

"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." - Kurt Vonnegut

This quote immediately jumped out at me. I truly believe that life is what you make of it, and reaching the boundaries is exactly how I want live mine. I don't ever want to hold back and play it safe by staying "in the centre" because I'll be missing out on many life-changing opportunities. My drive to achieve beyond what is expected motivates me from day to day. My strong will won't allow me to settle for mediocrity. I seek perfection and crave for thrill and adventure. Only after attaining my goal, or "arriving at the edge", will I be satisfied. Then, I would kick back and enjoy the view until another challenge comes around. At the end of the day, when I'm old and wrinkled, I want to be able to say that I've experienced many things in my life that ordinary people haven't. I want to die without any regrets. Until then, I will not rest.

With respect to Vonnegut and his writing, he, too, does not hold back. He goes "right out to the edge"  and says the things he needs to say in order to convey his message. SH5 vividly describes the horrific conditions of war: everything from the repulsive boxcar environment, to the mangled corpses after the Dresden bombing. In the midst of those chaotic events, Vonnegut also describes the atrocities that American soldiers commit against each other. He dared to include a passage by Howard W. Campbell Jr., that condemned Americans as well. It began with, "America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves... Expect no brotherly love, even between brothers. There will be no cohesion between the individuals. Each will be a sulky child who often wishes he were dead" (128-130). Vonnegut made a risky decision by including this offensive piece and accepted the consequences that followed. Nevertheless, Vonnegut effectively got his message across by pushing the limits of the literary world.

Writing Assignment #1 - Billy Pilgrim: Fact or Fiction

I think the question should really be: Is Billy Pilgrim a lunatic or a time traveller?

From all the moments in Billy's life that we've already encountered, I think it's reasonable to say that he's a little mentally deranged. Okay, more than just a little. This man has experienced an endless train-wreck of disastrous events. From his childhood pool incident, to the grotesque conditions in WWII, to the deaths of multiple family members, Billy has had more than enough reasons to be mentally unstable. Also, how can we explain the existence of Tralfamadorians that he keeps on mentioning? Only after the plane crash did Billy start talking about these creatures. Though his explanation was that he was waiting "until the time was ripe" to share his information, we can deduce that these extraterrestrials are simply a figment of his imagination.

However, in the midst of all the confusing, disorderly events in the novel, I think there still exists a little bit of logical sense. Between every "moment" in Billy's life that he "travels" to, there is some sort of connection. For example, Billy falls asleep in the boxcar of WWII and finds himself 20 years later at his optometrist office, after accidentally dozing off while seeing a patient. In this case, sleep is what connects the two events. In Billy's subconsciousness, his memories transition from one to another via one common element (eg. sleep, darkness, sex), which makes it seem like he's travelling through time. What I'm picturing right now is a thin string that links all the jumbled odd and ends into one intricate, but followable plot. I think Vonnegut did a good job making the readers try to piece together the plot.

Sleepless Nights

So it's kinda late. 

I was listening to some mellow music when I suddenly got the idea of creating a "Playlist" page for my SH5 blog. My inspiration came from the song called Losing Your Memory by Ryan Star. I think it completely relates to Billy's whole "time travelling" ordeal. It seems like his subconsciousness was taking over his consciousness, which is why he constantly jumps back to moments in his past. He can't control anything that's going on in his mind. Like it says in this song, Billy needs to "wake up"  from this surreal state and go back to his normal life.

Anyways, here is the video. Enjoy!

Who is Yon Yonson?

Yon Yonson. This mystery man has come up several times in the first chapter of SH5. After a little digging around on the Internet, I've discovered that he's simply a figure in a child's rhyme.

But why does Vonnegut make use of such a figure? I hope to come up with something as I read further into the book.

Hello World.

Hi everyone!

This blog is designed for anything and everything related to Kurt Vonnegut and his novel, Slaughterhouse 5.

Though I have to admit, this is my first time creating any sort of blog, so I'm still trying to learn the ropes around here. I've got plenty of ideas to bring to the table and I'm really excited to see how this will turn out.

Keep checking in for more updates! :)