Thought-Provoking Bellwork: Exploring Kurt Vonnegut's Purpose in Quotes and Historical Background of Slaughterhouse-Five

1. Bellwork: Food for Thought • “Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs. That would surely be more appropriate than noble oratory and shows of flags and well-oiled guns. ” --Kurt Vonnegut • Knowing what you know about Vonnegut now, what do you think was his purpose in writing this quote?

2. Bellwork: Food for Thought • “Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘G– d*&% it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ” --Kurt Vonnegut • Knowing what you know about Vonnegut now, what do you think was his purpose in writing this quote?

4. Bellwork: Food for Thought How accurate are history books? Explain. What was one line from O’Brien’s interview that sticks out in your mind? Why?

5. Slaughterhouse Fiveby Kurt Vonnegut Historical Background

6. About the Novel • Published at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969, Slaughterhouse-Fiveis considered by many critics to be Vonnegut’s greatest work.

7. About the Novel • Students who are unfamiliar with Vonnegut’s work may find the format of the novel a bit disconcerting. • Vonnegut combines science fiction, autobiography, historical fiction, and modern satire in a “jumbled” depiction of the life of Billy Pilgrim

8. About the Novel • In 1969, the United States was reeling from the growing violence of the anti-war and civil rights movements. • The country had witnessed the assassination of two leaders who were considered icons of peace and hope for a better society, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

9. About the Novel • It is not surprising that in this atmosphere, Vonnegut’s novel gained an almost cult-like following among the generation that rejected what it saw as the materialism and shallowness of American society. • Where did we see materialism and shallowness in SH5?

10. Historical Background: Dresden • By February of 1945, Dresden was one of the few major German cities that had not been bombed in the Allied campaign to break German morale by targeting entire cities and towns. It had become a major refuge for civilians fleeing the advance of the Soviet Army across Eastern Europe.

11. Historical Background: Dresden • It was also the home of American POWs who, like Vonnegut, had been captured during the Battle of the Bulge. • Although there were no obvious military targets in Dresden, allied commanders later suggested that the city was an important communications link between the German armies in eastern and western Europe.

12. Historical Background: Bombing of Dresden • The raid was carried out over three days, with the Royal Air Force leading the first wave with incendiary bombs that created a firestorm in the city. • Over 650,000 incendiary bombs were dropped, accounting for three quarters of the explosives used. This created a huge firestorm which would burn for over a week, creating temperatures over a thousand degrees (Ambrose 404). • Over the next two days, the American Air Force followed up with strafing raids on the survivors.

13. Historical Background: Bombing of Dresden • No accurate casualty reports exist because of the firestorm, but estimates range from a low of thirty-five thousand deaths (the figure offered by the Allies) to over one hundred thousand (the figure offered by the Germans) with realistic estimates of over 135,000 casualties, more than Hiroshima.

14. Witnesses to the incident described people's clothing exploding into fire from the heat alone, naked bodies whose clothing was incinerated while they were wearing it, piles of dead who suffocated from lack of ventilation while trying to take shelter from the fire (Whiting 181).

15. Historical Background • Some historians suggest that the fire-bombing of Dresden was ordered as revenge for the V-2 rocket attacks on London late in the war • Where do we see revenge being discussed/portrayed in SH5?

16. Historical Background: Bombing of Dresden • Regardless of the actual number of casualties, the firebombing of Dresden obviously ranks with the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as atrocities of World War II. • Link this to Rumfoord’s account of the bombing of Dresden. • When discussing Dresden with Billy (Vonnegut 191), Rumfoord essentially admits that it was unnecessary for the military to bomb the city the way they did.

17. Wait a second… • Before you read Slaughterhouse-Five, have you ever heard of the incident in Dresden? • What does this suggest about our history books?

18. The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien

19. Tim O’Brien • Video Clip from PBS

20. Tim O'Brien biography:The Early Years • Born in Austin on Oct. 1, 1946 and grew up in a small town in Minnesota • He shares this birth date with several of his characters • Dad was an insurance salesman • Mom was an elementary school teacher Tim O'Brien

21. Tim O'Brien Biography:College Life • Political science major at Macalester College, attended peace vigils and war protests • Graduated in 1968 Tim O'Brien

22. Tim O'Brien Biography:To Go to War? • Received his draft notice upon graduation • Was against the war: hated Boy Scouts, bugs, and rifles. • Considered deserting to Canada once he received his classification as an infantryman Tim O'Brien

23. Tim O'Brien Biography:In Vietnam • Assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 5th battalion, 46th Infantry as a foot soldier • Served in Vietnam from 1969-1970 • Returned home with a Purple Heart • Was wounded by shrapnel from a hand grenade Tim O'Brien

24. Tim O'Brien Biography:Views on Vietnam • Now believes it was an act of cowardice to go to war instead of fleeing to Canada • Was 22 years old and feared the disapproval of his family and friends, his townspeople and country • Hated every minute of Vietnam Tim O'Brien

25. Tim O'Brien Biography:Life after Vietnam • After returning to the states, he became a grad student at Harvard. • Left Harvard to become a newspaper reporter for The Washington Post. • Began writing fiction about Vietnam Tim O'Brien

26. Works by Tim O’Brien • If I Die in Combat (1973) • Northern Lights (1975) • Going after Cacciato (1978) • The Nuclear Age (1985) • The Things They Carried (1990) • In the Lake of the Woods (1994) Tim O'Brien

27. Tim O’Brien • Claims he still gets calls from people, asking questions, offering their own opinions about what happened. • They want to know, missing the point of the novel, that life often does not offer solutions or resolutions, that it is impossible to know completely what secrets lurk within people Tim O'Brien

28. Literary Devices found in The Things They Carried Imagery Mood Point of View Characterization Symbolism Metaphor Irony Lit devices

29. Tim O’Brien Quotes • “Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth.” • “A good piece of fiction, in my view, does not offer solutions. Good stories deal with our moral struggles, our uncertainties, our dreams, our blunders, our contradictions, our endless quest for understanding. Good stories do not resolve the mysteries of the human spirit but rather describe and expand up on those mysteries.”