Epictetus 1-15

The handbook of Epictetus is an explanation for how life’s events happen. For Epictetus everything is meant to happen and we have no control over anything just as in Slaughter-House Five. The Trafalmadorians way of thinking can be based in this thinking. I like this a lot even though I don’t agree with many of the things it says. "Do not stretch your desire toward it, but wait until it comes to you." (Pg 15) The idea that you have to wait for things to happen and know that it will happen eventually I don’t agree with. You have to fight for the things you want in order to get them, nothing in life is free.

I dislike the idea that everything is already planned and can’t be altered because in my opinion you should mold your future and fight for the things you want. I don’t agree with the idea of not becoming fond of your objects and family because they are just like any other. The writing states that if you don’t get too fond of a ceramic vase, you won’t care if it breaks and if you kiss both your child and your wife you won’t care if one of them dies. Loosing close family members will always hurt no matter who it is and losing such a close member such as a wife or a child would be extremely devastating.

A sentence I thought was very interesting was: “Don't demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.” (1) This makes me think because we are constantly wishing for things to happen the way we want them to and when they don’t happen this way we get disappointed but if we just accepted things the way they are, we would live a less expecting life. Did Epictetus apply all this ideas to his common life?

Gulliver´s travels

In Gulliver’s travels, Jonathan Swift invents a journey of a human to lands that have never been seen before. Gulliver ends up in the land of houyhnhnms a race that has control over Yahoos which Gulliver finds out are humans. The houyhnhnms are horses that have a very civilized peaceful group. In this writing Swift makes fun of humanity, the way governments are run. In the period of time when this book was written England had control over Ireland and this angered the people living there.

This book has a very similar idea to Slaughter-House Five in the way that it makes fun of things very common to society such as wars. The comparison in this book made me think about the way in which a lot of important people run the world while millions are there to work their way up, and many don’t have the opportunity to do this. Those in power have proven throughout history that you can move great amount of people to get someone’s wishes. The best example of this was the pharaohs in Egypt and the building of the pyramids.

Slaughter-HouseFive Chapters 9-10

In these last chapters of the novel many interesting things happen, but they are written in a way that you feel them as if they were very common things. One interesting thing was the way Billy’s wife Valencia died, she was driving to the hospital where he was and she was slammed by a Mercedes. Vonnegut writes a very interesting line "Nobody was hurt, thank God, because both drivers were wearing seat belts, thank God, thank God."(Pg 182) He repeats thank God three times like in Inferno where everything that is very religious is written three times and the whole book is written in tercets. This is interesting because Vonnegut is not a religious man and he uses very religious terms and ideas. The way Valencia died is also very interesting, her car had lot the exhaust system and when she got to the hospital where Billy was the doctors found her totally overcome by carbon monoxide. "Poor Valencia was unconscious, overcome by carbon monoxide."(Pg 183) This is a very funny way to die as if Vonnegut was playing with her death to make the reader laugh. Vonnegut shows her death and Derby’s death very different to all other deaths in the book. Billy shows no sadness when Valencia dies, he doesn’t even show sadness when he sees that he is going to get killed.

Vonnegut shows very clearly his lack of faith in cristian religion close to the end of the book. He narrates how Jesus and his father do a job for the roman soldiers in which they create an object used to cause death and suffering. “It was a cross to be used in the execution of a rebel rouser. Jesus and his father had built it. They were glad to have the work. And the rabble-rouser was executed on it. So it goes.” (Pg 202) In this quote we see how not only Jesus created an artifact destined to kill but he was glad to do it and it didn’t hurt that a man had just been killed because of this.

The ending of the book was very normal and calm, nothing different from the rest of the book. Nothing exciting happened. Vonnegut could have done this to show the reader that the end of the book is just one more thing, which is meant to happen. A very extravagant ending could have reduced the importance of other events in the book and change the effect on the reader.

This book is related to Gulliver’s travels in the way that it makes fun of things humanity has created. In Slaughter-House Five Vonnegut makes fun of war and death, while in Gulliver´s travels Jonathan Swift makes fun of humanity and government.

