S-5 Discussion Thread by https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion en-us 2019-03-20 16:55:17 UTC 2019-03-27 06:21:41 UTC hello@padlet.com Question Choices - Chapter 4 & 5 kgrabner https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343439986 Chapter 4: 
  1. Billy concludes that the person on the end of the telephone is a drunk. He “could almost smell his breath - mustard gas and roses.” What does that combination suggest about the ‘author’? 
  2. What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
  3. Why do the Tralfamadorians believe that “‘There is no why’” (74)? How does the playing of the war movie backwards and forwards contradict the Tralfamadorian view that time is a succession of pre-determined moments which cannot be changed? 
  4. Explain the irony of Edgar Derby’s well-preserved forty-four year-old body. 
  5. Why does Billy (at the point at which he first meets the aliens) believe in free will? Why do the Tralfamadorians not believe in free will?

Chapter 5: 


  1. An American who gets beaten up asks, “‘Why me?’”. What is significant about this question and the German’s reply, “‘Vy you? Vy anybody?’”? 
  2. What is absurd about the fifty English officers? Why do the German soldiers like them so much? Comment on the detail of the candles and the soap provided by the Germans. 
  3.  Explain why both Billy and Eliot find science fiction “a big help.” 
  4. Why does Billy’s mother “upset Billy simply by being his mother” (97). What attitude does Billy’s mother take to his mental breakdown? 
  5. Why does one of the rifles used by a firing squad have a blank round in it? What is absurd about this?
  6. Billy thinks that “[He] didn’t want to marry ugly Valencia. She was one of the symptoms of his disease” . Explain what he means. 
  7. By what argument does the alien in The Gospel of Outer Space reach the conclusion that the message of the Gospels is, “Before you kill someone, make absolutely sure he isn’t well connected”? How does the new alien Gospel correct this error? 
  8. What is significant about the candy Valencia is eating? 
  9. Why do the Tralfamadorians think that it is stupid for Billy to think about peace on earth or how to stop the destruction of the universe? Since Tralfamadorians cannot do anything to change bad situations, how do they cope with them? 
  10. What is particularly absurd about this sign, “PLEASE LEAVE THIS LATRINE AS TIDY AS YOU FOUND IT!”? 
  11. Comment on the sentences, “That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book”. 
  12. What do the comments of Howard W. Campbell Jr. on the nature of American culture add to your understanding of the novel? 
  13. Why is it ironic that the widowed mother of the twelve-year-old boy thinks that “Billy was evidently going crazy”.

]]> 2019-03-20 16:58:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343439986 Sarah Pentrack spentrack212 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343580095 Chapter 4
2) The effect of the war movie being played backwards is how Vonnegut wished he could view war, peaceful. The bombs which were intended to destroy cities were actually being sucked back into the plane and making the cities safe. Page 74 states, "The formation flew backwards over a German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes." The concept of the damage caused by destructive bombs and warfare being reversed is restorative and peaceful. Billy gets to see the action in a completely different point of view.
Chapter 5
3) Billy and Elliot find science fiction as a "big help" in their lives. This is so, because the books are a way to escape reality and "rebuild" their life. Billy applies the ideology of science fiction to his life by creating Tralfamadorians to change his way of thinking and see life as more optimistic. On page 88, the Tralfamadorians reply to Billy saying, "But you're right: each clump of symbols is a brief, urgent message-describing a situation, a scene...There isn't any particular relationship between all the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep." The tralfamadorians view life as a beautiful thing and see the positive aspects of it. By Billy being with them, he soon adopts their ways of thinking into escaping reality.

]]> 2019-03-20 23:46:56 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343580095 Karley Dunhoff / Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343617130 Chapter 4 
2) What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
As seen throughout the book so far, Billy has had multiple accounts of intense PTSD. It is also known how war has scarred him and deprived him of his sanity. Therefore, recounting such a traumatic event triggers this PTSD through him knowing the war firsthand, and the descriptive details of events. It could also be another reference to him being “unstuck in time,” and his ability to time travel, also correlating with this PTSD. 
Chapter 5 
3) Explain why both Billy and Eliot find science fiction “a big help.” 
Billy and Rosewater both experienced the traumatic events in a war, and perhaps didn’t want to live with the burden of their mistakes (Rosewater killed a fourteen-year-old fireman, and Billy was a part of the “greatest massacre in European history” [Vonnegut, 101]).  These mistakes must have been so heard to bear with that they wanted to alter reality and invent such things (the aliens, for instance) to try and escape. Science fiction helped reinvent a reality to pose a distraction of their thought process and lessen the burden on their shoulders because of the events they went through. 
]]> 2019-03-21 03:18:04 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343617130 Cerina Wichryk / Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343718229 Chapter 4
(2) What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
   Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time and watches a World War II documentary backwards. In the movie, destruction is contained in bombs, missiles are mysteriously pulled back into the holds of jets, bullets are pulled back from bodies and everything is the opposite of what it was. The entire scene is one, strong anti-war image. "It was [the specialists] business to put them into the ground, to hide [the bombs] cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody again...And Hitler turned into a baby, Billy Pilgrim supposed (Vonnegut 75)." The reversion of destruction and returning to a world without such conflict is one of the main themes of Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five. 

Chapter 5
(8) What is significant about the candy Valencia is eating?
 While Billy is at the veteran's hospital, she eats a Three Musketeers bar. This is a reference back to Billy' fellow solider Weary and this two other companions. Weary prided himself on the thought of the three of them, minus Billy, were the Three Musketeers: bold, brave, and inseparable. "We'd like to stick together for the rest of the war, sir. Is there some way you can fix it so nobody will ever break up the Three Musketeers? (Vonnegut 43)" Ironically, Weary's two buddies leave him behind and get themselves killed by the Germans. The inclusion of this callback to earlier in the book is Vonnegut's way of linking all of Billy's moments in his life together, furthering the concept of Billy being "unstuck in time."

