Abstract
The paper discusses Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s use of time and place as part of his narrative strategy in "Slaughterhouse-Five", a novel with a science-fiction format. The paper shows how the main character is carried back and forth through time as well as space because time is a thematic subject in the novel.

From the Paper
"Not being stuck in time does not mean complete freedom, however. On the one hand, the novel seems to reflect the thematic sense that Billy's life is determined and that he has no control over it. This is because no matter how many times Billy moves through his life, appearing first in one place and then another, the outcome is always the same. Time travel does not mean the ability to change time. Indeed, since the Tralfamadorians experience all time at once, time must be unchangeable. Vonnegut offers a deterministic and even pessimistic view of life and the passage of time and also emphasizes that we live in moments in our lives that were of dramatic impact for good or ill but that can also never be changed no matter how many times we relive them or how much we want to change them when we do."

Tags:Tralfamadorians, Billy, Pilgrim, Dresden, Lionel, Merble

Abstract
"Harrison Bergeron," a satirical short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., addresses the issue of inequality among people and what is to be done to redress it. The paper looks at how the theory of Social Darwinism can be examined through the characters and events in the story.

From the Paper
"The leveling that takes place in the story is intellectual. Vonnegut makes great fun of anti-intellectualism, a very American form of leveling. In 1961 it was "uncool" to be smart. For example, in schools there were no gifted children. The concept was unknown in education. Teachers thought it was un-democratic to recognize one child as more intelligent than another. They pretended there were no differences between students. It is this kind of leveling that Vonnegut ridicules. In the story the characters think that "Ignorance is bliss." Harrison's father, for example, tells his wife not to think about sad things. Hazel, who is not exactly bright, says "Who knows better'n I do what normal is?" as though her ignorance and inability to reason were virtues."

Tags:Herbert, Spencer, race, trade, union, Handicapper-General

Abstract
In the short story "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut Jr. speculated what a Utopia-like society in the modern period would be like. This paper posits that the achievement of equality in the story puts forth the message to the reader that what makes human society live in harmony and unity is primarily because of our differences. Differences make 'gaps' left by someone else be filled out by another one in the society: this process makes humans interdependent on one another because each one of us complement each other.

From the Paper
"Apart from the lack of competitiveness and creativity that was shown in the ballet dance, another frightening notion that Vonnegut implied in the story was that achievement of equality could become detrimental to human rights. Illustrated in the story was Harrison's and the beautiful ballerina's death, which reflects how, in an attempt to establish an extreme kind of equality, the Handicapper General Diana Moon Glamplers killed both Harrison and the beautiful ballerina."

Tags:Handicapper, General

Abstract
The writer summarizes the story and explains that it is not only a reflection of the author's concern with controlling the masses through television but is also an attack on the idea of enforced equality. The paper shows how the use of television to control people is a major theme in "Harrison Bergeron". The writer describes the dehumanization in the story, which is a result of government oppression, as well as the physical punishment that awaits rebellious people like Harrison. In conclusion, the writer states that no government is able to suppress the individual completely because of the desire of humans to be themselves and not machines.

From the Paper
"The other major theme in "Harrison Bergeron" is the concept of equality. His world is similar to that of a tyrannical dictatorship, where people have no rights, thanks "to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General" (139). This new world represents total conformity, where people like George must wear weights and radio transmitters which play loud noises to hinder their intellectual development. Vonnegut's world is the most extreme and horrifying that anyone can imagine. According to Joseph Alvarez, "If everyone were equal in every which way, the various handicaps would not be necessary" (3). Alvarez is making the statement that it is ironic of the government to enforce equality to everyone but themselves. The government does not make themselves equal to the rest of society, but higher than the rest of the population. The Handicapper General displays a slave driver approach, in which they use physical discipline to keep everyone in check. Insane people enforce the insanity in Vonnegut's futuristic America. According to literary critic Carl Mowery, "In this society, it is the H-G's job to neutralize the human attributes that every citizen was given by God" (3). The aspect of equality Vonnegut takes so literally that even a person's basic rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of choice are nonexistent."

Tags:rebellion, enforced, equality, control

Abstract
The paper suggests specific awards for the three main characters in Kurt Vonnegut's novel, "Slaughterhouse Five'. Specifically, the paper discusses why a scrapbook is a suitable award for Billy Pilgrim, why a pencil with an eraser is appropriate for the narrator and why a trip around the world would have benefited Valencia Pilgrim.

Outline:
Award 1: A Scrapbook for Billy Pilgrim
Award 2: A Pencil with an Eraser for the Narrator
Award 3: A Trip Around the World for Valencia Pilgrim

From the Paper
"Billy Pilgrim is described as a character unstuck in time. His memory serves as the narrative structure of Slaughterhouse Five, a series of memories that occurs after Billy is in a plane accident. At the time of the accident, Billy is employed as an eye doctor in upstate New York. Billy has a wife, children, and comfortable life, but he is haunted by memories of his captivity during World War II, and digging out from his imprisonment in a work camp during the bombing of Dresden. Rather than finding comfort in material success and his physical survival, he is disenchanted with his current existence. He dreams as well that he is captured by aliens, who underline the principle that human beings have no free will, evidently reflecting Billy's sense of powerlessness over the actions that have shaped his life."