Slaughter-House Five chapters 7-8

In chapter seven Billy starts in an aircraft accident, which he knew would already happen and that he knew he was not going to die at. Billy and the co-pilot are the only ones who survive the crash. It is very interesting, the way in which throughout the novel Billy survives many situations in which he could have died. He survived the war, the bombing in Dresden and the airplane crash. He also survived getting kicked at punched and banged all over like a toy. Throughout the novel we see, how the author shows extremely shocking moments as the most normal things that could happen, maybe this is to show the Tralfamador way of thinking in which everything is meant to happen and every happy moment will live forever.


The thing I like most about this book is the way that the author sees and plays with death. Every time he mentions death he ends the paragraph with "as it goes" as I have said in my previous blogs, but there is a very interesting character for which he shows a lot of pity in death and sees his death as a very sad happening. This character is Edgar Derby. In this book, we can see how Billy has a lot of pity for Edgar or as he calls him "poor old Edgar Derby". "Poor old Derby, the doomed high school teacher, lumbered to his feet for what was probably the finest moment in his life." (pg 164) Why is this why is his death different to all the other characters and living creatures that have died? This may be because Billy saw him as a father in the war, because he was the oldest and most experienced one in his group.

This two chapters explains Billy’s and his companions role in Dresden, how they had to work in a malt syrup factory, and how Billy and the others kept spoons hidden all over the factory in order to eat all day. I see this as a way of making fun of wars because prisoners of war are treated well and given jobs in which they can eat candy. " he stuck the lollipop into poor old Derby´s gaping mouth. A moment passed, and then Derby burst into tears." (Pg 161) Billy had develop a very interesting care for Derby and he doesn´t show this only in the way he sees his death as a tragedy but also in some situations like this one in which he saw him out the window and risked getting caught to give him some syrup. Why is Derby so important to Billy?

Slaughter-House Five Chapter 6

This is a very interesting chapter; Billy starts of in the hospital at WWII the day he will leave to Dresden. A very interesting story comes from one of the strangest characters in the book Paul Lazzaro. Paul says he ones killed a dog in a horrible way because it attacked him and that there is nothing sweeter than revenge. This story made me have a very strange feeling which was then proved right when Billy having jumped in time a couple if times comes to the moment of his death, one of the most interesting parts of the whole book. "At that moment, Billy´s high forehead is in the cross hairs of a high-powered laser gun. It is aimed at him from the darkened press box. In the next moment, Billy Pilgrim is dead. So it goes."(Pg 143) Billy knew he was going to be shot but did nothing because he had learned like Trafalmadorians that death was just another moment. It is very interesting that he is killed with such a futuristic weapon given the time he was killed (1976) because this way Vonnegut shows how he thinks that weapons and technology is developing very rapidly.

In the end of this chapter the Slaughter-House is finally mentioned, for its the place where Billy and the other American soldiers will stay in Dresden. It was first a killing place for all animals destined to be made into food, but all the animals had been eaten at war. Billy is made to memorize the name of the place in German in case he gets lost, which is very interesting because it means that even though they are prisoners they are going to be able to walk freely around town. In Dresden everybody expected to see Americans as very big strong man that could kill hundreds in battle, but when the Americans come out of the boxcar as they were very skinny badly fed and harmless. The interesting thing is the image that the U.S. army had to other nations that thought that it was almost undefeatable. "Still- they were expected to earn obedience and respect from tall, cocky, murderous infantrymen who had just come from all the killing at the front." (Pg 149) this shows the respect that others have towards the U.S. army.

This is the chapter in the book in which there is less jumping in time, Billy only jumps around one or two times. This could have been done in order to give some specific events such as his death or the arriving to the Slaughter-House more importance and for them to stand out to the reader.

Slaughter-House Five Chapter 5 Pgs 119-135

In this chapter Billy jumps a lot in time to 3 different moments: His stay in Tralfamador, His life in 1968 and WWII. In the end of chapter five we continue to see a lot of examples of death ending up in "so it goes." which is something I have pointed out in most of my blogs and have seen in all the chapters of this book. "Billy asked them a little about themselves, learned that the boy’s father had been killed in Vietnam- in the famous five-day battle for hill 875 near Dakto. So it goes." (Pgs 134-135) Vonnegut shows no pity towards those who lose a close member of the family, maybe because of the way that he through Billy’s eyes sees death just as a moment. The person is still alive in thousands of happy moments.

