Billy Pilgrim

A Metaphor for War: Schwarzschild Radius and Black holes Connie Willis communicates that a black hole is akin to war through the use of a number of metaphors in her story Schwarzschild Radius. Schwarzschild Radius is about a World War One veteran, Rottschieben who is recounting his time in the war to a curious college student who wished to know about his time working alongside the physicist that is attributed with the discovery of the Schwarzschild Radius. Willis uses comparisons such as…

to emphasize the importance of life and significance ofdeath. Kurt Vonnegut uses a mix of social satire, black humor, autobiography and moral philosophy to explain a powerful antiwar message (Vonnegut and Ludwig). Through the characterization of Billy Pilgram and his experiences in World War II, Vonnegut uses his own background from the firebombing of Dresden, Germany to explore the psychological effects of war on the average soldier in Slaughterhouse-Five. The air raid upon Dresden,…

Within the first chapter of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five the reader learns not only how the novel will begin but also, rather unconventionally, how it will end. In addition, Vonnegut presents a peculiar admission: “All of this happened, more or less” (1). Beginning in this curious manner sets the stage for a novel that demands the reader’s attention to more than just plot lines. By divulging such information regarding the ending and also disclosing that the content is not to be viewed…

“Auto Wreck” reveals what its poet considers to be the terrible secret of modern life: the creeping indifference toward technological determinism, the simple violence of machine against human being in which everyone participates by failing to be troubled or moved by such disasters as automobile wrecks. The tone of the poem is likely to be melodious which an imagism verse is. It is a short, lyrical narrative poem. The poem is described in first person narrative. The poet in short is trying to…

“No. My dad leaves bruises on the inside”(pg 70). In Ironman, Chris Crutcher, the author, shows physical and mental abuse through the main characters in this story. They have been abused internally or externally by either a parent or a close family member. The main characters, Bo and Shelly are affected by the continual bullying from the ones that are expected to protect them. Unfortunately, there’s a handful of children who experience this type of hardship throughout their lifetime. 5 Bo…

Eugène Ionesco’s Rhinoceros written in 1959 is one of his most famous works forming a part of the Post War Avant-Garde Drama of the Theatre of Absurd. Rhinoceros demonstrates Ionesco’s anxiety about the spread of inhuman totalitarian tendencies in society. Inspired by his personal experiences with fascism during World War II, this absurdist drama depicts the struggle of one man to maintain his identity and integrity alone in a world where all others have succumbed to the beauty of brute force…

A Reflection on the Recurring Themes of 3 of Dave Eggers Works A wide range of personal experiences to look back on, a curiosity to understand and reveal social injustices; this along with Eggers sophisticated and entertaining writing style has justly made Dave Eggers a national best seller. Through reading three of his many works, I have discovered recurring themes of loss and loss through death, faults with the social justice system and racial profiling, and a misconception of…

Although Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a war novel and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson is public commentary, both works possess significant factors which explain or expose underlying human savagery. Lord of the Flies primarily deals with friction between two boys leaders, Ralph, the savage and Jack, the civilized. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed points out, however, the destruction or saving of people’s lives based on the rocky balance between savagery and civility. Both…

anti war novel. The truths of the book give the essence of Vonnegut’s meaning, whether it be during the awful war or just in the main character, Billy, who’s unforgiving flashbacks take place when a moment of discomfort comes into his life. Billys discomfort helps us to better understand why Vonnegut reveals and hides the truth, because in the end, Billy is trying to hide from it himself.…

intelligent and makes sense. Diction is used by the author in that his word choice shows why war is hard to describe. Vonnegut’s use of diction is evident in the last line of the book, “Poo-tee-weet?”(Vonnegut 275), because it’s something a bird said to Billy, the main character. It isn’t supposed to make sense because of its underlying meaning, which is that war doesn’t…