Kurt Vonnegut Analysis - 1239 Words

Kurt Vonnegut The Nonsense of War and Billy Pilgrim The firebombing of Dresden by the Allies took as many as 135,000 innocent lives (AE). Among those firebombed, there was Kurt Vonnegut, a U.S. POW during World War II being held captive by the Nazis (AE). Strategically, the firebombing was senseless (AE). Many have speculated that the purpose of the bombing was to disrupt the Nazi war machine, which would make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that Dresden contained no heavy industry (AE). The Allies also stated that it was a strategic communication point used by the Nazis, something they could never prove (AE). Many today believe that the true motive for the bombing was to punish the Germans for their own atrocities (AE). When looked†¦show more content†¦Many of the characters within the story are on either side of the spectrum. Characters such as Roland Weary see war as a rite of passage, and an advancement of their own manhood. A character such as Roland is symbolic of the false glory the general population sees in wa rfare, his violent mannerisms are representative of someone who is either psychotic or sociopathic. Contrast Roland with the lead of the story, Billy Pilgrim. Billy Pilgrim is by all accounts, not fit for warfare. In the story, when Billy is with his three companions before being captured, he â€Å"had no helmet, no overcoat, no weapon and no boots...He was the only one of the four who had a beard...He didnt look like a soldier at all† (Vonnegut 18). This description, and many other similar descriptions of Billy during this time, show that he is an observer of war, not a participant. At the same time if Billy Is just an observer of the war, then why is he truly there? It’s simple, he was drafted. Billy as a character is thrown around a whole lot. First, it is with being drafted and sent to Luxembourg, next it’s when he is taken prisoner by the Nazis, and finally again when he is abducted by the Tralfamadorians and is unhinged and thrown through time without much control over where he is going. Nevertheless, the reason Billy is so out of place in is because, Billy is the lens in which the reader sees the war, Dresden, the prison camps, and all the other awful thingsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five Essay2080 Words   |  9 PagesNatalie Lubben December 5, 2016 Rhetorical Analysis Essay Draft Slaughterhouse-five War is a virus, a plagues our world and has experienced since the early ages of time. Once a war is cured a new strain begins stronger and more unforgiving as the last. Humans are creatures of habit which continue the violence. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, slaughterhouse-five, is a deliberate and well developed statement against war as expressed through the tone, rhetoric, and characters, making anti war a prominentRead MoreAnalysis Of Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut905 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut, Vonnegut expresses the dangers that could be caused in total equality. He deliberates the pain his characters have to endure through their handicaps they received from the government to assure equality in society. Vonnegut explores the dangers that total equality brings to society. Harrison’s attempt to free people of their equality is accompanied by Harrison’s parents, sitting on the couch having to deal with their hand icaps while trying to focus on Harrison’sRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five 1453 Words   |  6 PagesTo Go or Not to Go? So it goes. Defining post-modern works, can be daunting, but the main traits of post-modernism are embracing skepticism and overturning conventions. With this in mind, Kurt Vonnegut explores war drawing parallels from his own past experience and depicts it through his character Billy Pilgrim allowing the reader to see the dichotomy in reality and fiction, separating his novel from the normal layout of a linear novel. Also, Slaughterhouse-Five discusses the controversial militaryRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five 1634 Words   |  7 PagesKurt Vonnegut once said, â€Å"So it goes† to describe the unavoidableness of fate. This aspect of seeing terrible things and being able to continue on would become a main theme in his novels. Vonnegut, as an author, received his essential voice by writing about his own experiences, using what would become his signature pessimistic yet humanist view. Vonnegut is described by Lindsay Clark as, â€Å"Worse than a pessimist†¦ he is an eternal optimist doomed to disappointment† (Clark, â€Å"Viewing Four Vonnegut NovelsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut859 Words   |  4 Pages Kurt Vonnegut wrote a short story called â€Å"Harrison Bergeron.† This story takes place in a world where everyone is one hundred percent equal through restraining anyone with an above average natural anything. It start of with the George and Hazel Bergeron watching television. Then a strong and intelligent young man named Harrison Bergeron made the choice to appear on that broadcast and speak against the handicaps before getting shot by the Handicapper General. This story shows that individuality makesRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 935 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† Kurt Vonnegut reveals the truth about world. Vonnegut farther explains how humankind is controlled by America’s first amendment of everyone being created equal. The main character of the story, also a protagonist Harrison Bergeron aims to let the world know what is truly happening to them. He is killed by an antagonist Dianna Moon Clampers who is a handicapper general. The futuristic short story is written in a third person omniscient. It’s told y a narrator who seems to knowRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 953 Words   |  4 PagesEquality. The most sought after desire in society. Each person has the felt the disease of envy for another’s talent, wisdom, or beauty. The heart, mind and soul are never replicated between two humans. This places one’s envy as a never ending cycle. Kurt Vonnegut’s story, Harrison Bergeron, focuses on the theme that society and government aspire to make all citizens equal by restricting them and making all handicapped for the purpose of obedience only to inadvertently achieve inequality. The shortRead MoreAnalysis Of Harrison Bergeron By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.1242 Words   |  5 Pages If you were to live in a society in which citizens are literally equal in every aspect of their lives, would you consider this kind of society a utopia or dystopia? The science-fiction short story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. depicts the future of a world where the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America is interpreted and executed literally, where every man is believed to be created equal. If you happened to have been born strong, beautiful, intelligentRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 1322 Words   |  6 Pagesdon’t stand out. This is life in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron.† Harrison, a brilliant and strong 14 year old boy, decides he doesn’t want to follow the government s rules anymore. He sets out to overthrow the government, knowing he may not succeed. Throughout the story Vonnegut expresses the theme that standing up for what you believe in despite the dangers is the morally righteous and necessary thing to do. A major theme in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr’s short story, â€Å"Harrison BergeronRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 873 Words   |  4 Pagesstate of being equal, especially in status, rights and opprtunites, But in Kurt Vonnegut story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† equality is far from being equal. In this story, though it tries to paint an imaginary picture of a future in American society where everybody is finally equal before God and the Law, and where nobody is smatter, better, looking, stronger or quicker than anybody else, but that is actually not the case. Vonnegut, indirectly in this story re-echo’s the popular Animal Farm saying that â€Å"All