To Release or Not to Release

How would the novel be received in different areas of the world? Would the novel have the same impact in another country or culture?

My final blog post will have to do with the reason why we as North Americans see Slaughterhouse-Five differently than someone else would from somewhere else in the world.  There are two answers and they are quite simple.  These two reasons are why the novel was banned in the first place.  The answers are religion and parental discretion.  These come into play more towards Europe and Asia where religion is very strong.  A lot of the content in the novel does offend many beliefs with its idealism of contradicting god with fate or destiny and with the aggressive narrative and inappropriate images.  The reason that the novel is not banned in North America anymore is because we have lost our strong religious connections.  When we lost this connection our opinions have changed and we have opened our minds to see more opportunities.  We think that profanity is just a part of our lives now, and that it’s ok to hear it and use it.  We do not think that showing our bodies to someone who is not our spouse is ok and that profanity is not a sin.  In the parts of the world where religion is a big part of their lives they might see this novel differently.  They might see the narrative and images described as offensive because it goes against what they were taught. 

The final thing that may play a factor to wither the novel is banned or not is the location that the novel is sold.  What I’m trying to say is if the novel was released in the country where Dresden was bombed they might not want to ban it because it is a big part of their history and it lets the people of the country know what had happened such a long time ago.  On the other hand if it was released in Britain where they had a hand in the bombing of Dresden they might not want to have it read because it is a bad part of their history.

Film Play

What scene in the novel would lend itself well to film and why?

            To be a successful scene in a movie a couple things must be present such as action, suspense and intensity.  The scene that i think would be perfect in a movie is the scene where Billy is being assassinated.  The reason why this scene would be perfect for the big screen is because when we first see Billy he does not know what is going on, but he does know that he will be killed.  This is where pathetic fallacy comes into play where we know who is going to kill him but he does not, so it gives us the sense of empathy for Billy to draw in the audience.  When the scene goes black it gets the audience attention drawing them in even closer to the scene and at this point in the scene there is so much tension because the audience knows that something will happen, they just don’t know when.  Then finally the scene continues because like in the novel the movie will not show what actually happens.  This leaves the audience to make their own assumptions, some will believe he lives and the other will believe he will die that he was assassinated. This is the perfect scene because it doesn’t involve a lot of special effects and keeps it simple. These types of scenes make for the scenes because the audience is not distracted by the effects and can follow the characters and plot more intensely allowing for the drama and suspense to build to the absolute max before the climax hits.  That is why i believe that this scene would be a film scene.

Play Write

Do you think the novel could work as a play?

A play requires dramatic scenes, dynamic characters, a great story plot and an organised story line.  Slaughterhouse-five has three of these four characteristics.  The one that they miss that does not allow the novel to be turned into a play is that of an organised story line.  In the novel the story line works great jumping from the present to the past, to the future and back to the present without the reader losing track of what is going on.  When you turn this novel into a play the connection with the audience is lost.  The ability to jump from one scene to another in the blink of an eye is something that cannot be done in a play.  There must be time for stage swaps in order to change the scene.  With the rate that stages are changed in plays the bang-bang  scenes will not be as affected and might not be seen as time travel, but just a regular scene change.  As well the narrative of the book is a very important part of the novel with Vonnegut breaking the fourth barrier and talking to the audience.

Another problem with making the novel into a play is that one of the key scenes in the novel is the bombing of Dresden.  It is not impossible to do this scene in a play but it will be extremely difficult   to get the description that Vonnegut wants us to get when we read the novel.  As well some of the scenes are extremely inappropriate for the young viewers; these scenes would include the nudity and profanity.  This does not have much to do with it not being to be put on a play, but you would have to cut out a large audience of families and people under the age of eighteen.  The problem I have with that is that Vonnegut wanted everyone to read the novel and to know what war is about and how can that happen is not everyone can see the play?

Vonnegut’s Thoughts

What would Vonnegut think about our project?

Criticisms, like encouragement, help one grow and improve upon something that they did wrong. Even today we use this method writing with editing.  There is not one thing that is truly perfect everything can be improved upon.  With that being said I believe that Vonnegut would approve of our project as even great writers like him accept criticism in order to make their next novel better.  As well he it would be interesting for him to see how people after his time view his writing and what we compare it too.  As a writer you really only get to see how people of your time view your book, take Shakespeare for example his writings have been around long than Vonnegut’s have and we still study them today.  Being able to see how we compare their books to books of today can show the writer how styles have changed over time.  As well the way we are sharing his information would astonish Vonnegut because back when he started to write the novel there was no such thing as the internet, and it allows for people all over the world to comment on his writing and give their thoughts at the click of a button.  That is why I believe that Vonnegut would approve of our project.

Vonnegut Laughs No More

Response to Henry’s article Hahahahahaaaaaaah...

