"Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand."
This quote relates to Vonnegut's writing because Vonnegut was a big believer and fan of science fiction. It is very obvious of this liking in Slaughterhouse Five with his Tralfamadorians and their alien world. Topics such as aliens and super powers definitely fall under the sci-fi section in the book shelves of Vonnegut's mind. Whether that shelf is located in the Fact or Fiction, we are unsure. But this quote definitely shows how Vonnegut enjoys living with a make-believe complex. He may feel comfortable having a world that he can make perfect in his mind when everything around him in reality is far from it.
Monday 28 February 2011
Writing Assignment #1: Anna
On the topic of whether or not Billy Pilgrim is actually tavelling through time or not, my opinion is that he isnt. I think that the jumps through time, as they are described, are either the result of a nervous breakdown by Billy, or he is simply dying and is watching his life flash before his eyes.
I think that these are the only two explanations because realistically, there are no little green aliens and he could not be travelling through time. And the reason that he is "jumping" to totally opposite points of his life could be that his brain has overloaded, resulting in a nervous breakdown. This could cause Billy's brain to be jumping to total opposite emotional point of his life. Going from a time of extreme distress such his time in the war to happier times after the war when Billy's in his office, doing his job which he enjoys.
The other possibility is that Billy is dying and he is simply having his life flash before his eyes. At first glance, this theory doesn't really make sense because generally, all the events should be in order and Billy's are not. There is a simple explanation for this. Billy has suffered many traumatic experiences. From being thrown into a pool when he was a kid by his father to being so close to the edge of the grand canyon to being a POW in World War II. These many different traumatizing events could easily have altered Billy's mind so that it can't actually recognize which ones comes in what order. For all we know, Billy's mind could think that the constant jumping of memories could be how he thinks his life has gone in chronological order.
I think that these are the only two explanations because realistically, there are no little green aliens and he could not be travelling through time. And the reason that he is "jumping" to totally opposite points of his life could be that his brain has overloaded, resulting in a nervous breakdown. This could cause Billy's brain to be jumping to total opposite emotional point of his life. Going from a time of extreme distress such his time in the war to happier times after the war when Billy's in his office, doing his job which he enjoys.
The other possibility is that Billy is dying and he is simply having his life flash before his eyes. At first glance, this theory doesn't really make sense because generally, all the events should be in order and Billy's are not. There is a simple explanation for this. Billy has suffered many traumatic experiences. From being thrown into a pool when he was a kid by his father to being so close to the edge of the grand canyon to being a POW in World War II. These many different traumatizing events could easily have altered Billy's mind so that it can't actually recognize which ones comes in what order. For all we know, Billy's mind could think that the constant jumping of memories could be how he thinks his life has gone in chronological order.
Bugs in Amber
"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved. All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber." - Kurt Vonnegut
One can most obviously relate this to the time the Tralfamadorians telling Billy Pilgrim that we are all bugs in amber, but I think it is a huge theme in the book, being stuck in amber. So many people die in the book, that it causes me to think about my own life. A "wow, we can die at any moment." kind of thought. The quote says that we have to live each moment to the fullest because "all time is all time, it does not change". The past and the future don't matter. The past has already happened, we can't change it, and we can't change the future either. The only place in time that we can effect is the current moment we are in.
Overall, this quote is one of the very essences of Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut is just trying to tell everyone, that today could be your last day, or one of your loved ones last day. So live every day like it's your last day.
By: Rachel Cutler
One can most obviously relate this to the time the Tralfamadorians telling Billy Pilgrim that we are all bugs in amber, but I think it is a huge theme in the book, being stuck in amber. So many people die in the book, that it causes me to think about my own life. A "wow, we can die at any moment." kind of thought. The quote says that we have to live each moment to the fullest because "all time is all time, it does not change". The past and the future don't matter. The past has already happened, we can't change it, and we can't change the future either. The only place in time that we can effect is the current moment we are in.
Overall, this quote is one of the very essences of Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut is just trying to tell everyone, that today could be your last day, or one of your loved ones last day. So live every day like it's your last day.
By: Rachel Cutler
Being unstuck in time..
Almost everyone wishes they could travel through time, either to see their future, or change mistakes they made in the past. In Slaughterhouse Five, Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time, and so he flickers back and forth between different times. Although, he doesn't have control over the time and destination yet. Some people say that Billy has just been through so many traumatic experiences that he is imagining flipping through time, or is making all this events up, such as in the case of the Tralfamadorians.
I believe that Billy Pilgrim has in fact become unstuck in time. The time travelling seems to be based on his time in the war, but it is interspersed with events later in his life, so he is going forwards in time, and then back to the present. If he was imagining it, he wouldn't be able to see events later in his life, he would only be able to see present or past events. He already knew the Tralfamadorians were coming, "Billy now shuffled down his upstairs hallway, knowing he was about to be kidnapped by a flying saucer" (72).
When Billy is in his house, sobbing on his bed, he is brought back to Luxembourg where "[i]t was a winter wind that was bringing tears to his eyes" (63). The book says that Billy frequently starts crying on his bed, and the time that we witness him crying on his bed, it is during a transition to a time in the war that made him cry. So it seems to be that what is happening on one side of the transition can effect the other side.
By: Rachel Cutler
I believe that Billy Pilgrim has in fact become unstuck in time. The time travelling seems to be based on his time in the war, but it is interspersed with events later in his life, so he is going forwards in time, and then back to the present. If he was imagining it, he wouldn't be able to see events later in his life, he would only be able to see present or past events. He already knew the Tralfamadorians were coming, "Billy now shuffled down his upstairs hallway, knowing he was about to be kidnapped by a flying saucer" (72).
When Billy is in his house, sobbing on his bed, he is brought back to Luxembourg where "[i]t was a winter wind that was bringing tears to his eyes" (63). The book says that Billy frequently starts crying on his bed, and the time that we witness him crying on his bed, it is during a transition to a time in the war that made him cry. So it seems to be that what is happening on one side of the transition can effect the other side.
By: Rachel Cutler
Sunday 27 February 2011
Anna says:
It's not quiet at my house right now, but I do hear a whole lot of barking dogs, should I be worried?
Friday 25 February 2011
Starting up The Blog
For Mr. Lynn, this is Rachel Cutler from period 6 and Anna Yednoroz from period 7.
Thursday 24 February 2011
Hello class!
I made a blog, and somewhere in the distance a dog is barking. (I'm not kidding, my neighbour's dog just started barking...)
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