]]> 2019-03-21 11:52:34 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343718229 Megan Pollinger: Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343719686 Chapter 4 (Q1)
Billy describes the war being backwards because the idea was what he hoped the war would be. His point of view is anti- war and that's what he described. He said, "The bombers opened their doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires gathered, gathered them in steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes. This statement shows how uneasy Billy was about the war. He would do anything to escape his reality of the challenges he was facing.
Chapter 5 (Q3)
Science fiction is valued by Billy and Eliot because it helped them both cope with the horrible crimes they had to commit or had seen in their lives. Billy had seen the bombing of Dresden, and Eliot had shot a 14 year old. Science fiction helps them focus on inventing new creatures, the aliens, and use them to re- invent themselves in their universe. Billy was inspired to follow in Eliot's footsteps because he is amazed at how smart he is compared to himself. ]]> 2019-03-21 11:57:02 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343719686 Anastasia Schang: Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343720727 Chapter 4, Question 2: The effect of the description of the war being played backwards is symbolic of the book as a whole. The entirety of Slaughterhouse five deals with breaking time down and getting to the raw reasons that things happen to us. By playing the war backwards, Vonnegut is harnessing the  deconstruction of time and shows us how humankind is violent. He views the planes exerting," a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes." Instead of dropping bombs and creating the construction, he views the war like how he views the rest of his life: backwards and out of order. He also sees," a few wounded Americans." This shows that somehow the order doesn't really matter, since it ends in pain no matter what way you view it. 
Chapter 5, question 10: The irony of the sign " PLEASE LEAVE THIS LATRINE AS TIDY AS YOU FOUND IT!"is that the latrine was never tidy in the first place. it was dirty and packed with people as sick," as volcanoes." it shows that there never will really be cleanliness in war and it is ironic to thinking that something so dirty could ever be replaced to what came before.]]> 2019-03-21 11:59:42 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343720727 Brianna Chiodo: Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343720867
  • Billy concludes that the person on the end of the telephone is a drunk. He “could almost smell his breath - mustard gas and roses.” What does that combination suggest about the ‘author’? 
    • The combination that Billy recognizes is to show that he once was that person drunk over the phone. The smell is what he believed his breath to smell like when he over drank. This triggers a scent in his brain because he is so familiar with it. 

    2. Explain why both Billy and Eliot find science fiction “a big help.” 
    Both Billy and Eliot find science fiction "a big help" because it helps them escape reality and forget about the trauma they have to live with everyday from the war they fought. Both men went through similar situations and believe that there is no way out but to read. They hate reliving the war and the books allow them to run away from those horrible thoughts. Page 101 explains the troubles both face and why Eliot recommends science fiction to Billy because they are so similar.


    ]]>     2019-03-21 12:00:06 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343720867     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721251 Tyler Merlina Period 1]]> 2019-03-21 12:01:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721251 Tristen Lucas https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721428 Chapter 4
    The effect of the war movie being played backwards showed the opposite of how destructive war is. Instead of seeing people dying or buildings exploding, you see them getting repaired as if the damages never happened. Since Vonnegut is anti-war, this is showing how calming everything is without war.

    Chapter 5
    Explain why both Billy and Eliot find science fiction "a big help"
    Since both Billy and Eliot were feeling guilty after war, they needed something to escape to and take their minds off of the traumatizing effects that the war had on them. (Billy was apart of the biggest massacre in European history, and Eliot killed a teenage fireman)

    ]]>     2019-03-21 12:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721428     Isabella Richards Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721467 Chapter 4:
    2) Q: What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
    A: The war movie playing backward correlates to how Billy feel like he lives his life. Billy is "unstuck in time" and travels to different moments in his life, sometimes traveling forward and other times backwards. He moves forward, like to the mental institution, but always ends up moving back to the war again no matter where he is at first. "The terrific acceleration of the saucer as it left earth twisted Billy's slumbering body, distorted his face, dislodged him in time sent him back to the war" (pg 77)
    Chapter 5:


    ]]>     2019-03-21 12:01:45 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343721467     Sophia Weber Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343722292 Chapter 4- What is the effect of the descriptions of War movie being played backwards







    Chapter 5-
     ]]>     2019-03-21 12:04:11 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343722292     Lindsay Thomas Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343735064 Chapter 4
    2) What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards?

    The idea of the war happening in reverse is symbolic to Billy's own life. The movie features planes loading back the bombs rather than dropping them, and building being constructed rather than destroyed. The novel states on page 74,"... the miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes." These events happening in reverse show how Billy's life is happening in pieces, rather than just straight forwards. The display of the events also show Billy's calming view on the war, rather than the destructive view that he suffered through.

    8) What is significant about the candy Valencia is eating?

    During Billy's flashback to the time that he's in the hospital, his wife is eating a Three Musketeers candy bar. During the war, Billy was traveling with three other soldiers. Roland Weary was one of these soldiers. The three were inseparable.  The novel states on page 43, "Is there some way you can fix it so nobody will ever  break up the Three Musketeers?" The three of them wanted to stick together for the rest of the war. Ironically, two of the soldiers decide to leave Weary, and they are killed by German soldiers. This shows that the war is brutal. Eventually, Weary dies on the boxcar due to an infection, and only Billy survives. The candy bar that Valencia is eating symbolizes the legacy of the Three Musketeers in battle.

    ]]>     2019-03-21 12:25:40 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343735064     Catherine Martsolf: Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343746831 Chapter 4 
    2) What effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
    Watching the movie backwards triggers memories of WWII. He imagines that it is going back to the beginning of time. The flight signifies the timelessness of war and shows that humankind is very violent. The destruction in the film is opposite of what happened. The bullets got pulled out of the bodies and the bombs were shipped back to the United States. The fires also shrunk as the formation of bombers flew backwards over a German city that was up in flames. On page 74, it says, “The formation flew backwards over a German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes.” 

    Chapter 5 
    8) What is the significance about the candy Valencia is eating? 
    On page 110 it says, “Billy’s financée has finished her Three Musketeers Candy Bar. Now she was eating a Milky Way.” Valencia was “as big as a house” because she would eat so much food. When Billy is in the hospital, she is eating a Three Musketeers Bar. The Three Musketeers refers back to when Billy and three other men are traveling together with three other soldiers. The 3 other soldiers were Weary and two other companions. On page 43 it says, “ ‘We’d like to stick together for the rest of the war, sir.’ Is there some way you can fix it so nobody will ever break up the Three Musketeers?” They wanted to stick together throughout the end of war, but they ditched Weary and got killed by the Germans. ]]>     2019-03-21 12:45:59 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343746831     Isabella Richards: Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343825257 Chapter 4:
    2) Q: What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? 
    A: The war movie playing backward correlates to how Billy feel like he lives his life. Billy is "unstuck in time" and travels to different moments in his life, sometimes traveling forward and other times backwards. He moves forward, like to the mental institution, but always ends up moving back to the war again no matter where he is at first. "The terrific acceleration of the saucer as it left earth twisted Billy's slumbering body, distorted his face, dislodged him in time sent him back to the war" (pg 77)
    Chapter 5
    2) Q: An American who gets beaten up asks, “‘Why me?’”. What is significant about this question and the German’s reply, “‘Vy you? Vy anybody?’”? 
    A: When the German man said that it drew a parallel between him and the Tralfamadorians. At the beginning of chapter 4 Billy asks, '"why me" ]]>     2019-03-21 14:52:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343825257     Nic Obringer https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343890452 Chapter 4, question 4
    Explain the irony of Walter Derby’s well-preserves forty-four year old body. 

