ontheroad

Week 1: Joe Satkowski-Job A Julian Sison-Job B Jim Horvath - Job C Mike Niego - Job D

B: The main character in __Slaughterhouse Five__ is named Billy Pilgrim, and is a strange man who believes he was abducted by a group of aliens named the Tralfamadorians who looked like human hands with eyes on top of them. Billy Pilgrim's life had been changed by this "abduction", and he has been labeled a "psycho" by those who know him for his strange behavior. He believed he was stuck in time, and felt that he should tell the newspaper of his abduction, which made others even more concerned about him. Billy Pilgrim's daughter, Barbara, tried to convince him to stop spreading lies about his abduction, as it publicly humiliated their family, however, Billy refused to admit otherwise. Billy is known to be a calm and collected person who never showed his anger, and is stuck on the fact that he had an encounter with aliens. Billy is also a religious person. We are drawn to Billy for his weird yet unique personality, and how is it funny that he thinks he was actually abducted by aliens, which makes it seem like the book will be interesting in the future.

C: After yet another week without food due to the absence of Joe Satkowski, we began to discuss Slaughterhouse Five. Obviously, the book is centered around the horrific events of World War II, but does not take place in any one specific time, as the main character becomes "unstuck in time" and experiences moments of his life in a random order. Vonnegut mentions in Chapter One that through this book, he plans to finally discuss the bombing of Dresden that he himself witnessed when he was a soldier in the war. Dresden was a city in Germany that was bombed by the British Royal Air Force, killing over 25,000 innocent people. After witnessing the bombing, Billy experienced a time jump to a point after the war, where he was abducted by aliens, known as Tramalfadorians.

The aliens taught Billy about fate and the illusion of free will and the inevitability of death. In Billy's latest "trip," he travels to the night of his daughter's wedding, which is the same night that he is captured by the Tramalfadorians. During this week's book club, we discussed the main character of the book, Billy Pilgrim. Billy is a weak, immature man who is greatly traumatized by his involvement in World War II. We thought that Billy is mentally unstable and may have even imagined his experience with the Tramalfadorians, creating them as a way to explain the horrific events he experienced during the war.

D: 1. During what time period does the story take place? 2. What significant event does Vonnegut plan to write about? 3. What is Dresden and what happened there? 4. What unusual occurrence happened to Billy Pilgrim? 5. Where does Billy Pilgrim "time-travel" to in his latest trip?

Week 2: Mike Niego-Job A Julian Sison-Job B Joe Satkowski-Job C Jim Horvath-Job D

B: In __Slaughterhouse Five__, Kurt Vonegut utilizes many common terms and throws in language that is more familiar to those who enjoy reading classical novels. __Slaughterhouse Five__ uses language that our book club is less used to, as we had previously read two novels where the language was simpler and more to the point, since our other novels were of the noir genre. However, we are able to understand the events of the novel quite clearly, which is a positive, since our book club doesn't struggle with the reading of this book and we are all able to grasp the unusual concepts that Vonegut throws at us. Overall, __Slaughterhouse Five__ is a fairly easy read, and all four of us agree that it is not actually the language that might be difficult for one to understand when they are reading, but it is the content. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is an eccentric person whose life has been influenced by an alien abduction, and his actions and speech are very strange when compared to that of a "normal" character, although he does display some usual characteristics, such as a calm and collected attitude. The language of __Slaughterhouse Five__, I believe, would be for a high school level, because, although the book is not very lengthy, it is quite deep and involving for the reader. So far, little has occurred in the novel, but I have hope for the rest of __Slaughterhouse Five__.

C: This week, we went without food again, and with the absence of Joe Satkowski we were short one person. However, book club continued with the concept of language, and we focused on the point that Vonegut tends to use simple language that all can understand to provide simplicity for his readers. We all agreed that this aspect is what makes Vonegut unique, that he decided the story, not the vocabulary, was the most important thing to the novel, and therefore keeps the language simple and to the point. As Mike Niego stated, the language is on a need-to-know basis, where Vonegut gives the reader what he needs to know, leaves some room for discussion, and thus creates a unique and interesting book. However, it does leave certain readers at a lost who would rather have answers as to how Billy Pilgrim is traveling between time and how he got the ideas, rather than just his adventures.

The second point that we discussed was whether this use of language was successful or unsuccessful, and we concluded that it was indeed successful since it allowed readers of all ages to read the novel and enjoy it. We noticed that many of the books on the Top 100 lists used more vivid vocabulary in order to give their ideas to the reader, but instead we thought Vonegut's work had reached the Top 100 list for storyline, and purely that. Vonegut's unique writing style, with the narrator interrupting often to remind the reader of past events and inform them about important facts, coupled with his unique thinking style, which involves four-dimensional view, time travel, and aliens all in one novel, form a very intense novel which all ages can read and enjoy.

