Sunday, April 29, 2012

Slaughterhouse Five- Americans

"They were noticing what the Americans had not noticed-that the horses' mouths were bleeding... The Americans had treated their form of transportation as though it were no more sensitive than a six-cylinder Chevrolet." PAGE 196

This quote provides a truth about Americans in general.  It can still be applied to Americans today.  It shows that Americans are rather self centered and self absorbed.  They do not care for what is around them.  They did not even notice that the horses were hurt.  They did not care.  Even in war, Americans did not show the care and concern they should have.  The others were able to notice what the Americans did not.  This provides evidence of the truth in some typical stereotypes about Americans.  The Americans fulfilled expectations that they would not care about the condition of the horses.  Europeans are sometimes viewed as more concerned with the environment and other people.  This is supported by the occurrence of them noticing the injuries of the horse.

Slaughterhouse Five- The Moon but not really

"Nobody talked much as the expedition crossed the moon." PAGE 180

After Dresden was bombed, the area apparently looked like the moon.  Because of this, the narrator begins referring to Dresden after the bombing as the moon.  He then likens the movements and the appearance to the moon.  They were no longer walking over materials; they were making expeditions over the jagged edges of moon rocks.  This made it seem almost like children making their own adventures out of something that was not really there.  It was as if they were imagining an adventure for themselves to have fun, except it wasn't fun.  Comparing the surroundings to the moon relays what it looked like to those who were there after the bombings.  Not many people were left so the first hand accounts are vital in knowing the truth.  The moon symbolizes that the area was barren.  There were not many people or buildings around.  The whole city must have been almost completely destroyed.  This shows the impact of the bombings and how terrible it was for the city but how successful it was in the context of war.

Slaughterhouse Five- parallelism

"He got a few paragraphs into it, and then he realized that he had read it before- years ago, in the veterans' hospital.  It was about an Earthling man and woman who were kidnapped by extra-terrestrials." PAGE 201

This quote provides parallelism between the plot of the book and one of the destinations of Billy's time traveling experience.  Billy travels to a planet after being kidnapped by the extra-terrestrials.  He claims all of this happened, but he has no proof.  There is a parallel scenario between the one in the book and the adventure of Billy.  In the book, and in Billy's adventure, the Earthling is taken to another planet and placed in a zoo for observation.  In both scenarios, the Earthlings are watched carefully by the native inhabitants.  This parallelism allowed me to realize that Billy might not have gone to Tralfamadore.  He might have just thought he did because of what he read.  He might have envisioned or imagined the experience rather than living it.  He did not think he read the book before, but then remembers he did.  I think that he created the time travel illusion and Tralfamadore from this book.

Slaughterhouse Five- motif

"If you're ever in Cody, Wyoming... just ask for Wild Bob."  PAGE 206, 212, and others

When this quote was repeated the first few times, I did not realize the significance.  I overlooked its repetitiveness at first because it was not that often.  In the second half I realized it happening more and more.  I am not exactly sure why it is repeated so often.  My best guess would be that the line is one that sticks out to the narrator.  He seems to use this phrase when he thinks about the war.  When he thinks about war, that instance must be one that sticks out to him.  Because of this, he repeats it to bring back other memories of the war.  Maybe he chooses this incident because it is a more lighthearted memory than others he has.  This quote could also be an example of the hope that the people in the war had.  They all had hope that they would make it home alive.  They had the hope that they would stay safe and things would go back to normal.  Maybe this quote is a symbol of hope for things to go back to normal.  These are educated assumptions because I do not know why this is repeated.

Slaughterhouse Five- epithet and foreshadow

"Billy and Lazzaro and poor old Edgar Derby crossed the prison yard to the theater now." PAGE 143

This quote provides an example of an epithet connected with Edgar Derby.  Rather than just being called by his name, the narrator connects these adjectives to the character.  The poor refers to how he will die.  The narrator knows while the characters themselves do not.  The old refers to his relative age.  He is not actually that old, but in comparison to the other soldiers he is.  The narrator continues to refer to Derby as poor and old no matter what is going on.  The epithet also provides an example of foreshadowing.  He is called poor because he will die by a firing squad in Dresden.  The reader knows that early on, from the first time he is introduced.  Derby however does not know how he will die so he goes on as if he will live.  The epithet continually reminds the reader of what is to come.  The reader knows that he is going to die and how he is going to die, but it does not happen until long after the reader knows.  Finally, in the last few pages of the novel, Derby dies just as was described in the beginning.  His death was foreshadowed repeated until it happened.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Slaughterhouse Five-time travel?