    Walter Derby pulled political and social strings to work his way into the military. He had a well kept body as well, which helped him get in. The body would not matter, however, as the he was fated to die anyway. No matter whether or not his body was well chiseled, he was fated to die, only 68 days after arriving. He would be shot and killed, with the universe paying no regard to whether or not he was physically fit.]]>     2019-03-21 16:42:50 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343890452     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343893539 Caleb Lee: Period 7 ]]> 2019-03-21 16:48:49 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343893539 Nic Obringer https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343894285 Chapter 4, question 5

    Why does Billy (at the point at which he firsts meets the aliens) believe in free will? Why do the Tralfmadorians not believe in free will?

    Billy, like all other humans, believes in free will. He believes that he is the master of his own destiny and that nothing happens in his life, without being an influence of it. The Tralfmadorians, however, do not believe in free will. They compare time to a mosquito trapped in a piece of Amber; Every moment in time, is stuck within that exact moment. Everything is scripted and everything will play out as it is supposed to, with only that moment in time happening at once. They already know how the universe will end, and they know that no matter what they do, it will, so they don’t bother with ideas of free will. They live their lives knowing that nothing they do is of their own accord, but of the universe’s planning.]]>     2019-03-21 16:50:11 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343894285     Jimmy Richard; period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343894654 Chapter 4
    2) the war being played backward shows how Kurt wants war to be peaceful. He talks on pg 74 about everything going in reverse meaning he wished it all never happened and that the war and all of it's effects would have changed
    Chapter 5
    8) the candy bar on pg 110, "... Had finished her three musketeers candy bar." This is so significant since in the war Billy traveled with 3 other people and it reminded him of all that they went through and what all had happened]]>     2019-03-21 16:50:58 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343894654     Kendall Kutzavitch https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343895795 Chapter 4:
    2.) Q: What is the effect of the war movie being played backwards?
    A: The effect created by playing the war movie backwards is that peace is achievable and the war could’ve been undone. As an anti-war book, the author includes this type of reverse irony to show the in depth damage of the war. The text states “a few German fighter planes flew at them backwards, sucked bullets and shell fragments from some of the planes and crewmen.” This detailed description of bullets being ripped out and lives being revived  is an accurate portrayal of the destruction faced by many during battle. Also, the simplicity of just removing bullets and picking planes back up, is ironic because war is too complex for a simple solution of that nature.

    8.) Q: What is the significance of The candy bar Valencia is eating?
    A: The candy bar Valencia is eating is a Three Musketeers bar. The three other men Billy found himself with during the war called themselves the three musketeers. In fact, Ronald Weary told tales of the ‘Three Musketeers’ up until he died. The text states “Weary, in his nearly continuous delirium, told again and again of the Three Musketeers.” This  sample from the text shows that Weary felt pride in his group of men that supported Pilgrim throughout his weakest times. The major significance was that Billy Pilgrim was not seen as a part of the Three Musketeers to his peers and only dragged them down. Therefore, the story comes full circle and the subtle details like that shows how someone with PTSD can succumb to flashbacks at minor things that remind them of their trauma-filled past.


    ]]>     2019-03-21 16:52:30 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343895795     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343896791 Caleb Lee: Period 1 
    Chapter 4 Question 1:Billy conculeds that the person on the end of the telephone is a drunk. He “could almost smell his breath Mustard gas and roses” What does that combination suggest about the author? 
    A) The combination of both Roses and Mustard guess combine what Billy’s time I’m the war was like compared to what his life was like. I’m the we all he knew was people being violent and him living in the middle, where in his normal life he is safe and happy with a beautiful family.

    ]]>     2019-03-21 16:54:27 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343896791     Liam Routch /period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343897834
    Chapter 4 (2) What was the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards?
       Billy is constantly transporting himself throughout time also known as being unstuck in time. This causes him to watch the war movie in reverse. This shows bombs being put back into planes bullets come out of bodies and explosions are nonexistent. The impact this has is one of our major themes about antiwar. On page 74 the author states, “The formation of planes flew backwards over a German city in flames. The planes bomb bay doors opened, exerted  a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the flames...” This quote shows the antiwar theme by mentioning that before the war and many battles it was peaceful to live.

    Chapter 5 question 8
    What is the significance of the candy billy eats in the hospital?

    Billy flashbacks to the time when he was in the hospital with his wife and he is eating a 3 musketeers. When billy was in the war he had his 3 other soldiers he called the 3 musketeers. For example one of his soldiers were called weary and the 3 were did not want to be split up and promised to not leave each other. On page 43 it states, “... is there any way we can keep the 3 musketeers together.” The 2 soldiers eventually left weary and billy and the 2 soldiers were later killed by German soldiers. This shows the brutality of war that anything can be taken away in a heart beat.]]>     2019-03-21 16:56:24 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343897834     Keri Quasey period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343898854 Chapter 4-
    Q) What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards?
    A) During one of the nights that Billy was unstuck in time, he waits for the Tralfamadorians to come get him by watching a war movie in reverse. He explains how he watched as “ American planes, full of holes and wounded men and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England.” This symbolizes his anti-war views. He emphasizes that materials were “put back into the ground so they would never hurt anybody again.”  Billy does not like the violence of war or how it hurts young kids. He dreams of war being reversed and all of its damge being undone.

    Chapter 5-
    Q)What is significant about the candy Valencia is eating?
    A) Billy recalls a time in which Valencia was sitting on his bed in the mental hospital, eating candy. Although a small detail, it is very significant in the fact that the candy bar she was eating was a Three Musketeers. This relates back to Billy and the time that he spent in the war with the “Three Musketeers”. This group consisted of Roland Weary and 2 other military officers that believed to be inseparable and unstoppable. Weary spoke confidentially about the three of them, stating on page 42 that the “Three Musketeers”, “ fought until everybody was killed but Weary. They became close friends immediately and decided to fight their way back.” However, this belief proves to be false as the two officers leave Billy and Weary saying that they “better find someone to surrender to.”

