In class we've talked bout finding the "beautiful" moments in Slaughterhouse 5 in order to think of it as a Trafalmadorian novel. I think the problem with trying to make it fit this definition is the ambiguity of the term beautiful. One scene that could be considered beautiful is the raspberry sherbet colored snow. The coloration is gorgeous, and we could just stop the scene there instead of reading past the beauty to know the color is from blood (which takes away from the nice image you get from the sherbet). For this reason, I think finding the beautiful or happy moments in Slaughterhouse 5 is a shallow way to read the book. The endearing scenes have a much more lasting impact in my opinion because they contain lessons, so I believe we should focus on the moments that can teach us. This is in direct conflict with the Trafalmadorians though who don't think you can change anything.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, an adaptation of our definition of beautiful/happy needs to change in order to get the most out of this book (if we're reading it as if it's a Trafalmadorian novel). Looking for the pleasant parts leaves out the scenes of compassion and humanity that we can learn from. I've gained the most from scenes like Billy weeping over the horses' pain, where the overwhelming empathy the characters feel reaches you and makes you want to help. This effect of wanting to help fix problems in the world has the potential to be a successful method of stopping wars which could make this a successful anti-war novel.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Science Fiction in Slaughterhouse 5
Vonnegut phrases the role of science fiction in the book best saying it is a means of reinvention. It allows Billy to reshape his experiences using time travel, bouncing from moment to moment to only re-experience certain parts of his trauma. Being able to pick and choose (in a way) what moments of a traumatic experience you think about has the potential to leave behind some of the more chilling memories which could do more psychological damage. Billy could possibly be a completely different person to us than he is to the rest of the world because we could be with him after he's 'chosen' less violent memories to hold on to. If this is true, the science fiction element time travel has truly reinvented Billy from a scarred veteran to a person more understanding of his experiences.
Slaughterhouse 5 reinvents parts of us as well. The time travel Vonnegut incorporates makes World War 2 more fictional which in turn makes it easier for us to relate to. If Slaughterhouse 5 were simply another textbook on the the world wars our views on the atrocities would probably not change. But, since the book has the feel of fiction readers can more easily become invested in the outcomes. By pulling us in with the science fiction elements Vonnegut is able to reshape readers views from a black and white belief that the Germans were entirely at fault to the reality that both sides committed atrocities.
Slaughterhouse 5 reinvents parts of us as well. The time travel Vonnegut incorporates makes World War 2 more fictional which in turn makes it easier for us to relate to. If Slaughterhouse 5 were simply another textbook on the the world wars our views on the atrocities would probably not change. But, since the book has the feel of fiction readers can more easily become invested in the outcomes. By pulling us in with the science fiction elements Vonnegut is able to reshape readers views from a black and white belief that the Germans were entirely at fault to the reality that both sides committed atrocities.
Racism Obviously Being Wrong
As readers we are not very well disciplined. Everything we deem moderately confusing we expect to be explained to us. The entirety of Reed's Mumbo Jumbo shows that the author doesn't care what we expect, making this book a difficult read. At the start Reed places chapter one before the title page and publisher information where, if you aren't paying attention, you may skip it. I see this as a warning to the reader to read with their guard up because "rules" of literature layout don't matter to Reed. Interspersed in the chapters are seemingly random images with no explanation. These images coupled with core concepts like Jes Grew (which is also introduced with no background)force the reader to think critically instead of passively reading which is an unusual for our society because the literature we read presents simple and easily understood concepts.
The complicated writing style Reed uses in Mumbo Jumbo outlines the simplicity of the prejudice issues throughout the book. To me, by making everything else needlessly obscure and problematic the wrongness of racism becomes obvious. Reed making the wrongness of racism easy to understand leaves no excuses for misrepresentation and prejudice within both literature and society, which I believe is one of the main purposes of the novel.
The complicated writing style Reed uses in Mumbo Jumbo outlines the simplicity of the prejudice issues throughout the book. To me, by making everything else needlessly obscure and problematic the wrongness of racism becomes obvious. Reed making the wrongness of racism easy to understand leaves no excuses for misrepresentation and prejudice within both literature and society, which I believe is one of the main purposes of the novel.
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