Tags:scrapbook, pencil, eraser, trip, world

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of Kurt Vonnegut and his book, "Slaughterhouse Five", or "The Children's Crusade", from the perspective of its inadvertent contribution to increasing the level of overall geopolitical awareness in America, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

From the Paper
"According to one of his many biographers, Kurt Vonnegut studied at Cornell University before serving in the U.S. Air Force in World War II (Reed 1997). Vonnegut was captured by the Germans, and was one of the survivors of the fire bombing of Dresden, Germany, that took place in February 1945. Vonnegut's book, Slaughterhouse Five, or The Children's Crusade (1969) is his attempt to recreate his Dresden experiences in a fictional form; the book uses that bombing raid as a symbol of the cruelty and destructiveness of war down through the centuries using a mixture of dark fantasy and "numb, loopy humor" (Giles & Dickstein 2003:11). An interesting benefit that has been realized from this evocative story about an otherwise-horrifying event (particularly one in which the United States did not play an all-that-honorable-role) has been its impact on raising the level of geopolitical awareness among Americans who have read the book. In this regard, Vonnegut has provided a poignant account of an event in history that contributes to this understanding. "

Tags:geography

Abstract
This paper examines the film "Mother Night" directed by Keith Gordon and adapted by Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The writer of this paper details the film's tragic dimensions as well as the surreal yet inspired moments of dark humor. This paper discusses the plot and characters of the film, including that of actor Nick Nolte who plays American playwright and expatriate Howard Campbell. The writer also ponders the questions raised in the film regarding responsibility and the roles people often play for survival.

From the Paper
"During Campbell's years in Nazi Germany, the colors are very vibrant. The bright, nearly golden cinematography evokes a nostalgic feel--the rose-tinted hues that accompany one's memories of his or her days of youth and glory. However, in the postwar years, the colors are dull and dreary. And the last days of Campbell's life in an Israeli prison are shot in stark black and white. This inventive use of cinematography reveals the tragically ironic fact that the happiest years of Campbell's life were when he broadcasted hate over the airwaves, and the Nazis who revered him exterminated millions of innocent people. In his days of glory, he was treated as a celebrity among many Germans and had the undying love of his beautiful wife Helga."

Tags:film, analysis, literature, american, world, war, two, holocaust

Abstract
This paper expounds on the main theme in "Cat's Cradle" that life is meaningless. The paper discusses Vonnegut's use of images, irony, and eccentric characters to express his theme about the meaningless of life. It also explains how Vonnegut relates this theme to religion, marriage, and almost everything else humans teach each other.

From the Paper
"Clearly, Vonnegut is depicting a side of human nature that cannot deal with the truth, so it is fed and willingly believes the lies it is told by the "religion." In fact, "Truth was the enemy of the people, because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies" (172). In addition, to create more "zest" and "tang" within the lives of the people, Bokonon decides to have himself declared an outlaw. He emphasizes his belief that "A really good religion is a form of treason" (173). The legend of a holy man in the jungle and the tyrant in the city was the only thing that made the people happy. (174) Perhaps the most striking example of this theme is the last scene of the book in which Bokonon writes in the final sentence of his book that if he were a younger man, he would "make a statue of himself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who" (287). Again, we are shown Vonnegut's opinion regarding the power of religion. Through the willingness of the people to accept Bokonon, Vonnegut is asking us to search our own lives for such blind faith."

Tags:nature, society, culture, mankind, newt, humanit, book, of, bokonon, foma, lies, julian, castle

Abstract
The author examines the writings of Vonnegut's "Player Piano" and the writer's view of the threat to the U.S.'s future, by the story's main theme being that Americans were becoming far too reliant upon machines and technology, which is relevant today as well. The paper explains why fiction of this sort is plentiful now, but back when the book was written, it wasn't as common.

From the Paper
"Paul's work is to run the factory in that its productivity still increases and so that there are no saboteurs. Computers operate everything else. Paul is married and his wife; Anite depends on him and always tells him to strive to follow his father's example. His father was a celebrated founder of the local industrial plant and its first general manager. Anite lectures him on the virtues of the hierarchy and opportunism. He is at the beginning of his career and he desires to obtain a better position and he knows he should follow in his father's footsteps."

Tags:literature, U.S.

Abstract
This paper discusses "Cat's Cradle," as a comedy about the sacred and profane, portraying science as a kind of religion. The paper discusses the religion, Bokonism, in the novel, which uses lies to provide meaning to human life. The paper also discusses the parallels that Vonnegut draws between the novel and the Book of Jonah. In addition, he paper looks at how the novel deals with the dangers presented by science. Lastly, the paper explores the theme of the necessity to balance science with morality and ethics.

From the Paper
"Cat's Cradle is a comedy about the sacred and the profane. It is also a treatise on the importance of writing to the depiction of the apocalyptic. Within this novel, Vonnegut places an artist and a scientist in a battle of the post-modern age. Using the novel as a tool, Vonnegut depicts both catastrophe and apocalypse in a format that allows him to develop a commentary on the importance of both art and science to society, placing a relative value on each of the types of human beings whose career path leads them to those outcomes. What Vonnegut creates is an image of science, and the scientist, as harmful to society, while the artist is noble in his constant trek towards the truth."

Tags:religion science novel literature, kurt vonnegut, morality bokonism