    ]]>     2019-03-21 16:58:25 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343898854     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343900466 Caleb lee Period 1: 
    Chapter 5 Question 1: An American who gets beaten up asks, “Why me?. What is significant about this question and the Germans reply,” Vy You? Vy anybody?”?
    A) The significance is that many people think that they’re centered and are all important. But in reality it is luck of the Draw and however fate shall play it.]]>     2019-03-21 17:01:03 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343900466     Olivia Baer Chapter Five Question Nine Responce https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343924571 The Tralfamadorians are “aware” of free will being an illusion. This is evident when they tell Billy, earth is the only planet in which free will is discussed. In order to cope with the lack of control, the Tralfamadorians cleverly coin the phrase, “so it goes,” in order to make light or death, war, destruction, and just general disappointment. This is evident when Billy adopts the Tralfamadorian mannerism, and desribes his champagne as, “dead, so it goes.”]]> 2019-03-21 17:42:11 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343924571 Mya Clay period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343928590 1) Billy says that the person on the other end of the phone is drunk, and says that he can smell his breath. There is no way that he could actually smell his breath through the phone however. What he was smelling was actually a result of his ptsd from the war. In the war that was what he could smell and since the aliens were going to abduct him, that probably triggered it, or the aliens did that on purpose to him.
    5) One of the rifles has blanks in it so the people doing the firing can think that maybe they weren’t the person killing them. This helps take some of the guilt off and would help their mental health. It gives them hope that maybe they weren’t a killer and not responsible for their death.]]>     2019-03-21 17:49:20 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343928590     Olivia Thompson period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343933251 Chapter 4. The effect of playing the movies backwards triggers his memories of WW2. The bombs dropping out of airplanes were put back into the planes to be shipped away to the factory where it came from, which they would then take it apart piece by piece. On page 75 it states, "The American fliers turned in their uniforms, became high school kids again."  Playing it in reverse removes the sense that humans are cruel and violent, it takes away the pain that soldiers and children are having and makes them become innocent again. 
    Chapter 5. The significance of Valencia eating the candy bar evokes Billy into remembering war. As he traveled with the boy scouts and Ronald Weary they called themselves "Three Musketeers" to stay motivate to continue through the intense aches and pains they felt. On page 44 it expresses, " An officer was congratulating the Three Musketeers, telling them that he was going to put them in for Bronze Stars." The simplest thing as a candy bar reminded him of his past which makes Billy not want to discuss his previous life with her. ]]>     2019-03-21 17:56:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343933251     Olivia Baer Chapter Four Section One https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343934700 Vonnegut often uses the phrase, “Roses and Mustard-Gas,” to describe the breath of intoxicated people. One could interpret this to mean that Vonnegut finds something somewhat alluring about people when intoxicated. The juxtaposition between the sweet scent of roses and the toxcicity of mustard-gas engages the reader in wondering what could be rosy about the breath of a drunk person. I take this to mean that Vonnegut has some of his best ideas and most vivid experiences while being drunk, for instance, writing this book, or calling old friends. “Mustard-gas and roses,” are a playful juxtaposition, like Vonnegut’s inside joke with himself.

    ]]>     2019-03-21 17:58:42 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343934700     Marissa Collins (Period 7) https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343982258 Chapter 4
    1. What does the combination of "mustard gas and roses" suggest about the ‘author’?
    The combination of "mustard gas and roses" is yet another example of Vonnegut inserting himself into the story. Looking back at Chapter 1, Vonnegut conveys that he used to make drunken calls to old girlfriends. Based on the fact that Billy was in his daughter's room, the audience can assume that Barbara was one of his girlfriends. Additionally, mustard gas was used in both World Wars as a chemical weapon, which reveals that Vonnegut believes his drinking habits are toxic. Meanwhile, roses are a romantic symbol. The unusual combination of mustard gas and roses emphasize the harsh impact that the war had on Vonnegut.

    Chapter 5
    1. An American who gets beaten up asks, “‘Why me?’”. What is significant about this question and the German’s reply, “‘Vy you? Vy anybody?’”? 
    The significance of "Why me?" is that Billy asks the same thing when kidnapped by the Tralfamadorians. They answer with the same response, however they explain that every moment is planned out and destined. There is no true explanation to why Billy is there besides fate. Furthermore, this conversation between the German and the American implies that Billy is manipulating his memories from the war to make them more pleasant and tolerable to look back at. It seems that many of the conversations he has with the Tralfamadorians mimic others that he has had on Earth. Therefore, the audience can conclude that Billy was never physically kidnapped by Tralfamadorians, but his mind was.


    ]]>     2019-03-21 19:34:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343982258     Sophia Weber period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343990330 chapter 4( Q2)
    One night before Billy is taken by the Tralfamadorians, he watches a war movie in reverse to let time pass. By watching the movie in reverse, he expresses his anti-war feelings. For example, he says, " American planes, full of holes, and wounded corpses took off backwards..." This shows how Billy wished for there to be no war and playing the movie in reverse allows him to feel at ease with no violence or damage it's doing to the soldiers.
    Chapter 5 (Q8)
    When Billy was in the hospital, his wife Valencia was eating a Three Musketeers Candy bar. This is significant because it allows Billy to remember war with a group called the "Three Musketeers" Roland Weary and two other soldiers were nicknamed this group because of their  hardworking times spent together. On page 43 it says, "is there some way you can fix it so nobody will ever break up the Three Musketeers." Although the two soldiers are killed and Roland Weary dies, the sight of seeing Valencia eating a Three Musketeers bar triggers Billy to think about war.

    ]]>     2019-03-21 19:58:30 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343990330     Maggie Russell Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343992416 Chapter 4 (Q2)
    In chapter 4, there is a movie about war. This movie is ironically being played backwards. I found this to be very interesting and clever of the author to do. I felt that this approach to express something was extremely effective. In the text, the author states, "He came slightly unstuck in time, saw the late movie backwards, then forwards again. It was a movie about American bombers in the Second World War and the gallant men who flew them. Seen backwards the story went like this:" When reading this I felt as though this movie being played backwards represented Billy's life and his flashbacks. For instance, Billy will flash forward to being married with Valencia, then something triggers him and he may flashback to the war, then he'll snap out of it and be living in the present time again. Billy can't control exactly which time of his life he lives or relives, this movie represents his life and/or time traveling experience. One minute he goes forward a scene or two, the next minute he may go back twenty five scenes to when he was a baby. 
    Chapter 5 (Q13)
    On page 98, the text states, "Billy found the couplet so comical that he not only laughed- he shrieked. He went on shrieking until he was carried out of the shed and into another, where the hospital was. It was a six-bed hospital. There weren't any other patients in there. Billy was put to bed and tied down, given a shot of morphine. Another American volunteered to watch over him." In this part of the book, Billy had attended a show of Cinderella. Billy had found part of the play extremely comical and began to laugh uncontrollably, to the point he started shrieking uncontrollably. Due to this, his peers and others around him automatically assumed he was going crazy and/or insane. They then treated him like an insane person by strapping him down to the bed, giving him medication to calm him, and having someone monitor him. The fact that the twelve-year-old boy's mother called Billy out for being "crazy", I found it to be very funny. This was ironic because this is not the first time that this had happened to Billy, he had been seen as crazy before. ]]>     2019-03-21 20:05:37 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343992416     Alyssa Conn Period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343997865 Chapter 4 (Q4)
    Edgar Derby had “one of the best bodies” out of all the prisoners of war. He was the most fit, but he ended being someone who was killed by being shot by the firing squad in Dresden. He had the best body and died, while Billy had one of the worst, and he lived. The text states on page 83, “That good body of his would he filled with holes by a firing squad in Dresden in sixty-eight days.” Just because someone is very fit, doesn’t mean that they fate changes and they get to survive. Derby’s fate was to die, and his body didn’t change that. 