D: 1. Has Vonegut used any language you haven't understood completely? Vonnegut's language has been straightforward for the most part, as he is a rather basic writer. He tends to keep it simple in his writing style and does not not try to be over extravagant or fancy. 2. Do you think the vocabulary was used for our specific grade level? The vocabulary is nothing too exceptional and can easily be comprehended by someone of our grade level. Vonnegut managed to write a masterfully crafted story while still making it easy to read. 3. Did Vonegut use any language that surprised you? His simplistic style may be what makes his books so accessible to so many readers. He has not used any language in the book so far that is surprising in any way. He manages to explain Billy's time traveling and his encounter with the Tralfamadorians without any confusion. 4. What, so far, has been the most interesting event in the novel? Mike Niego believes that the most interesting event so far has been Billy Pilgrim's being abducted by aliens. Julian and I agreed as this is a key event in the story where Billy learns about himself and the universe, and the idea of free will. This is the point in the story where Billy recognizes the fact that there are some things he is powerless to change, which is a major theme in the story. This can also be related to Vonnegut's idea of war itself, and how we are powerless to prevent it. 5. How has Vonegut used language differently from other authors? Vonnegut pays more attention to content than language, unlike many other authors. He focuses more on effectively telling his story than making it sound sophisticated. With an advanced concept like time travel, this is very helpful, as stories concerning this topic can become very confusing. Vonnegut tells us only what we need to know in this book, making the story clear and easy to understand.

Week 3: Jim Horvath-Job A Mike Niego-Job B Joe Satkowski-Job C Julian Sison-Job D

B: The overriding emotion of the book seems to be slightly depressed, because throughout the book the narrator seems to have a negative tone. The narrator refers to his book as a failure during the very beginning, which starts the reader off on a negative note. However, throughout the story the tone seems to brighten up a little bit because as the plot progresses, Billy Pilgrim is introduced, who has a very optimistic nature. Billy Pilgrim has a calm attitude because he remains cool and collected throughout the entire novel and is good at controlling and concealing his emotions. The overriding emotion of the book so far would most likely be a feeling of being lost, because it seems as if throughout the novel, Billy Pilgrim has lost himself and is looking for guidance, and in order to cover up his own weaknesses, he states that he was abducted by aliens. Our group believes that Billy Pilgrim is using the alien abduction as a cover to his problems, and that he does not really believe he was abducted by aliens. This would provide a reason as to why he went to such detail about his abduction by the Tralfamadorians.

C: After a hearty meal as provided by Jim, we got into our discussion. We discussed what the main theme of Vonnegut 's writing so far in the book. We agreed that the main theme so far is time traveling, and the difference between free will and being controlled by other people. We also discussed what Billy Pilgrim's biggest problems are. We said that his biggest problems are that no one believed that he was abducted in the first place, and that no one believed that he was a time traveler. When Vonnegut says that Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time, he means that since Billy is a time traveler, he is able to move in and out of certain time periods, and is not stuck or limited to a single time period. Vonnegut does not involved the narrator very much, according to Jim, and he was only there in the beginning of the story to start it out. Jim and Julian think that the narrator is a small time writer (which eliminates the possibility of him being Vonnegut) and that he plays only a small part in the story.

Billy Pilgrim's biggest problem relates to number three as well, since Billy's problem is how he has had struggles with time and with society, and he has trouble being accepted into the world. He has been rejected because of his belief in alien life, and to express this problem and the plot, Vonegut remains mainly neutral to keep it from the standpoint of Billy Pilgrim. This provides a simple yet effective perspective for __Slaughterhouse Five__. The phrase "unstuck in time" refers to the struggle Billy has with keeping with the time and staying with the norms of society, mainly getting accepted by those around him. Vonegut, as stated before, remains mainly neutral throughout the sotry and does not play a major part, and the narrator does not speak much except during the beginning segments of the novel. The narrator is not all that important to the main plot, but is introduced at the beginning to provide background, which is exactly the style of writing Vonegut has: sticking to the facts.

D: 1. What, so far, do you think is Billy Pilgrim's biggest problem? 2. What tone does Vonegut use throughout __Slaughterhouse Five__? 3. What does Vonegut mean by "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time"? 4. Does Vonegut involve the narrator much throughout the story? 5. Who do you think the narrator is?

Week 4: Mike Niego-Job A Joe Satkowski-Job B Julian Sison-Job C Jim Horvath-Job D

B: The images and imagery in the book are quite bleak. The way that Vonnegut portrays Billy and how he travels in time along with the people that he meets always seems to have a depressing undertone to it. These themes seem to represent the underlying tone of depression and emotion that is not always expressed in the book. I think that Vonnegut uses this imagery in order to convey some of the emotion that he is unable to express through the characters in the book. Vonnegut feels as if by using this imagery, he will be able to show us things about that he may not have said otherwise. This provides a great moment for the reader, who is thrown amidst the destruction of Dresden, and one can feel the extreme discouragement from the pain and fear of the prisoners and the Germans who are hidden in an unused slaughterhouse. The danger and the anxiety of the characters is not necessarily described, because with enough detail of the surroundings, Vonegut is able to immerse the reader in those surroundings, so they do not need to read what is happening to those characters.