"Under morphine, Billy had a dream of giraffes in a garden.  The giraffes were following gravel paths, were pausing to munch sugar pears from treetops.  Billy was a giraffe too." PAGE 99

This brief part of the novel was a little odd for me.  I thought that the time travel stuff was weird.  Billy kept ending up at different parts in his life without warning.  Not only that, but he also thought that he went to another planet.  This was very strange to me that someone could firmly believe all this was happening.  The ironic thing about this quote is that he was under morphine when it happened.  One would have thought that he would have thought about something super crazy while he was on the morphine, but I was a little disappointed in the creativity he was able to conjure.  What he believed to be real life was crazier than what he thought on morphine.  The idea of being a giraffe was rather normal compared to what he thought was actually real.  I was hoping for a little more extreme adventures while he was on the morphine.  I think this shows how confused and messed up he has become as a result of the war.

Slaughterhouse Five-war

"Would you talk about the war now, if I wanted you to?" PAGE 121

This quote is effective in portraying a common attitude about war.  The commonality is that people who experience war firsthand are often reluctant to talk about it.  It is hard to know what war is really like because people do not want to talk about what they did, what they saw, what they heard.  The truth of war often alludes the people at home.  Those who were there do not want to relive their experience and bring back the horrific memories of war.  This is completely understandable.  The novel as a whole gives a new glance into what happens at war.  The narrator is able to refrain from inserting his emotion.  It was probably hard for him to recall all of this, but I appreciate what he has done.  It is the first work where I have really been able to see and attempt to understand what happens to soldiers after war.  It shows the reality of the difficult task of returning to home life after the war.  We often hear that it is hard to reacquaint oneself with civilian life again.  The views of war that he portray seem awful and terrible, but his lack of emotion makes it hard to fully understand.  He has been hardened by war so that death is no longer as emotional as it is for most civilians.

Slaughterhouse Five- metonymy

"It was a deliberate attempt to humiliate you.  You mustn't let Jerry do things like that to you." PAGE 98

This quote is an example of metonymy.  The Germans are referred to by one common name rather than what they are.  The English men refer to the Germans all by one name.  The fact that the Englishmen call them all Jerry is effective in showing how they feel about the Germans.  The use of one name for all of them shows their disrespect for them.  It also shows that they do not feel that they deserve to be known by name.  They think what they are doing is terrible.  The name is associated with the Germans and that is how they refer to them.  The Americans are confused at first because they do not know who Jerry is.  They are not aware of the nickname given to the Germans.  I think the nickname also belittles the Germans because they are referred to as a commonplace name rather than even their nationality.  It is peaceful way for the Englishmen to show their feelings against the Germans.

Slaughterhouse Five- characterization

"Roland Weary was only eighteen, was at the end of an unhappy childhood spent mostly in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania." PAGE 35

Throughout the novel, the characters are introduced and described by the narrator.  He directly characterizes them as he sees them.  He leaves some up for interpretation, but the basics are directly stated.  The author uses direct characterization to give background information about the characters.  The use of direct characterization is effective here because the narrator tells about the other characters he encounters.  Direct characterization makes it easier for the reader to further characterized the individuals because it provides some information to stimulate character traits.  Direct characterization also leaves less open to interpretation.  The characterization is also important because several people come in and out of the story because of the different settings.  The direct characterization makes it easier to remember who is who among the characters.

