One of My Book reports that was due junior year of high school thought it was pretty good....
So it Goes
This project that is due for my 11th grade perspectives class, is supposed to be a book review about a certain “slaughter-house-five,” that was assigned to me by my teacher. This book I happened to choose was written by a certain Kurt Vonnegut. Along with the unit that we have been talking about in class, these two things, Kurt Vonnegut and postmodernism have opened my eyes in a very different way. This project I actually was looking forward to doing, I was ready it seemed, I was ready to write just another high school book report, this changed. With in the first 10 pages of this book I knew it changed. This book was more so a text book than a novel. I learned to pick apart this book from left to right. There are pointless examples of written material in this book that can be read into and associated with this “postmodern” term that we use. My first example that stuck out to me like sore thumb. It is quite early I the book and the talk of war comes about. Then the mention of babies. The men had been upfront which is unlikely telling the woman how they really didn’t act like men, more so babies. Then the women reply to the statement, don’t worry , there will be actors in the movie to make you look heroic and make war wonderful. Truth, no one knows what it is, unless of course it is experienced first hand, and still sometimes its blurred. This is one tiny freckle on the face of postmodernism. The scary part about a statement like that is that I, myself a student at Kennedy high school, makes me question truth from now on. I catch myself being more aware than ever, what if that story is false or somewhat “filled in” with the accounts of the “hero.” it’s a crazy thing to be aware of. Going along almost the same topic, clocks. One of the best lines in the whole book in my opinion is “As an earthling, I had to believe whatever the clocks said-and the calendars. This was a terrible line, this got me thinking so hard I couldn’t read the rest of class. This is the stuff that is so intensely deep that it blows my mind. Who questions the stuff that is “fact.” But then the question of “fact” comes into play. It is a never ending cycle of questioning authority no matter what “authority” might be. And again the part that makes me feel so uncomfortable is that I can relate this immensely deep subject into my somewhat simple high school life. Makes writing this paper hard, just getting into the mindset of it all. You can not forget about the infamous “tralfamadore” aliens that are quite possibly Vonnegut’s idea of the ideal human nature. This is quite possibly the simplest, best quote in the book. So it goes. Said more than 100 times in the time span of the novel. These aliens are supposed to see things in 4-D not the regular 3-D that we see in. These are so comfortable with the things they see, there remarks to deiced is “so it goes.” This is where my research of Vonnegut plays an extremely important part in understanding everything he is writing and why I enjoy reading him so much. Humanists, Vonnegut’s self acclaimed religion. By what I have read obliviously makes a lot of sense. The funny thing is I think me being in my postmodern state, I have put a lot of thought in this subject as well, which I think is why I took so much interests in this author. But now I think I have the answer I need to make my final decision about the stories that people take so seriously. But that’s for a different essay.
There is one more point in the book that I find completely brilliant the fact when “war in reverse is brought up by Billy. This got me thinking as well, what I sight that must be, as he talks about it in the book, the most beautiful, thing ever. I was just imagining bombs rising back into the sky from the ground, people coming back from where ever they were blown away too, by the terrible technological advances that us humans have dreamt up.
There is a passage from the book that is one more extremely important one. “If I hadn’t spent so much time studying Earthlings,” said the Tralfamadore, “I wouldn’t have any idea what was meant by ‘free will.’ I’ve visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.” This comes in chapter 4. This is kind of the upside I see in this book, about humans and the planet we live. This I think Kurt is trying to say that even as we have all this terrible stuff going on and we seem not as good as other places, that’s what makes earth beautiful and worth the fight to be on it, the fact that you never know if you will be here tomorrow. This quote reminded me of one of the best movie quotes ever, from the movie Troy…” I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.” I like to think that is exactly what he is saying in the book.
This paper could seriously go on and on about my new favorite author. I think he is a timeless author that so much can be learned from. Some of these things I am reading about what this man has said is just brilliant. “A purpose of human life, no matter who controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”-Vonnegut “All persons, Living and dead, are purely coincidental.” -Vonnegut it’s a shame such a wise man goes. The reason I think this Slaughterhouse-five is so intensely littered with postmodern ideas is the fact that he witnessed a different point of view from the horrific bombing of Dresden. The weird part is that I wonder if that’s all some people lack, if all they need is a different look a something. I think that, that one moment in his life he things began to click in his head. Or more so question the click. "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." -Vonnegut.
As I am about to close up this paper my itunes play lists happens to land on the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. As I listen to this song I start to see many simulates in the song and many of the things I have recently read about Vonnegut. It is almost gut wrenching to think about some of this stuff that you are supposed to know, or is supposed to be true. The part that really kind of makes me uncomfortable is this the fact that my biggest postmodern question I don’t think will ever be answered. Kind of depressing thinking about leaving here with so many un answered questions.
But as you see this was not your typical book review, and it is a little long, but it was one of those things that just seem to fall right into place. I actually feel as though I managed to “read” this book, not just reading every word as many students would consider reading. But actually apply what was trying to be taught in this book into my own life, and being able to understand exactly what is trying to be said. Its almost scary, I actually found a book that I enjoyed and learned a hell of a lot from. Its insane the amount of wisdom you can pick out from a book. And I think you got your lesson across Mr.Ayers, Not one of those lame book projects that teachers usually do. Was an extremely well put together idea that was taught and I think very well interpreted by most students. All you needed was to point me in the right direction… well done.
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." -Vonnegut.
Vonnegut (1922-2007)-so it goes
