Annotation In Slaughterhouse Five

He distances himself from his friends and family and

To give his audience clarity, he chooses words such as “soul-destroying loneliness” to explain

He tries to forgive himself but he cannot, no matter how hard he tries. The heroic characteristics as well as the flaw leads him to be a tragic hero. On top of his road to self discovery he must deal with the ever declining social structure of the town. He tries to stand out as an honest resistor to the hangings, which ultimately leads to his

6.) Changes in school: He dropped out of school in third grade and began raising himself. 7.) Traumatic experiences in childhood: After killing his brother and his family abandoning him he was taken advantage of. 8.)

When he tries to connect with other people be is also rejected by them. He stumbles upon a peasant family and hides in a shed learning how to read, write, and speak. After months of learning he finally decides to confront the family and see of they will accept him. When he does, it is a complete disaster and he runs away in anguish: “My heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel” (137).

Technological Advancements in Warfare and their Effects on Mental Health Humans are extremely social creatures. People have an unparalleled capacity to empathize and recognize the emotions of others. However, extreme trauma can severely compromise this ability, particularly trauma inflicted by warfare. As a result of his first hand experience with the government 's use of technology in warfare, Billy Pilgrim of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five loses his ability to control his social interactions, becoming apathetic and disconnected with the world around him, a phenomenon not uncommon amongst those who have seen the immediate devastation of modern warfare technology.

When Slaughterhouse Five was published, the Vietnam War was ongoing. The American public did not fully support the war, as can be seen through the vast amount of protests against the war, and more specifically, the draft. The people were also against the amount of money this war was costing the country, up to $25 billion a year (History Channel). Vonnegut enlisted in the military, and fought in WWII. He was captured after the Battle of the Bulge, and managed to escape during the Firebombing of Dresden (Kurt Vonnegut Biography).

Throughout the story “In the silence” by Peggy S. Curry the protagonist; Jimmy is on a rollercoaster of emotions. At the beginning of the story, Jimmy is depressed and homesick because of his interactions with Angus Duncan. Although as he would finger is brooch he would remember home, this made him happier. When Angus sent Jimmy into “the silence” he was scared, scared of all the dangers around him. After a few nights “in the silence” he had already lost two of his sheep, one was killed when trampled by a horse, and another was dropped and killed by a sheep, he was worried about what Angus’ reaction would be along with the sheep’s safety in jeopardy.

In enduring these complex emotions, this section was the most remarkable part. One of the first apparent emotions the boy experiences with the death of his father is loneliness to make this section memorable. The boy expresses this sentiment when he stays with his father described as, “When he came back he knelt beside his father and held his cold hand and said his name over and over again,” (McCarthy 281). The definition of loneliness is, “sadness because one has no friends or company.”

His parents were always fighting and yelling, which gave him an uneasy environment to grow up in. From his experiences with abuse and hate, he was always there

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five Author: Kurt Vonnegut Thesis: Throughout KVs SF, he describes in matter of fact way the psychological impact/effects of the devastation of war and death upon Billy Pilgrim and how he handles it. Through the exploration of Billy Pilgrim’s detached and indifferent thoughts, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five illustrates the coping mechanisms of a World War II veteran with post traumatic stress disorder.

He feels like this would fulfill his emotions with loneliness. Mother Teresa once said, “the most terrible

He feels this way because he has spent a majority of his life with his family, and his one friend Henry Clerval. He has been for the most part sheltered, and does not seem to know how to function in society. Instead of

History does not always convey the absolute truth. It offers only one side of the story. The strong and powerful voices always drown out the sounds of the weak and beaten. The winner’s word will always be taken over the loser’s. The content that lies within the textbooks was not written by the defeated.

As he, the Wanderer speaks kindly, he explains that “ A wise man must be patient not too hot of heart nor hasty of speech, not reluctant to fight nor too reckless, not too timid nor too glad, not too greedy, and never eager to commit until he can be sure. A man should hold back his boast until that time has come when he truly knows to direct his heart on the right path”. This quote reveals the acceptance aspect within the five stages of grief which he is experiencing throughout the poem. The Wanderer speaks of patience and how to be calm and in lack of better words, indifferent about quite a lot of things. This is a side of him which is more calm, understanding, and accepting.