Slaughterhouse Five- motif

"Billy was the next-to-last human being to reach the door.  The hobo was last.  The hobo could not flow, could not plop.  He wasn't liquid anymore.  He was stone.  So it goes." PAGE 81

This quote provides an example of a motif that persists throughout the novel.  Every time someone dies in the book, the narrator says "so it goes."  This motif provides the emotion or lack thereof present when someone dies.  The motif is effective in showing that the deaths are all felt the same because he responds with the same saying.  The motif also shows how the war has hardened the men to death.  It effectively shows that death is not regarded as it is outside the context of war.  The men do not mourn the loss.  They just move on from it.  The narrator's phrase shows that he does not feel the pain often associated with death anymore.  The motif is effective in proving the harsh reality of death in war.  In this way it is not regarded as of significant value because he does not spend time discussing or further explaining the circumstances.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Frankenstein part 2 Walton

"I have longed for a friend; I have sought one who would sympathise with and love me." PAGE 157

Walton seems rather alienated from the people around him. He has no friends and instantly desires the love of a complete stranger who boards his ship because he has no one else. He barely knows Victor and already begins to grieve his illness. He has no contact with his family except for letters. His own crew threatens to mutiny. It took him several years just to get enough ship mate to take the journey. Walton obviously does not have great interpersonal skills. I feel bad for him that he has no friends but desperately wants one. He has no one to stay with him and support him through everything. He must be extremely lonely. He is completely alone. He loses the one person he thinks he could be friends with. Walton might be a really great friend. He definitely seems like a good listener for listening to Victor's entire story. He deserves at least a few friends, but he alienates them with his singlemindedness. If he was open to others and was not so focused on exploring, he might be a rather popular person.

Frankenstein part 2 will he really do it?

"I shall die." PAGE 166

This quote is some of the last words we hear from the creature. He says he is going to die. I question if he really will. He says that he is done and will kill himself. I do not think he will actually follow through with it. Even though this is the end of the story, I am curious as to whether he actually does or not. I imagine if he is truly set on the idea he would wait a long time like he did before introducing himself to the family. I think he will want to have a careful and meticulous plan ready. I also question whether or not he will really do it because he could have just been saying it in the heat of the moment. He also might have been trying to dissuade Walton from killing him. While the creature says he is going to die, no one knows if he really does. The story stops, but if it were to continue, would the creature still be alive? I can see the creature never going through with it and tormenting someone else. He seemed to enjoy haunting Victor and killing his friends and family to make him suffer. He might latch on to someone else he wants to bring eternal unhappiness to. Either way, it would make for an interesting sequel.

Frankenstein part 2 forshadow

"Again; there is a sound as of a human voice, but hoarser; it comes from the cabin where the remains of Frankenstein still lie." PAGE 162

This quote is an example of forshadowing. Hearing the sound forshadows that the creature is there. Also, the quote forshadows that it is the creature by saying the sound as of a human voice, but it does not say a human voice. This insinuates it is not a human. The creature came back to Victor. He is disappointed when he finds him already dead because he had other plans for him. The forshadowing is effective because the reader is expecting the creature to be there. The forshadowing is also effective because it emphasizes the nonhumanity of the creature. This proves that the creature will be the one in the cabin. The forshadowin also proves that it will be the creature by saying in Victor's cabin. Coming from any other cabin it would not be as effective.

Frankenstein part 2 personification

"Despair had indeed almost secured her prey, and I should soon have sunk beneath this misery." PAGE 154

This provides an example of personification. Despair is an emotion so it cannot literally catch prey. Victor is describing his state of mind. He is saying that the despair he feels has almost taken over completely. He relates the take over to a predator hunting for prey to make it more savage. The personification is effective in portraying how Victor feels at this point. It also reveals that he has almost reached his breaking point. It is getting harder and harder for him. Victor realizes that the despair is taking over him but is unable to do anything about it. The personification shows that he knows it is happening but chooses not to respond. He is rather passive about the situation because he has already been through so much in his recent past.

