More information about this seller contact this seller 4. The line refers to the tralfamadorian concept of death, which, because tralfamadorians can see all moments of time at. I loved the book, dont get me wrong, but i might be missing a deeper meaning. Was this a first reading for you, or have you read vonnegut before. Slaughterhouse five by vonnegut, first edition abebooks.
This month is the 50th anniversary of kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five and thats all the excuse we need to look at this metafictional classic here on the reading group. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Slaughterhouse five, an american classic, is one of the worlds great antiwar books. We are reading the classic kurt vonnegut novel slaughterhousefive. Slaughterhouse five is a book about war, but even more than that, its about what comes after war. Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut the bushwick book club. But i recommend not reading up on this book too much before hand. Slaughterhousefive questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on slaughterhousefive. Great supplemental information for school essays and projects. Slaughterhouse five or the childrens crusade by kurt vonnegut jr. The novels random, skipping timeline presents an effective method of representing one mans inability to live a normal life after experiencing modern warfare. Book clubs book fairs scholastic education classroom magazines about us. The north vietnamese, the speaker argues, should be bombed.
Every word written, every sentence formed is a piece of the greater whole. Slaughterhousefive project gutenberg selfpublishing. Dan, hanna, and hugh howey on slaughterhousefive and. Since the book is so intertwined with the historic bombing, it is important to teach students about the bombing of dresden, germany, by the allied forces during world war ii and how vonnegut survived these attacks while being kept as a prisoner of war in a. In slaughterhouse five he recalls that the remains of the city resembled the surface of the moon, and that the germans put the surviving pows to work, breaking into basements and bomb shelters to gather. This book is a semiautobiographical account of the firebombing of dresden. For anyone that doesnt know, we had an audible deal last month where we recommended kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five, so we decided to start a little book club.
Are you more inclined to think of this as a fiction, or a. How do they compare to the group that captured billy. This book club is an open forum that you can contribute in the comments section. For this round of the book club, well be reading kurt vonneguts. By using our site you consent to our use of cookies. Slaughterhousefive, a semiautobiographical account of the firebombing of dresden, is one of kurt vonneguts most influential tales. This summer, the oti community will be breaking down kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five.
It is in fact a crime for an american to be poor, even though america is a nation of poor. Centering on the infamous firebombing of dresden, billy pilgrims odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own. Kurt vonneguts sciencefiction, satirical, antiwar novel slaughterhousefive is one of the most controversial novels ever published and taught. Inspire lifelong reading with ageappropriate books every month. Pick 5 books and well tell you what you should bingewatch. Slaughterhouse five book discussion group questions what do you think about that fact that sl5 is no.
And in that, i believe it succeeds marvelously, because all ive wanted to talk about this week is slaughterhouse five. Use these slaughterhouse five discussion questions to prepare for your next literary discussion. Unlike novels based on traditional forms, vonneguts novel does not fit a model that stresses plot, character conflict, and climax. Slaughterhousefive, an american classic, is one of the worlds great antiwar books. A short summary of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive. A dutydance with death 1969 is a satirical novel by kurt vonnegut about world war ii experiences and journeys through time of a chaplains assistant named billy pilgrim. Summary kurt vonneguts absurdist classic slaughterhousefive introduces us to billy pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet tralfamadore. In chapter 1 of slaughterhouse five why does the narrator like the taxi drivers line if the accident will. Slaughterhouse five the books the book club abc tv. Slaughterhouse five, however, seems to be nothing else but conclusion. Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut teachers guide. Throughout the novel, billy pilgrim travels uncontrollably to nonsequential moments of his life, or as vonnegut says, paying random visits to all events in between. Centering on the infamous world war ii firebombing of dresden, this novel combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of billy pilgrim, a ba. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books.