The quote that Henry is responding to in this article is “Humour is an almost physiological response to fear.” – KV.  In his response Henry agrees with the quote and states that everyone can relate to this quote.  I agree with both Vonnegut and Henry.  We as humans don’t always like the situations that we are placed in and sometimes are paralyzed with fear.  We all have different methods of neutralizing the situation to make it seem less scary but we all share one common way of doing this using comedy as demonstrated by Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse-five.  He used lines such as "I just about defecated everything except my brains.” As pointed by Henry.  Vonnegut did not use the humour here to neutralize the situation for Billy, but he did it for the readers to defuse the situation of what really is going on, the horror of war.  However this is where I disagree with Henry.  Henry in his comment said that Vonnegut can still depicted the truth about war without all the violence and gore, I disagree saying that it makes it less effective.  I think it makes the novel less effective because Slaughterhouse-five was written as an anti-war novel and I believe that in order to do that there can be no distraction from the truth and real horror of what goes on in POW camps and in battle.

Story Time with Peter Mammonas

The following events happened, to an extent. I really was the valedictorian at my graduation from elementary school, I do know how to ride a bike, and I had once ridden on a rollercoaster. Listen, Peter Mammonas was once a normal kid, but that was long ago.

It ends like this: The sun set on what seem to be a normal day.

Peter Mammonas was once a normal kid, but that was long ago, today he is now a teenager who like other teenagers did not know what the day would bring. Peter woke that day like any other and prepared himself for school.  He showed, ate and brushed his teeth but something just didn’t seem right, he felt off, like today wasn’t going to be a normal day, and as you will soon find out he was right.  Peter scribbled his homework down from the other day and continued to school.  He walked the same way he did every day; saw the same houses, the same parks, and the same people.  He approached his school and heard a familiar voice calling him to come into the school, so he followed.  He walked through the door and the lights were on him. The lights were bright and blinded his vision, but he heard the voice again and followed it.  He looked around looking to see who was calling his name when he realised he was not at school, he was at his elementary school graduation.

His teacher was calling him to give his speech before all the parents and his fellow classmates.  Peter walked to the podium and reached in his jacket pocket, as he did long ago, and read his speech.  He sounded confused, but he did not stop he continued on talking about the times he spent with each and every one of his classmates.  The speech went by fast and it was on to dinner.  Peter sat with his family and ate without saying a word and soon after the graduation was done.  He looked at his classmates and looked at his school, and knew that this was the last time he might see some of them.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  When he opened his eyes he was going downhill on his bike. He was pedalling faster and faster, and he looked behind him at his mom holding on the back of the bike so he wouldn’t fall.  He took a deep breath and told his mom to let go he wanted to try on his own.  When Peter’s mom let go the bike began to fall, like it did long ago, and he began to fall with it.  He screamed and was then on a rollercoaster.

Peter was screaming at the top of his lungs as the roller coaster went round and round and up then down.  He looked to see who was beside him, but no one was there, no one was anywhere, it was just him.  The roller coaster didn’t stop it just went round and round and up then down over and over again.  Peter sat on the ride wishing that it would stop and it did.  Peter got off the ride and went to look around the park, but saw no one.  He heard his name being called from behind him so he turned but no one was there.  He heard it again but still could not find anyone.  Then he heard it one more time so he followed it.  The voice lead him to the park gates, so he went through the gates.  Once through he realised he was back at school and his friends were calling his name to go over to them.

The day was soon over and Peter walked home he looked to the sky and saw the sun set on what seem to be a normal day.

Does Vonnegut Know no Limit?

Write a response to or commentary about one of the Vonnegut quotes from the handout provided. Explain how the quote reveals something about Vonnegut that can also be found in his writing. Make a connection between the quote and the novel or a personal connection to the topic or message in the quote that you've chosen.

"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." – Vonnegut

The thing that this quote tells me about Vonnegut is that he is a man who has been throw a lot and has affected hi state of mind and if you ask me he is a bit disturbed because to me the edge is the difference between going too far and not going far enough.  Is there truly such a thing?  To me everyone has a different edge, we all have things that we are comfortable with and things that we are not, but they are not the same for everyone. Vonnegut says he wants to go to the edge and not go over, but to me in Slaughterhouse-Five he went over the edge and stretched the content a bit too far and I am not the only one who thinks this either.  The novel was banned for several years because of its content.  In the novel there is aggressive language and narrative that can disturb you.  During the bombing of Dresden there is descriptions of a civilization being erased from existence, and the only thing that remains the burning rubble, where soldiers are force to search for and means of food and are shot form something so simple as a teapot.  I am not questioning Vonnegut on wither or not that this truly happened, I’m questioning he judgement of putting descriptions of these horrors during a time of fear and war.  This is what really got me thinking about his mental sanity, that he could live through this and write about it knowing what will happen if people were to know the truth, and not even flinch at the thought of it.  That is what this quote told me about Vonnegut.

