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Kurt Vonnegut Mentality

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The Kurt Vonnegut Mentality Kurt Vonnegut is an author that isn’t afraid to question and critique major establishments. Vonnegut question those intentions of religion, whether they are in reality working in good faith or in dehumanizing people and taking away from their ability to grow and have their own opinions. In his works, Vonnegut doesn’t steer clear from examining the pointlessness of warfare, the ability to escape your current reality, religion and the immoral aspects of science. Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron and his novels, Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle were all works that were inspired and reflected off events in his life. The decline of his mental health, his wife turning to Christianity, the growing political and …show more content…

War isn’t glamorous or heroic and Vonnegut makes it clear in Slaughterhouse-Five, “For Vonnegut, war is not an enterprise of glory and heroism, but an uncontrolled catastrophe for all involved, and anyone who seeks glory and heroism in war is deluded” (Telgen, Hile). Vonnegut shows how war shouldn’t be seen as an accomplishment, but as a weapon. War can get out of control and can result into something that will typically destroy humanity. The justification of war and the violence and murder that goes along with it shows the flaws in humanity, “Thinking in a military manner,” as Vonnegut (1969/1991) notes, entailed dehumanization and an apathetic acceptance of human suffering and death. Additionally, militarization demanded an unconditional obedience (P.J. Ramsey, 212). Towards the end of Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut uses an excerpt from The Destruction of Dresden by David Irving. In this excerpt there is a message written by Air Marshal Sir Robert Suandy speaking on behalf of the Dresden Air Raid, “a great tragedy” (Slaugterhouse-Five,187). Suandy declared “It was one of those terrible things that sometimes happens in wartime, brought about by …show more content…

Right out of the gate, Vonnegut begins this novel by wanting you to assume religion is a lie, “I would have been a Bokononist then, if there had been anyone to teach me the bittersweet lies of Bokonon” (Cat’s Cradle, 1). In Cat’s Cradle Vonnegut proves the flaw we see in humanity could be at the fault of scientists seeking new discoveries as a game rather than for enrichment of knowledge. He makes the connection between the consequences that can happen with scientific advancement and the absence of morals, “My book is going to emphasize the human rather than the technical side of the bomb, so recollections of the day through the eyes of a 'baby,' if you'll pardon the expression, would fit in perfectly” (Cats Cradle, 4). Felix Hoekinner saw the formation of weapons as a game. Hoekinner wasn’t interested in how his invention would be used he was only interested in making it a reality, the challenge of creating the atomic bomb. Throughout Cat’s Cradle Vonnegut implies the scientists that created the atomic bomb and murdered thousands of Japanese during World War II didn’t see it as a weapon, but as a game to prove their intelligence, “In a modern perspective, it would be assumed that science –the pursuit of knowledge through collection of observation and empirical data- benefits people. However, Vonnegut uses his postmodern irony to show

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434 Words | 2 Pages

This experience deeply affected Vonnegut and this shaped his views on war, and it included the destructive power of science that was described in his writing from his novel, Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut saw firsthand the devastating consequences of the atomic bomb and was deeply troubled by the idea that science and new technology could be used for such a destructive purpose. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut uses the fictional character of Felix Hoenikker, a scientist who invents ice-nine, to explore the dangerous consequences of

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1055 Words | 5 Pages

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a postmodern, anti war novel, involving the main character, Billy Pilgrim, and his transportation through the different moments of his life. The timeline of this particular book ranges all the way from when Billy was a small boy and all the way to his death. Because of the book taking place in many different times of Billy’s life and in many places of it, Kurt Vonnegut both hides and reveals truth in it. Many examples of this can be found throughout the events of Billy’s adventures, most notably before and during the fire bombings of Dresden.

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1478 Words | 6 Pages

Slaughterhouse-Five is one the best anti-war ever written. This is thanks to its ability to educate the reader, its unique writing style, and offering a true investigate the horrors of war. Slaughterhouse-Five was published in March 1969 by Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt was an American writer who published 14 novels in his 50-year career. He was also a veteran who served in World War Two, which the book is about.

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673 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut intertwines reality and fiction to provide the reader with an anti-war book in a more abstract form. To achieve this abstraction, Kurt Vonnegut utilizes descriptive images, character archetypes, and various themes within the novel. By doing so, he created a unique form of literature that causes the reader to separate reality from falsehood in both their world, and in the world within Vonnegut’s mind. Vonnegut focuses a lot on the characters and their actions in “Slaughterhouse Five.”