    Chapter 5 (Q9)
    The Tralfamadorians think that Billy is stupid for thinking about peace on Earth because they do not believe in fate and free will. They believe that your whole life is already planned out and structured and there is no way to change how your happens. They can see their whole life now, and not just the present. They know how the Universe destructs and they don’t try to prevent it because they know that the moment is supposed to be that way. The Tralfamadorians cope with bad situations by ignoring them. They spend their lives looking at the happy, pleasant, good moments of their lives and not the bad ones. On page 117, the text states, “On other days we have wars as horrible as any you’ve ever seen or read about. There isn’t anything we can do about them, so we simply don’t look at them.” They believe that “Earthlings” should view their lives in the same way. 
    ]]>     2019-03-21 20:23:27 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/343997865     Meghan Grogan Period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344000672 Chapter 4 Question 2
    The description of the war movie being played backwards contributed to the theme of anti-war. As he watches the movie backwards, Billy reveals that he wished wars never happened. This is shown on page 75 when he says, “It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again.” This quote shows that Billy wished that bombs were never made and therefore wars would never happen. 
    Chapter 5 Question 9
    The Tralfamadorians think that it is stupid for Billy to think about peace on earth because they know that Earth’s fate is sealed and they cannot change that no matter what they do. It is also stupid for Billy to think about stopping the destruction of the universe because the Tralfamadorians know that they have no control over their future. On page 117, Billy says, “‘A Tralfamadorian test pilot presses a starter button, and the whole Universe disappears.’ So it goes,” because he now knows that there is no way of saving the universe from dying. Knowing they cannot do anything to fix them, the Tralfamadorians cope with their bad situations by ignoring them and instead focusing on the pleasant moments they have. ]]>     2019-03-21 20:32:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344000672     Breana Gerst https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344016539 Chapter 4
    2) The effect of the war movie being played backwards gives irony since the novel is anti-war. It shows how everything should be in the world and without war. Also, showing how good things can turn bad. On page 75, it states, “The American fliers turned in their uniforms, became high school kids.” This shows the world should be without any war. High school kids stay high school kids and don’t have to fight in war and risk their lives. 

    Chapter 5 
    8) The significance about the candy Valencia is eating is that she is first eating a Three Musketeers. Billy would always talk about the group the Three Musketeers, and how he was never in it and they would neglect him in a way to put him down. When she finished her Three Musketeers it was like when all of the Three Musketeers had died and there was none left. On page 110, it states, “Billy’s fiancée had finished her Three Musketeers Candy Bar. Now she was eating a Milky Way.” When she finished the Three Musketeers and started eating the Milky Way was like after all the Three Musketeers had died and now Billy was “kidnapped” by the Tralfamadorians. Taken to their planet of Tralfamadore, which they would have to go into the Milky Way to get to.]]>     2019-03-21 21:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344016539     Michael Sible Pd 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344020461 Chapter 4
    Q2: The effect of the war movie being played backwards is that it shows what what the author wishes to be true, for war to end forever and for everyone to live in peace. "The American fliers turned in their uniforms, became high school kids. And hitler turned into a baby" (Page 75). This quote means that everyone would regain their innocence, they would never have to fight or kill one another and they could live in peace.

    Chapter 5
    Q8: The significance of the candy that Valencia is eating comes from the names of both The Musketeers and the Milky Way she was eating (Page 110) both of these names relate to Billy's life. The three musketeers was related to him because that was what he called his group of friends that he used to have during the war. The men in the group died in the war which caused him to relate the candy to the war itself. The Milky Way relates to Billy's life because of his encounter with Tralfamadorians. The planet and aliens presumably exist somewhere in the Milky Way since its the same galaxy that Earth is in.


    ]]>     2019-03-21 21:55:06 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344020461     Rebecca Miller Period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344024978 Chapter 4 
    2.) Watching the war movie reminds Billy of the days when he was fighting in World War 2. He wishes that things would have played out differently. By watching the war occur backward, it ends in peace rather than in destruction. This is shown in the line that states, “But there were still a few wounded Americans, though, and some of the bombers were in bad repair. Over France, though, German fighters came up again, made everything and everyone as good as new.” The book focuses around the theme of anti-war, and if the war was reversed, it would not cause this unnecessary destruction and loss of lives. 
    Chapter 5 
    9.) The Tralfamadorians think that it is stupid for Billy to worry about peace and destruction because they believe that time is already structured and cannot be changed. Unlike those that live on Earth, they do not believe that free will exists. Because of this, they find there to be no point in worrying about peace. They are able to see all of time, and they already know how the universe will be destroyed. Despite this, they make no attempt to stop this destruction and do not seem phased by it because they just accept it as the truth. This is shown on page 117 in the line, “‘A Tralfamadorian test pilot presses a starter button, and the whole Universe disappears.’ So it goes.” They are able to deal with the war and destruction by focusing on the good moments and ignoring the bad moments because there is nothing that they can do that will stop them from happening.
    ]]>     2019-03-21 22:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344024978     Evan Bordo Period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344056389 Chapter 4 
    2.) Watching the war movie backwards has a draumatic effect of Billy. The movie sends him back to when he was fighting in World War 2 and puts him to the past to revisit all the horrible memories that still haunt his mind. Instead of the war starting with peace and ending with war, the movie started with destruction and death and ended with peace. "It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again." This quote from page 75 brings out Billy's anti-war side and how he wishes there would just be peace, no war.

    Chapter 5
    1.) The Americans response and the Germans response are both significant due to the dehumanization in the war and how the war caused the Axis and even the Allied forces to be this way in war. "He had meant no harm by what he'd said, evidently, had no idea the guard would hear and understand." (Page 91) This fully allowed the Americans to understand how the Germans were. Also, the Americans started to fully understand what the war has caused and how it dehumanized the Germans and everyone in the war.

    ]]>     2019-03-22 01:45:49 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344056389     Drew Smida Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344159351 Chapter 4
    2. Seeing the movie backwards shows that Billy is very anti-war and believes that war can be stopped and prevented. "The Germans below had miraculous devices of their own, which were long steel tubes. They used them to suck more fragments from the crewmen and planes." The movie was showing the destruction from war but playing it backwards created the peaceful development that Billy wishes to achieve with his anti-war book.
    Chapter 5
    8. The candy bar she was eating "3 Musketeers" was represented the war with Weary, Billy, and another 2, because they were inseperable on the battlefield until they got held down by enemies and the other 2 ran and eventually got killed. and the "Milky Way" represents his meet with the aliens because the milky way is our galaxy and apart of the universe which the aliens and Billy talk about quite often along with Earth and the past, present, and future of our universe.