C: Mike Niego brought food in for us this week, and after our snacking, we proceeded to the discussion as normal. We began by discussing the four-dimensional concepts of the book; we enjoyed how Billy Pilgrim was not necessarily "time traveling", but that he was truly abducted by aliens named Tralfamadorians who had the unusual ability of being able to see in four-dimensions. This was quite fascinating, partly because the idea of four-dimensionalism is not introduced often in novels, and we were certainly not expecting this kind of concept to appear in a novel about the bombing of Dresden during World War II. We noticed Billy's strange childlike behavior and his ability to remain calm in any situation was derived from his contact with the aliens; with their ability to see in four different dimensions (the fourth dimension being time) and his participation in this activity with them, he was able to view his future death, a strange writing method, since Vonegut introduced the ending during the middle of the story.

Vonegut's themes are simplistic and to-the-point; his themes are intertwined with the concept of four-dimensionalism, because he wants the reader to see life from different perspectives. He wants his readers to not only feel one-sided on issues. For example, he has the Germans in hiding with the prisoners; not only is he showing the fear of the prisoners, but of the Germans themselves, and he wants to show they too, although they may have had cruel beliefs, deserved the same rights as others. Billy calmly recognizes his murder, for he knows he cannot change time as the Tralfamadorians have showed him, and he learns to remain calm from his time spent with the aliens. Upon first viewing Dresden, Billy and the prisoners are destroyed emotionally, and feel discouraged because of the immense destruction. Images such as the destruction, the bloodshed, and other negative images related to war are displayed by Vonegut.

D: 1. What themes does Vonegut portray? 2. How does Billy feel about his inevitable murder? 3. How did Billy and the prisoners react to seeing Dresden for the first time? 4. How has Billy's personality been effected by his encounter with the Tralfamadorians? 5. What images, specifically of the bombing of Dresden, are displayed?

Week 5: Jim Horvath-Job A Julian Sison-Job B Joe Satkowski-Job C Mike Niego-Job D

B: I thoroughly enjoyed __Slaughterhouse Five__, and for more than one reason, and I would definitely reccomend it to peers. One element of __Slaughterhouse Five__ that truly kept me interested was that it was more than one genre; instead of simply being a book on the events of the bombing of Dresden, it also included the topic of four-dimensionalism, which I have not read about often in books. I was very interested on the topic of "time travel", because it is a highly debated topic that many are interested in, yet few authors are brave enough to experiment with the topic. I was surprised about the turn that Vonegut took about a third of the way through the book; although the beginning may have been slow (in my opinion), the book picked up and was interesting, especially with Billy Pilgrim's preview of his death. I thought it was strange that Billy Pilgrim was also able to remain calm even though he knew he would "die". This book should definitely be considered for the school's curriculum, and not even necessarily for English. The book is versatile in that aspect that it could be utilized for not only English, but history and science as well. I believe Vonegut proved a great writer, and I think my group members would agree with that statement.

C: We ate the food Jim brought in for us this week and continued to our discussion. Since it was the last week of book club for this marking period, instead of discussing specific content on __Slaughterhouse Five__, we primarily discussed our opinions on the novel. We all agreed that __Slaughterhouse Five__ was a completely unique book, and it could be quite a challenge to classify it, as asked of in the question. In order for our book club to answer that question, we tried to look at the parts of the book that could define it, and in turn decided that it was partly historical fiction, science fiction, and even fantasy, since the sections of the book involving the Tralfamadorians and the concept of being able to see four-dimensionally would add to the science fiction and fantasy sides, and the fact that the book took place during World War II would make it historical fiction as well.

Our opinions were fairly similar; we all enjoyed __Slaughterhouse Five__ for the most part, since we agreed that Vonegut was very talented when it came to simplistic writing. We thought that Vonegut's writing style had us all interested mainly becuase of his ability to be concise in all areas of his writing, and even in the most complicated and confusing scenes, he still remained simplistic and kept his writing to the point. This caused us to agree that this fact was what we enjoyed about __Slaughterhouse Five__; it may not have taken too much time to read overall since the book was not overly lengthy, but it kept us attached to the plot for the entire duration of the novel. We thought the only thing that Vonegut could specifically improve was to put more attention and effort into the beginning segments of the book in order to make it more interesting, as it was very slow and quite dull, and we even thought that it was very unnecessary. Overall, though, we believed that Kurt Vonegut was a great writer, and that __Slaughterhouse Five__ was a great example of his skill.

D: 1. What are your opinions on __Slaughterhouse Five__? 2. What is your favorite aspect of Vonegut's writing? 3. What do you enjoy specifically about __Slaughterhouse Five__? 4. How do you think Vonegut could improve the novel? 5. How would you classify this novel?