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650 Words | 3 Pages

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki similarly were created to help end a war, which they did, but also created a horrific aftermath of destruction. Kurt Vonnegut’s book Cat’s Cradle puts the concept of the atomic bomb into the form of ice-nine, both substances that will dramatically alter the world for the worse. Both creations do in fact solve the problems they were created to solve, but they create a slew of new dilemmas. Vonnegut uses Jonah’s attitude toward ice-nine to show the concept of Vonnegut’s attitude toward the atomic

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1828 Words | 8 Pages

Examine the dangerous jokes that that form the bassis of the book. How does the author use satire to critique the idiocies and short comings of his contemporary world? The real purpose behind Vonnegut’s writings is “to poison minds with humanity … to encourage them to make a better world”. This is the author’s primary purpose in Cats Cradle, to highlight the weaknesses of humanity which is the author’s flaws in his contemporary world, black humour as well as other satirical techniques such that; Vonnegut is in a way, holding a mirror in humanity’s face to allow humanity to understand their own weaknesses and attempt to improve.

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1089 Words | 5 Pages

In the first chapter of the book, Kurt Vonnegut wanted to write a book about the Bombing of Dresden, he asked his friend’s help, Muller O’hare. He went to his house and talked with him, he was with him when they were in Dresden in the Camp. Muller’s Wife Marry, patronized Vonnegut. Vonnegut didn’t know why he hated him, meanwhile he asked her. She told him that she’s afraid of war to do something for her kids.

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879 Words | 4 Pages

It’s a day that would start a series of events that would change literature forever. So it goes. November 11, 1922, Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis Indiana Edith Vonnegut gives birth to one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, he is named after his father, Kurt Vonnegut Sr. And So it goes. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was a man of many shades,

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858 Words | 4 Pages

It should be established before anything else that the author I have chosen, Kurt Vonnegut, was heavily influenced by World War II. The idea of war, along with its devastating effects, gave Vonnegut a rather cynical and twisted view on human nature. This perspective bleeds over onto his writing and can be seen in many of his major and minor works, including one of his most impactful, “Slaughterhouse 5,” in which he uses time travel, alien planets, and other farfetched ideas to describe the physical and emotional consequences of violent acts. Vonnegut’s fatalistic and overly pessimistic view of the future, most likely stems from the very problems created by The World Wars. The mechanization and automation of weaponry caused an emotional disconnect to form that removed the face-to-face contact experienced in previous wars.

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1106 Words | 5 Pages

People are influenced by the events that surround them. Individuals transform into a product of their environment and experiences of the time. The literature and art often reflects the time period in which it is written in, and Vonnegut’s novel is no exception. The novel takes place during World War II, but is written during the time of the Vietnam War. With the Vietnam War, came a lot of anti-war propaganda.

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Vonnegut is teaching a lesson in this story that is not to be

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1091 Words | 5 Pages

Kurt Vonnegut portrays war as a force that is incredibly destructive, causing destruction to people's bodies, minds, and morals. In Slaughterhouse 5, our protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, faces extreme struggles due to war. Vonnegut strongly portrays war as something that causes immense chaos and destruction and creates sensory experiences for the reader by using vivid and detailed language that stimulates feelings and images in their minds. During war, soldiers are careless; they will do anything to kill the opposing team without thinking about their surroundings if it means they get to live. The once-beautiful, culturally rich city is now a pile of ashes.

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2129 Words | 9 Pages

Kurt Vonnegut tries to express the struggle of the central character in identifying his accepted goals. He is against the machine-oriented society. Paul shows concern for the society, even though he lacks spiritual commitment to progress. Paul concludes that he lacks “the ability to be moved emotionally, almost like a lover, by the great omnipresent, omniscient spook, the corporate personality” (67). Dr. Kroner, Paul’s father’s old friend and chief manager, has the sense of spiritual commitment.

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2302 Words | 10 Pages

A twenty-two year old prisoner of war emerges from the slaughterhouse where he works to see a formerly beautiful city reduced to nothing but rubble and embers. This man would go on to remove close to 30,000 corpses before seeing them incinerated. This experience would go on to haunt and plague Kurt Vonnegut for years on end. His experience of this event led him to write Slaughterhouse-Five, the story of Billy Pilgrim, who was also an American soldier who experienced the firebombing of Dresden and lived to tell about it. By drawing parallels between himself and Billy Pilgrim, providing philosophies and points of view, and recalling wartime events from WWII in the wake of a new war, Kurt Vonnegut brings many new concepts to the hypothetical table

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1189 Words | 5 Pages

How did Kurt Vonnegut use postmodern approaches to create an antiwar antinovel in Slaughterhouse 5? When Slaughterhouse 5 was published, it could have been considered as an outsider in the literary world. In the midst of the Vietnam war, it was preaching antiwar notions, and in a time where straightforward linear storylines dominated the media, Slaughterhouse 5 presented a challenging nonlinear plot. The nonlinearity in plots would later on become a staple of postmodern literature but Kurt Vonnegut missed the peak of the postmodern era publishing the novel in 1969; a decade before the peak in the 1980's.

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