    ]]>     2019-03-22 11:52:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344159351     Brooke Colicchie Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344184151 Chapter 4 - Question 4
    Situational irony is present in the novel when Vonnegut describes who Edgar Derby is. When Billy first got to the prisoner camp, he noticed that many prisoners were weak and in bad shape, but "one of the best bodies belonged to the oldest American by far," Derby (Vonnegut 83). Since Billy can become unstuck in time, he knows "that good body of [Derby's] would be filled with holes by a firing squad" (Vonnegut 83).  Derby wasn't even supposed to be in the war because of his age, but he pulled some strings. This is ironic because the stronger prisoners who are cut out for war are expected to survive, which Derby was, but he died, anyway. On the other hand, Billy was not cut out for war and he survived.
    Chater 5 - Question 4
    Billy is upset with his mother because she tried so hard "to give him life, and to keep that life going," but Billy doesn't enjoy life at the moment because the war put him in a mental hospital (Vonnegut 102). Every time his mother visits, it "makes him feel embarrassed and ungrateful and weak" (Vonnegut 102). Her attitude is frustrated because she wants to be appreciated since she takes time out of her day to visit Billy, but he always has a blanket over his head so he can't see her. During her conversation with Rosewater, she wishes Billy will say to her "'Gee its it's good to see you, Mom. How have you been?'" (Vonnegut 103). She is sad because of the way Billy acts.]]>     2019-03-22 12:55:59 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344184151     Elyssia Lesko Period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344215992 Chapter 4 Question 2- What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards? The effect of the war movie being played backwards is that is revels the author, Vonnegut’s immediate stance and the topic of war. As “weapons are shipped back to factories...minerals are shipped to specialists all over the world who hide them very cleverly in the ground so they never hurt anybody ever again.” Thus, furthering the deep resentment the author has the the brutal and devasting outcomes of war. Also, this shows how he believes how pointless war is and yet how inevitable it is. People die regardless of what occurs but dying in combat in his eyes is unnecessary when compromise is possible. 
    Chapter 5 Question 4- Why does Billy’s mother upset him simply by his mother “being his mother”(97). What attitude does Billy’s mother take to his mental breakdown? Billy’s mother upsets him by being his mother because in every situation and occurrence in his life that he has endured, he feels like everything in his like has come to a pointless end. The disregard for his mother comes from an inner struggle of how she makes him feel unappreciative if the life she has given him. As stated, “She made him feel embarrassed and ungrateful and weak because she had gone to so much trouble to give him life, and to keep that life going, and Billy didn’t really like life at all.” The reader can see throughout how much Billy truly does not care for his own life as in war he puts himself in the lines of death purposely.

    ]]>     2019-03-22 13:56:49 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344215992     Emma Main (period 7) https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344257329 Chapter 5, question 4- Billy’s mother upsets him simply by being his mother because he claims that her giving him life is pointless. Due to Billy’s PTSD symptoms, he finds life pointless and not worth living. The idea that his mother birthed him makes him angry with her for giving him a life to live, although he sees no point.
    Chapter 4, question 5- Billy believes in free will because he lives on earth and is not able to predict things happening. The Tralfamadorians do not believe in free will because since they’re not from earth, they’re able to know what happens before it actually happens.  ]]>     2019-03-22 15:10:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344257329     Tommy Ginocchi period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344257991 Chapter 4
    2. The effect of the war movie being played backwards gives the effect that billy is becoming unstuck while he is waiting for the Tralfamadorians to come get him. It also shows that he is going back to an event when he is unstuck and heading to Tralfamadore. This can all be shown when Billie states “ he traveled in time to 1967 again-to the night he was kidnapped by a flying saucer from Tralfamadore,” (Vonnegut,71).
    Chapter 5
    10. The sign that states “PLEASE LEAVE THIS SIGN AS TIDY AS YOU FOUND IT!” Is absurd because they are in a prison camp and there are people dying due to the unsanitary conditions and the poor conditions of the showers and living quarters. This can be shown when Vonnegut states “The welcome feast 
    ]]>     2019-03-22 15:12:07 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344257991     Sara Sawford Period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344319028 Chapter 4
    5. Billy believes in free will because he doesn't see the future as a fixed outcome for anything. He believes that any choice he makes will influence the future. This contrasts the Tralfamadorians' belief that free will in nonexistent.  The aliens see the past, present, and future all as one.  Vonnegut wrote, "The creatures can see where each star has been, and where it is going..." (pg. 87), meaning that they see time all at once. To concentrate on a certain time, they look at moments, which can be in the past or the future, even if it hasn't occurred yet according to Billy's standards. These moments already have set outcomes, so nothing can influence it. This would mean that the Tralfamadorians can see the outcomes of every decision made because every decision has already been chosen.  

    Chapter 5
    9. The Tralfamadorians think Billy is stupid for him to think about peace on earth because they don't care about what happens on earth. None of it will matter to the universe anyway because the Tralfamadorians are the cause of the end to the universe. Since Tralfamadorians won't do anything to stop the pilot from pushing the button that ends the world, they cope by ignoring the bad moments. Vonnegut wrote, "Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones," (pg. 117). The aliens believe that the key to living a pleasant life is to remember the good times without dwelling on the past.   ]]>     2019-03-22 17:23:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344319028     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344358060 Katie Bleil period 7
    Chapter 4
    Q: Why do the Tralfamadorians believe that "There is no why" (74)? How does the playing of the war movie backwards and forwards contradict the Tralfamadorian view that time is a succession of pre-determined moments which cannot be changed?

    The Tralfamadorians felt that life was already pre-determined and organism are just playing through their lives. This indicates that there is no free will because the "choices" humans make were already determine to be made by an outside force. "Their is no why" because life simply is. Since there are no choices, there cannot be a reason for a person's actions-- the actions we performed simply to be performed as part of moving through events in life. Despite the Tralfamadorians views on life and free will, the war movie backwards and forwards contradicts lack of free will. When the movie is played forwards, Billy sees ,"wounded men and corpses", "flames", and "bombers" (p.74). This could argue that the war and violence was pre-determined as the events played out. However, when Billy played the movie backwards he sees bombers that, "shrunk the fires", devices that "sucked more fragments from the crewmen", and materials to make bombs were "put into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again"(p.74 and p. 75). Here, it is described that an unexpected choice was made-- to go against war so much so that human hid materials for war. By making an unpredictable choices, the movie played backwards could prove that mankind does have free will.

    Chapter 5
    Q: Why do the Tralfamadorians think that it is stupid for Billy to think about peace on Earth or how to stop the destruction of the Universe? Since Tralfamadorians cannot do anything to change bad situations, how do they cope with them?

    When Billy asks, "How can a planet live at peace?", the Tralfamadorians respond that he is acting stupid. Since Tralfamadorians believe in successive pre-determined events, they aknowledge that war will always occur, even on their own planet. They don't even try to prevent it because they know war-- along with every other event in the universe-- is unavoidable. In fact, the Tralfamadorians already know that the universe will end due to their own kind. However, they don't try to stop the universe from ending, saying, "He has always pressed it, and he always will. We always let him and we always will let him. The moment is structured that way" (p. 117). Here, the Tralfamadorians are explaining that they've decided to accept the unavoidable. In order to cope, the Tralfamadorians say "There isn't anything we can do about them, so we simply don't look at them. We ignore them" (p.117). By ignoring unfortunate events such as war, the Tralfamadorians are able to better enjoy the rest of the events such as, "today at the zoo"(p.117).]]>     2019-03-22 18:49:05 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344358060     Parker Cruise period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344375200 chapter 4
    4. Explain the irony of Edgar Derby's well-preserved forty-four year-old body.
     