Book of My Creation

If you were to start writing a novel, what would be the basis for your work? Vonnegut obviously chose his war experiences but seems to have tied them into a somewhat laissez faire view of life. What do you feel the public should learn through your story-telling? Explain the genre, character types and / or general plot of a book that you would write.

If I were to write a novel, the basis of my work would be about the issue of outsourcing.  Outsourcing is becoming an economic problem for the first world countries, and is a solution for the second and third-world countries.  Big businesses and companies are always looking for a way to make more money and they believe that they found their answer in outsourcing.  Outsourcing is when big companies make all their products in countries where pay is cheaper and sell them to us.  This takes away hundreds of thousands of jobs away from our economy and gives it to other countries, where they could be using sweat shops.

The outline of my story would include a wealthy business that wants to increase their revenue out of pure greed.  This company looks for a way to save money in the production of their products by firing workers, wage cuts, but nothing works and finally they discover outsourcing.  The company closes down their plants in North America and open shops in China and Africa.  The workers in North America being to strike looking for better treatment from the company, but to no avail.  The novel will then go on to describe the effects that occur to these workers.  The reason that I chose this topic is because like Slaughterhouse-Five these novels talk about events that are happening on a daily basis but people do not necessarily realise it or fully understand it.  Like Vonnegut’s topic of war, outsourcing also has traumatic effects on families and the world.  That is why if I were to write a novel it would be about outsourcing.

Evolution of Society

If you do some surface research (Google / Wikipedia) about the banning of SH5, you will soon discover that it is mainly the profanity and sexual references that landed Vonnegut in hot water. However, the book also includes a considerable amount of what could be construed as anti-American sentiment. The passages that we read in class regarding the American poverty epidemic and the general lack of integrity among American soldiers amounts to a very controversial stance on what most Americans feel very strongly about. Regardless, the book was banned in some places and remains a contentious piece of writing to this day.

Do you feel literature that could provoke strong reactions should be withheld or censored? What are your thoughts about SH5's potential to offend readers? You might also consider making connections to the other novels that we've read this year (also banned books at some point).

            SH5 has been seen as being an offensive book to some readers because of its content. When this book was written many years ago the people who grow up in that generation were very religious and followed the religion that they follow very strictly.  Today most people have let go of the tight grip of religion and do not follow it as vigorously.  Saying that SH5 in my belief cannot be seen as offensive in today’s society.  The content in the novel that is got it banned in the first place, the sexual, violent and aggressive narrative can be seen in everyday life today.  I can see how the novel when first came out was seen as offensive because of the fact that time travel was thought to be wrong in the eyes of god and the bible.  Also with the debate of fate and destiny that appears in the novel with Billy’s strong belief fate goes against what the bible tries to show us, that if we believe in ourselves and follow god we can do whatever we set our mind to.  When the novel first came out can see how people believed that this book was told to be going against religious beliefs.

As well we see the rules of TV have evolved in regards to what can be shown, the rules of novels have evolved as well. Many years ago TV was not allowed to show things such as two people in the same bed and sexual scenes of women that might be taken as degrading, but today we show scenes where girls are fully naked.  We can see the same type of evolution with novels regarding the content.  Novels with sexual images or swearing were not seen as acceptable many years back but are deemed acceptable today.  The way I see it Vonnegut was just ahead of his time in regards with time travel and content related material.

Dreaming of Time Travel

Dreaming of Time Travel

Billy Pilgrim: fact or fiction? Is Billy really travelling through time, or is he merely the victim of a series of unfortunate circumstances that have left him damaged and unreliable? Provide support from the novel as a basis for your opinion, and don't sit on the fence.

            Travelling through time is a seemingly impossible task; however throughout the novel Billy seems to travel through time on several occasions. Can Billy truly be travelling through time or is it just a flashback, or is it a glimpse at where Billy's mind is truly at? If you ask me Billy is not time traveling but fading in and out of reality and his mind.

 We see that Billy drifts in and out of scenes of the past and the future. The first time we Billy became unstuck in time was during his time in World War Two where he leaned against a tree and closed his eyes and started to travel to the past than in a blink of an eye to the future.  Billy describes these travels as realistic, as if he was there, but when he comes to he is in the same place he was when he became unstuck in time, behind German lines in World War Two with the same people he was with.  During his travels he speaks to people that he knew during that time in his life.  The thing that I found strange about Billy’s travels is that he came to where he went under.  I believe that Billy was in a deep dream state where what ever happened in his dream he believed to be real.  We all have dreams similar to this when we wake up in the morning and we think a day has passed or we missed an event.  Billy seems to believe these dreams so much because of his belief in fate.  When he sees these events in his dreams and what takes place to him he believes that in the future these will truly happen, especially when he was told he was to die.  This explains the future dreams, but what about the past.  I believe that these dreams are strong memories that mean something to Billy and this makes it so believable to him, because they have a meaning in his life.

In conclusion Billy isn’t traveling through time, but in a deep dream where he believes what happens there to be real.