Slaughterhouse Five Satire Analysis

Kurt Vonnegut often uses satire to comment on the injustices of war in his book, Slaughterhouse-Five. His anti-war book often makes fun of the common soldier, and the way people act in war. He creates the characters Billy Pilgrim and Roland Weary to show the extreme personalities on can meet in war. He also uses the character Edgar Derby to show how the warriors most fit to be in war are not always destined for glory. Vonnegut uses satire to promote his anti-war message, and warn people about the effects war can have on a person. The first time Vonnegut uses satire repeatedly is to describe Billy Pilgrim’s appearance. He is always clothed in ridiculous attire, such as a little coat that he carried as a “lady’s muff” and “Cinderella’s slippers” on his feet (144). His sight was comical, and to the Germans, he was one of “the most screamingly funny things they had seen” (90). Pilgrim inverts the role of a soldier because he is unexpectedly unfit for war. Vonnegut is commenting on how people may believe that those who fight …show more content…
Uncle Sam was often used to recruit men to join the war in both World Wars. Uncle Sam was depicted as the father of the nation, and a true patriot. The poster is made up of red, white and blue colors, further invoking a person's sense of nationalism. My poster shows what Uncle Sam is actually encouraging Americans to join, death and destruction. I stayed true to the red white and blue color scheme, but also added oranges and yellows, along with darker colors so symbolize the destruction that occurs in war. In my poster, the American flag still flies, but has been ripped and burned to shreds, and Uncle Sam has been brutally beaten. The bullet, bomb, and fire all represent the harm advanced machinery can inflict on a person, and how if one goes to war, their chance of death has significantly increased. While the original Uncle Sam piece inspires patriotism, my poster invokes