    The irony of Edgar Derby's well kept body is that he was on board a prisoner of war transport train with little rations. His body is also ironic because he is the oldest American man. Being the oldest American makes the fact that, " One of the best bodies belonged to the oldest American by far," pretty strange (pg. 83). later on in the story, it is revealed to the audience that Edgar Derby, " was two years older than the colonel," making him the oldest men in the prison with on of the most physically fit bodies (pg. 106).

    chapter 5
    10. What is particularly absurd about this sign, " PLEASE LEAVE THIS LATRINE AS TIDY AS YOU FOUND IT!"? 

    For one, this sign is absurd because the men that put it up, the Englishmen, are trapped in a prisoner of war camp, a place that is usually plagued with filth and pestilence. the sign is also absurd due to another reason, the Americans. After Billy leaves the hospital, he walks to over to the restrooms, reads the sign, then describes the Americans, " as sick as volcanoes," and says," The buckets were full or had been kicked over," meaning that there was going to be a mess that would need cleaning up later (pg. 125). It as if the sign is not even there due the Americans not caring about what they are doing.

    ]]>     2019-03-22 19:54:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344375200     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344406717 Jamie Collins 

    chapter 4 question 4
    the irony of Egars well preserved body is that previously to the war he was just a regular guy, he was teacher and had kids, no interest in joining the army but now here he is, doing better then most of the other soilders ]]>     2019-03-23 00:26:29 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344406717     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344406893 Jamie Collins 
    Chapter 5 question 1 
    The significance of his response is that it relates to the aliens belief that there isn’t any free will, only fate. The officer doesn’t question why anyone bevause he believes it doesn’t matter, just like the aliens that abducted billy ]]>     2019-03-23 00:29:34 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344406893     Hannah Wagner Pd. 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344409405 Chapter 4, Q2
    The description of the war movie being played in reverse emphasizes the anti-war theme of the book. By describing the things that happen in war backwards, it makes it seem like such tools used for the destruction of things are actually used to save lives. For example, when Vonnegut explains how women working in factories in America begin disassembling bombs used in war, it makes it seem like they are doing it for the greater good and to stop violence. Another example is when he talks about the minerals used to make such bombs. On page 75, he states, "It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again." He talks about specialists hiding minerals needed to make such destructive devices diligently. This creates the anti-war theme because instead of using those minerals for detrimental purposes, Billy is seeing it as heroism and the preservation of lives.
    Chapter 5, Q3
    Both Billy and Eliot like science fiction because it creates an outlet and escape from the things they've endured. On page 101, Vonnegut states, "They both found life meaningless, partly because of what they had seen in war. Rosewater, for instance, had shot a fourteen year old fireman, mistaking him for a German soldier...And Billy had seen the greatest massacre in European history..." Both men witnessed awful things and were both admitted into the same hospital. By using science fiction as an outlet, it allows both men to cope with PTSD and intense feelings involving their experiences.]]>     2019-03-23 01:03:34 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344409405     Ezekiel DIGIAMBERDINE period. 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344409926 chapter 4 Q1
    the comment about the other drunk on the phones breath smells like mustard gas and roses reveals that the author can relate to being drunk and having the same breath.

    chapter 5 Q1
    the significance about the Germans reply is that the Germans don't really care to be in the war either because they have had lost men this is why he says "vy anyone". also he probably doesn't care for the war because he also has a family like the American soldier. ]]>     2019-03-23 01:10:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344409926     Luke Boni- Period 7 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344411606 Chapter 4:
    2. What is the effect of the description of the war movie being played backwards?
     
    In the novel Billy Pilgrim views a movie both forwards and backwards by becoming unstuck in time. The movie he is watching is of the bombing in Dresden, Germany, which we learn later in the novel is something he lived through. He sees the planes explode into flames, but also reassemble and come together as one. Another thing he sees is the guns and weapons being taken from the battlefield to the factory, and the materials they were made out of right back into the earth. This reveals a common theme in the novel about free will. Billy comes to realize everything in his life meant to happen with no stopping it, or no free will. This plays into the idea of the war having such a large impact on his life. He was forever damaged by this but yet still relives it forwards and backwards. Although he wishes (on page 79) that these weapons "would never hurt anyone ever again", he has no choice. The movie playing forwards and backwards represents his own life being played back.

    Chapter 5: 
    11. Comment on the sentences, “That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book”. 

    The novel, Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut tells a story of a man named Billy Pilgrim. Although it seems like a lot of the experiences in the story are very related to Kurt's experience with war in Dresden, Billy is his own person. It is just loosely based off of the experiences in Vonnegut's life. The novel is actually a metaficton. This is when the author inserts themselves into the story as a character. So, in this scene Billy sees Kurt, and that is when Kurt cuts in. The quote above in the question is then at that point the author stating that. After this, it returns to Billy's point of view where he continues the rest of the story.

    ]]>     2019-03-23 01:32:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344411606     Gabby Martelli pd8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344412502 Chapter 4:
    2. When Billy replays the war movie forward and backward, it is characterizing Billy  as it reveals his true feelings of his past experiences. When it is playing back and forth, it shows the deconstruction and rebuilding of the city of Dresden. It reveals how Billy wishes he could go back to a simpler time, and live a normal life. It seems as if the plot pauses, and time stops. This reveals that everything in life has happened for a reason, and there is no way to change it no matter how many times you "replay" it. 

