Author/Speaker
How does the author or speaker (narrator) let us know that he/she is credible and trustworthy? Does the author come across as knowledgeable? How do you know this? Does the speaker’s reputation convey a certain authority? Explain.
In the first chapter of Slaughterhouse-Five, the narrator speaks in first person. He claims he was there and asserts that the events told in the story are true. In the first paragraph he affirms this by saying, “One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn’t his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to have his personal enemies killed by hired gunmen after the war” (Vonnegut 1). He comes across as knowledgeable about the subject by giving specific names of streets, buildings, …show more content…
Even in the first sentence the reader gains a feel for the informality. “All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true” (Vonnegut 1). The narrator does not sound self-assured or assertive, which he would if he were writing an academic piece. Beyond the first chapter the story is told in third-person, but continues to maintain the informal style by putting the reader inside Billy’s head. He uses brief, declarative sentences - a trademark of his - which make his writing seem rather dryAn example of this comes from chapter three when he says, “The war was nearly over. The locomotives began to move east in late December. The war would end in May. German prisons everywhere were absolutely full, and there was no longer any food for the prisoners to eat, and no longer any fuel to keep them warm. And yet—here came more prisoners” (Vonnegut 69). This passage almost makes one feel as though he or she is reading a list of facts, rather than a story. On the other hand, it does exhibit Vonnegut’s unique sense of black humor; it describes the atrocity of Billy’s conditions while introducing the irony that is the worsening of the situation by accumulating even more prisoners. By giving such descriptions through Billy’s point of view, Vonnegut develops his main ideas. Another mean of doing this is through …show more content…
The first, the time period in which the book takes place, is World War II. Some events in the story, such as the Battle of the Bulge and the fire-bombing of Dresden, place the majority of Billy’s life in this book during the war. Vonnegut incorporates allusions to the bombing of Hiroshima as well. In the hospital Billy and another character read in the newspaper, “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base” (Vonnegut 185). This event in history happened shortly after the bombing of Dresden. The second historical context of this book is the time period in which it was written - the Vietnam War. This is especially evident when, later on in Billy’s life, his son becomes a veteran himself; “Billy had a son who was a sergeant in the Green Berets - in Vietnam” (Vonnegut 61). Another historical reference placing the writing of this novel during the Vietnam War is the mentioning of Ronald Reagan’s aspirations to become president in 1968. “‘Reagan for President!’ a sticker on the bumper said” (Vonnegut 183). Reagan ran for the Republican presidential candidate position that year but did not succeed. The author’s intention for writing this book shows two different sets of values of the American people at the time. The fact that he preaches against inhumane and unnecessary acts of violence shows that there is a camp of people like himself,
How does the author or speaker (narrator) let us know that he/she is credible and trustworthy? Does the author come across as knowledgeable? How do you know this? Does the speaker’s reputation convey a certain authority? Explain.
In the first chapter of Slaughterhouse-Five, the narrator speaks in first person. He claims he was there and asserts that the events told in the story are true. In the first paragraph he affirms this by saying, “One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn’t his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to have his personal enemies killed by hired gunmen after the war” (Vonnegut 1). He comes across as knowledgeable about the subject by giving specific names of streets, buildings, …show more content…
Even in the first sentence the reader gains a feel for the informality. “All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true” (Vonnegut 1). The narrator does not sound self-assured or assertive, which he would if he were writing an academic piece. Beyond the first chapter the story is told in third-person, but continues to maintain the informal style by putting the reader inside Billy’s head. He uses brief, declarative sentences - a trademark of his - which make his writing seem rather dryAn example of this comes from chapter three when he says, “The war was nearly over. The locomotives began to move east in late December. The war would end in May. German prisons everywhere were absolutely full, and there was no longer any food for the prisoners to eat, and no longer any fuel to keep them warm. And yet—here came more prisoners” (Vonnegut 69). This passage almost makes one feel as though he or she is reading a list of facts, rather than a story. On the other hand, it does exhibit Vonnegut’s unique sense of black humor; it describes the atrocity of Billy’s conditions while introducing the irony that is the worsening of the situation by accumulating even more prisoners. By giving such descriptions through Billy’s point of view, Vonnegut develops his main ideas. Another mean of doing this is through …show more content…
The first, the time period in which the book takes place, is World War II. Some events in the story, such as the Battle of the Bulge and the fire-bombing of Dresden, place the majority of Billy’s life in this book during the war. Vonnegut incorporates allusions to the bombing of Hiroshima as well. In the hospital Billy and another character read in the newspaper, “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base” (Vonnegut 185). This event in history happened shortly after the bombing of Dresden. The second historical context of this book is the time period in which it was written - the Vietnam War. This is especially evident when, later on in Billy’s life, his son becomes a veteran himself; “Billy had a son who was a sergeant in the Green Berets - in Vietnam” (Vonnegut 61). Another historical reference placing the writing of this novel during the Vietnam War is the mentioning of Ronald Reagan’s aspirations to become president in 1968. “‘Reagan for President!’ a sticker on the bumper said” (Vonnegut 183). Reagan ran for the Republican presidential candidate position that year but did not succeed. The author’s intention for writing this book shows two different sets of values of the American people at the time. The fact that he preaches against inhumane and unnecessary acts of violence shows that there is a camp of people like himself,