Resp to ryan’s blog

Wow!

I loved all the imagery used in this piece. It was really good. From the language used I got the feeling of despair and just wanting of this life to end so one can move on. Just fed up and tired of the cards one is dealt but will continue to play it until time to move on. I think the description of the body for example with the branding and the description of Valencia was one that is grounded is an exact description of the carving and the fatness of Valencia. Also the genuine feeling of disgust when ryan noted about the “stabbing” of the eyes. My eyes squirm when I read that statement. When reading the book I also noted the part where Billy is sleeping and he notices the horses and agony. Then he noted that if he was to only recount the good memories he would just have gone and continue sleeping. When you sleep all your troubles cease to exist and when you awake you are hit with them all. Billy every time he closes his eyes though he seems to be reliving some different times in his life that serve as sorrowful reminders of his youth that was wasted in war and what he must go through now because of it.

Life (resp6)

The rain was pouring and seemed that there was no end in sight. We were being hit by all sorts of firearms from all sides, we were about to surrender though. Us Americans would surrender and allowed to live. The most enduring for me as one of the older Colonels was to see all the young dead faces around in the dirt. We had surrender to save our lives for what little time left that we had. Maybe on the train right to the prisoners’ camp we would be able to write our goodbye letters and any special last words to our families to leave with some special character that would survive this. The train ride was excruciating pain with disgusting smells hitting you all at once, some of green, molded food, mixed with the excrements and the smell of blood that was like paint on the train floors. Being a school teacher this would compare to seeing a child not being able to read at the age of high school. Where will this train lead us…

“I don’t know if I can handle dad anymore” said Barbara, “it is just too stressful and I really have to worry about other things.” “Don’t say that,” Robert said, “dad has been there for us through everything.” All the recent articles and problems with the office were causing Barbra a bit of stress that she just couldn’t handle. She could not deal with the office and running her house. The thought of losing her dad though was just too much to handle. He just seemed so calm about life like he knew everything he wanted to and was satisfied. The husband was not so happy about the little attention that he was getting and Billy was becoming a problem to handle, but he knew he was all that was left for Barbara. Robert could be lost at any moment out where he was being a Green Beret and all. So how am I supposed to deal with this now…

I am pregnant and all alone here. In this little glass case where everyone can just have all the looks they want at me. Every movement I do, I just wish I had someone to talk to other than this man. I use to be so famous not a person that would settle down and have a kid. Living the life of any star, all the clothes, jewelry, and men I wanted. Now look where I am, feeling so old and so big! I am accustomed to being watched naked but not big and naked; I don’t even feel like myself. I still have more time before I need to have a kid; I am too young for these responsibilities. I don’t even know this man, he is sincere and kind but what type of place is this to raise a child. We are like animals in a circus or some sort of science project being reared to be studied. The child will have no one to befriend, this environment is just not right. What will happen now…

Slaughter House Five

Use of the Latrine

The words used in Slaughter House Five at times seemed so calm for the events that was being described. The most shocking to me was the run on of “So it goes.” There was no pause to acknowledge death just keep going with life. The idea of that people do not die but will exist in the past, present and future according to the Tramalfadorians was interesting. It seemed like the Earthlings worry about everything especially death when there was no such thing to the Tramalfadorians. Especially the death noted in the book of the young, the babies. I feel like Vonnegut was trying to get the issue of fear of not being able to live a full life because of this war. That many people were dying and wouldn’t be able to experience life. For example while in the Dresdon camp the school teacher is talking with a British soldier and notes that they are about similar ages and both have maturity and experience, both things that the young soldiers lack. Vonnegut also uses repetition to make a scene more clearly for example each time he describes Billy’s walk he states its bobbing “up and down, up and down” this makes the scene more imaginable to me. Also in many of the scenes images or pieces of belongs relate back to other scenes for example with the division of line between British and American something Billy noted he already was accustomed to from childhood. Another is the locket that Montana wore that had the inscription of the same words that Billy hung in his office. The image of the British using latrines also stuck out to me a lot. Just because in the movie of Slumdog Millionaire that was probably the funniest/ grossest scene to me, so I could just imagine the shock and amazement the British must have been at looking at the Americans.