    Chapter 5:
    1. When the american asks this question, it alludes to Billy's conversation with the tralfamadorians. It reassures how humans believe in free will and that they need reassurance in life. When the german answers, it references the tralfamadorians and how free will isn't even a thing. When Billy is taken with them, they answer the same way. They are saying that in life, there is nothing that makes anyone special. Anything can happen to anyone at any time. It is showing that there is no point in free will because bad things will happen regardless. ]]>     2019-03-23 01:44:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344412502     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344412675 Ethan Cooper Period 1
    Chapter 4
    5) Billy believes in free will because that is the general belief on Earth, they believe everyone has control over there life and can make decisions that change their future. The Tralfamadorians do not believe in free will because they have the power to see all time and every part of thier life. This allows them to understand that nothing will impact someones fate.
    Chapter 5
    1) The significance of this question and answer is that both parties agree that what is happening is wrong. When the American asks the question he doesn’t understand why they would do something so terrible to people. When the German soldier answers, he shows that he does not know why either. Both soldiers understand the terribleness of the beating but can’t explain why it occurred, hinting at the fact that their lives are out of their control.]]>     2019-03-23 01:47:16 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344412675     Mason Palaima - Period 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344416190 Chapter 4:
    4.) The irony of Edgar Derby's well preserved 44-year-old body is that despite extreme malnourishment and his more senior age, he still had the best body of the group. It is also ironic in that Derby does not survive the war, but many men that were far weaker or in worse shape did. On page 83, the Billy explains "Derby's son would survive the war. Derby wouldn't. That good body of his would be filled with holes by a firing squad in Dresden in sixty-eight days." Despite all of Derby's attempts to maintain his body and health, he still died by firing squad.
     Chapter 5:
    8.) The candy that Valencia is eating is significant because the names of the candy bars are references to Billy's travels. The "Three Musketeers" candy bar is a reference to the trio of the two scouts and Weary that dragged Billy across the wilderness that Weary so fondly called "The Three Musketeers" (42). The "Milky Way" candy bar is reference to Billy's interstellar travels to Tralfamadore.]]>     2019-03-23 02:35:57 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344416190     Kaley Joseph-period https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417815 2019-03-23 03:01:04 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417815 Kaley Joseph-period eight https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417822 chapter four q two-
    the effect of the war movie being played backwards is to show how Billy feels about war. He feels that war being backwards would ensure that everyone ends up okay and thing ends how they started, which is peaceful. It is also ironic, since Billy is "unstuck in time" and often time travels mid-paragraph.
    chapter five q six-
    what Billy means by this is that the way his wife is is how many people with PTSD are, which usually equates them with unattractive people. Not only this, but she probably reminds Billy of what he could become one day, which would make him undesirable.]]>     2019-03-23 03:01:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417822     Kaley Joseph-period eight https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417823 chapter four]]> 2019-03-23 03:01:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417823 Kaley Joseph-period eight https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417824 cha]]> 2019-03-23 03:01:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344417824 Heather Rice- period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344419111 Chapter 4 Question 5-
    The Tralfamadorians don't believe in free will because they believe the future is already set. The book states on page 86, "All time is time. It does not change. It doesn't lend itself to warnings or explanation. It simply is." The Tralfamadorians know that the future is already planned out, so anything they do has already been decided for them. However, Billy believed in free will before he met the Tralfamadorians because it was a common thing to believe among humans. On page 85 the book tells us, "Earthlings are great explainers, explaining why this event is structured as it is, telling how other events may be achieved or avoided." It is human nature for humans to want and find answers for why things happen and occur. Since people believe in free will, they try and find explanations for the things.

    Chapter 5 Question 1-
    A soldier beat up an American after hearing something he didn't like. When he finished beating him the American asked, "Why me?". The German soldier then replies back to him, "Vy you? Vy anybody?" This is significant because it ties back to the day Billy got abducted. On page 76 he recalls, "Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: 'Why me'. "That is a very Earthling question to ask Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter?'" In both circumstances it is showing the debate between free will and whether or not it is real. Some people such as Billy and the American want to know why things happen to specifically them. However, people like the Tralfamadorian and the soldier believe that everything that happens just happens because that was the way it was planned to. ]]>     2019-03-23 03:22:37 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344419111     https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344420800 Sarah Sabo 

    What is the effect of the war being backwards? 
    -The war being played backwards is parallel to Billy’s own life. 
    This imaginative flight signifies the timelessness of war and and also the repeated evidence that humankind is violent and cruel. Throughout the book Billy goes back in time or out of time, so to watch a movie backwards or remember the war makes “sense” in this source of logic. 
    ]]>     2019-03-23 03:56:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344420800     Rylie Wauthier- Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344463825 Chapter 4- What is the effect of the war movie being played backwards?
    The effect of the war movie being played backwards refers to the effects of the war and how Billy was personally affected by it. On page 74 it refers to how Billy saw the movie both backwards and forwards, which could reflect his struggles with PTSD. ]]>     2019-03-23 15:17:33 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344463825     Rylie Wauthier- Period 1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344464312 Chapter 5- Billy and Eliot both find science fiction a big help because they both have been through experiences that science fiction has been something to fall back on. For example Billy being abducted by aliens is an example of something in his mind that did not actually happen also is science fiction is also not real. ]]> 2019-03-23 15:22:32 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344464312 delanie malatak chapter 4 q1 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344820451 billy said as the other guy was on the other end of the phone that because he was so drunk, he felt like he could almost smell how drunk he was. he described the smell as mustard gas and roses. the reason why he had described it as this, was because billy was once like that guy. he experienced what that guy is experiencing, so the way that billy could describe himself when he was in his shoes, was mustard gas and roses. ]]> 2019-03-25 13:50:41 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344820451 Alex Kot Chap.4 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344858088 5. Billy believes in "free will" because he is a descendant from earth which is driven by a free will philosophy. The aliens do not believe in free will thus criticizing Billy on what he believes in. They tell him there is no such thing as free will except on earth.]]> 2019-03-25 14:58:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344858088 Alex Kot Chap. 5 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344860491 10. This particular sign is very absurd because the latrine was never left nice, and the state in which it was in was extremely unsanitary. ]]> 2019-03-25 15:02:40 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344860491 Andrea Russo pd 8 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344954833
    Chapter 4 (Q1)
    The fact that Billy says he can smell ‘mustard gas and roses’ from the drunk on the other side of the phone shows that the author himself can relate to the drunk. Vonnegut is known to be an alcoholic, and the fact that Billy assigns a smell to this drunk person shows this. 

    Chapter 5 (Q6)
    Billy says he doesn’t want to marry ‘ugly’ Valencia because he believes that she is fat because of him. He may think that because of his state, she is stressed about him, which caused her to be overweight. ]]>     2019-03-25 17:59:26 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/344954833     Jordynn Schuttinger pd. 1 owlprincess321 https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/345111025 Chapter 4 - 1) Vonnegut is revealed to have these specific traits when drunkenly calling old girlfriends. The mustard gas, often used as a chemical weapon, is meant to be seen as warlike; while roses symbolizes romance and love--both weirdly highlight the effects war had on Vonnegut.

    Chapter 5 - 2) What's absurd is that Germans use Englishmen and anyone else who opposes them in their candles by using their fat. The German soldiers are being extra nice as a way to cover up their schemes and take the Englishmen bodies for later.]]>     2019-03-26 06:38:18 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/345111025     Ashton Corsello pd. https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/345199346 Chapter 4 -2) The movie being played backwards is a symbol for Billy's life, and how he is "unstuck in time" and how his life is happening in pieces. It is also showing the destructiveness of war, and instead of the bombs destroying everything, everything is going back into place like it didn't happen. 

    Chapter 5 - Billy and Eliot find science fiction "a big help" because it helps them cope. They had both seen/done horrible things,  and this was their escape. It gave them the ability to create things and have control over them. ]]>     2019-03-26 12:00:31 UTC https://padlet.com/kgrabner/s5discussion/wish/345199346