Frankenstein Part 2 Allusion

"It moved every feeling of wander and awe, that the picture of an omnipotent God warring with his creatures was capable of exciting. I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own." PAGE 92

The creature previously alluded to himself as the Adam to Victor. He returns to this biblical allusion. He views himself as Adam because he knows of the relationship between God and Adam. He sees how God cares for Adam because he created him. This makes him desire more from Victor than he is willing to give him. The creature believes he deserves more than Victor is giving him. The allusion is effective because most of the audience would be familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. This makes the relationship relatable as well as provides background for the creature's feelings. He would not come up with that desire on his own because he would not know any better. The biblical allusion provides support for his beliefs.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Frankenstein- The Creature

"I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same casue should produce such opposite effects." PAGE 72

The creature seems to be like a baby or child in development. Although he is larger than a human, he is not mentally as developed. He must learn like a child. He learns by what he sees and experiences. This is partly why he watches the family. He wants to learn how to be like a human so that he is excepted. He first acts purely for survival. He means no harm on the houses he pillages. He does not understand that what he is doing is wrong. He wants to learn about the interaction between people. Also, the creature does not understand everything, like a child. He must learn from trial and error. He shows his vulnerability and shallowness of knowledge when he sticks his hand in the fire. He assumed it would feel good because fire was warm for hear and cooking food. It did not occur to him that the fire could be bad in any way. Even if the creature is the one who killed William, I do not think he could be held responsible because he does not know the right way to act. He does not understand social situations the way most adults do.

From 3:56 to 4:30 applies to the creature and his fire experience. I do not have an explanation for the chipmunk-like voices for the characters.

Frankenstein- Justine

"Since you left us, but one change has taken place in our little household. Do you remember on what occasions Justine Moritz entered our family?" PAGE 41

The introduction of Justine comes shortly before her accusation. After being introduced as such a kind and compassionate part of the family, she is accused of a vicious crime. The insertion of her in the letter makes it harder for the reader to believe that she is guilty because of the way she is portrayed in the letter. Justine was taken in by the family after a disappointing family dynamic endangered her. I feel sorry for Justine for everything she has to go through. She first grew up in a destructive family. When she gets involved in a better family that cares for her, she is loved and included. Then her mother selfishly wishes for her to return home because she has been plagued with bad luck. Her mother dies, then she is accused of killing a son like figure. She does not deserve to be treated like this when she has been faithfully devoted to this family.

Frankenstein- Epithet

"When I slept or was absent, the forms of the venerable blind father, the gentle Agatha, and the excellent Felix, flitted before me." PAGE 81

While hiding, the creature takes refuge in a small abode. From his spot, he watches a family. He diligently watches and absorbs what they do. He tries to understand what they do and why. He wants to understand the humans and their motives. The creature learns from watching this family. From what he sees, he is able to connect a description to each. From his perception of the family members, he is able to deem Agatha gentle, and Felix excellent. He originally does not even understand these words. These epithets are effective because they give effective characterization. The creature has no bias or judgement towards the family. He gives an accurate account of what the family seems like to the rest of the world.

Frankenstein- Simile

"Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth." PAGE 21

This quote is an example of a simile. The simile is proposed by Walton. He relates how Newton felt when acquiring knowledge to how he feels. The simile shows how Walton wants to discover more. It is hard to be satisfied when so much is around. Even as he makes strides, Walton, like Newton, felt insignificant. He felt like he was just on the surface. He wants to go deeper. The progress he is making does not seem like anything considering what is out there to be discovered. The simile is effective because everyone can relate to shells on the ocean. Everyone knows what it is like to barely make a dent in something. It makes it easier to relate his feelings to the reader.

Frankenstein- Synecdoche

"I may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle; and may regulate a thousand celestial observations, that require only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent for ever." PAGE 1

This quote provides an example of synechdoche. Walton is referring to his desire to explore. He wants to find something that no one has found before. In this quote, the needle refers to the needle in a compass. The needle is standing for the whole of the compass. Walton desires to make it to the North Pole where no one has gone. He seeks for knowledge of the magnets and what makes it point north. The synecdoche is effective because the reader knows what is meant by the needle. We know he is referring to the compass. The benefit to calling it a needle is that it stresses the magnetic nature of the compass. The magnet is what Walton is interested in. He wants to understand what no one else can.