Slaughterhousefive is a work of literary fiction that combines historical, sociological, psychological, sciencefiction, and biographical elements. Chaos reading share book recommendations with your. Ive jotted down a few questions to get the ball rolling, but feel free to askanswer your own too. While its not difficult to see why the novel ended up on the list of banned books, the message that slaughterhouse five contains is one that needs to be heard. The purpose of this club is to enjoy and discuss books in a relaxed setting. From plot debriefs to key motifs, thug notes slaughterhouse five summary. Slaughterhouse five by vonnegut, delacorte abebooks. A novel modern library 100 best novels paperback january 12, 1999. Slaughterhousefive discussion questions death by tsundoku. The tone of judgment surrounds all the events of the book, jostling the reader again and again into an atmosphere of selfpity, into moments thick with unearned, lyrical agonies. Study questions, project ideas and discussion topics based on important themes running throughout slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut. Students will learn how this author drew from his own experiences to create a work of fiction. Or, the childrens crusade, a dutydance with death kurt vonnegut, 1969 random house 224 pp. The themes embedded within slaughterhouse five are intense.
The first kurt vonnegut memorial library book club meeting and first official kvml event was a success. In a plotscrambling display of virtuosity, we follow pilgrim. We will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through handson activities. What is the significance of the repeated phrase so it goes first introduced in chapter 2 of slaughterhouse five. Group read discussion slaughterhouse five so what did everybody think of slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. In october, the pico rivera library book club will be discussing the classic novel, slaughterhouse five. Its hard to summarize the plot of slaughterhouse five neatly. He is not aware of keeping any secrets from himself, but at his eighteenth wedding anniversary party the sight of a barbershop quartet makes him break down because, he.
After all, a book is under no obligation to come to any conclusion at all about itself. Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut reading guidebook. One of the most distinguishing aspects of kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five is the structure in which it is written. Slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut the drunk guys book club. If you are interested in writing a post for the book, please email me. This experience was the inspiration for his famous novel, slaughterhouse five, and is a central theme in at least six of his other books. It is generally recognized as vonneguts most influential and popular work.
Home summary analysis of style historical connection vocabulary discussion questions citations discussion questions. Much of slaughterhouse five deals with the randomness of events and how little in life is within any individual persons control. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. This month is the 50th anniversary of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive and thats all the excuse we need to look at this metafictional. I do think this book was meant as a way to open up discussion, and not to present concrete answers. Slaughterhouse five or the childrens crusade vonnegut, kurt on. Group read discussion slaughterhousefive so what did.
Much of life, just like the novel, unfolds without a sense of cause and effectlike an accident. This week, the drunk guys book club podcast becomes unstuck in time while reading slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. Kvml book club and slaughterhouse five the movie kurt. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of slaughterhousefive. Slaughterhousefive thug notes summary and analysis. At the lions club meeting pilgrim attends, a speaker argues that us involvement in north vietnam is necessary. Slaughterhouse five tells the story of billy pilgrim, a veteran of world war ii, who is unstuck in time and claims to have been abducted by aliens from the planet tralfamadore. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Slaughterhouse five book discussion group questions. Slaughterhouse five or the children s crusade vonnegut, kurt on. In this course, slaughterhouse five online book club, we will read through the novel slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. As we are reading, we will go on rabbit trails of discovery into history, science, art, and more. I do plan to reread the book in the future to hopefully understand it better, but i did not get it the first time.
What is the relationship between the structure and the content of slaughterhouse five. Fiction slaughterhous five is one of the worlds great antiwar books. So it goes is easily the most famous quotation from slaughterhouse five, and it may be the most famous quotation from any of kurt vonneguts work. Ive also provided five sample essay topics to further spark your understanding of the novel. Since the main character, billy pilgrim, travels through time, we jump from 1944 to 1967 to billys childhood and back again. Slaughterhousefive is the sixtyseventh entry to the american library associations list of the most frequently challenged books of 19901999 and number fortysix on the alas most frequently challenged books of 20002009. I recently finished reading kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five and i quite enjoyed it but i dont get why it is so highly praised as being one of the greatest books ever written.