The author of the book comes into the story as one of the characters, which is very interesting to my point of view. It’s something I had never seen before. “An American near Billy wailed that he had excreted everything but his brains. Moments later he said, "There they go, there they go." He meant his brains. That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book." (pg 125) I had never read a novel in which the author mentioned himself in the writing, which was the reason why it seemed so strange.

When Billy is a prisoner of war it reminds me of a game I play that is called Dungeons and Dragons because even though the game is played in a very different time and context, I had a mission/quest, in which I started of prisoner from a previous battle and had to escape. Billy’s situation was in a way very similar because he lacked good food, he had no good equipment and he was very hurt in his whole body, this was the same with my game´s character only that I had no help from others like Billy did from the Englishmen. It’s very strange how these two very different things come to link in my mind but it’s very nice that the author has this ability to make you think on many different things.

Slaughter-House Five Chapter 5 (87-119)

In this chapter Billy starts with the English soldiers that were also imprisoned but apparently having no problems and better off that most other people in the world. Due to the lack of a medic Billy is examined by an important officer. Billy’s body is totally broken which is explained in the constant kicking and punching he has received. "The English man touched him exploratorily here and there, filled with pity.”My God- what have they done to you, lad? This isn’t a man. It’s a broken kite." (Pg 97)

Billy then starts the part of this chapter I liked the most, his voyage to Tralfamador, this is vey interesting for Trafalmadorians are very different from humans. You can see the way they show no interest or worry in any bad event that will in any way lead to harm and destruction, but since they can become unstuck on time they focus on good moments. They don’t care about death and destruction and do nothing to stop it even though they have the power to do it. "How- how does the universe end?" said Billy."We blow it up, experimenting for new fuels for our flying saucers." (Pg 117)

From Vonnegut’s interview my perspective changed in a dramatic way, for i realized he is not religious and therefore the examples I used in previous blogs of religion are not because of the author thinking that religion is good but maybe attacking it in a way. Vonnegut also talks about the war in this interview and says that he has been a prisoner of war which makes me think about the moments that Billy has lived in the book and those that Vonnegut could have possibly lived. I liked the way that he describes Billy being displayed in a zoo and how he is shown to be in a way inferior to Trafalmadorians and how he doesn’t show care for his state and for his life in any way.

Slaughter-House Five Chapter 4

In this chapter the observations that I have seen in the rest of the book are continued in many different ways. The most common one and the one that is clearer is the "So it goes". Every time death is mentioned it ends up with "So it goes". That is the authors way to show that death is but another thing to come that is totally inevitable and that comes to all no matter what kind of living thing it is. It is not only seen every time a human being dies but every time any kind of living thing dies. "The Americans´ clothes were meanwhile passing through poison gas. Body lies and bacteria and fleas were dying by the billions. So it goes."(Pg. 84)

The other thing that has continued to show in the novel was the presence of religious features such as Adam an Eve that show how the author compares the war with religion. "Everybody turned into a baby, and all humanity, conspired biologically to produce two perfect people named Adam and Eve, he supposed."(Pg 75)

In this chapter Billy continues to travel in time and goes back to the moment where he was kidnapped by aliens whose point of view of time and place is very different to that of humans and is very interesting for they don’t question anything but they feel it as if it was just something that is supposed to be.

The most interesting passage in this part of the book for my opinion is when Vonnegut describes a movie of the war but as if it was being showed from back to front, and so everything happens backwards. The rifles suck the bullets and the soldiers are haled instead of wounded.

Slaughter-House Five Chapter 3

In this chapter Billy Pilgrim doesn´t jump around in time as much but stays a lot of time in the present and most time in WWII. It is very clear the cruelty of the war in which a sick major is not treated and is left to death and in which all prisoners of war are stuffed into a train for two days. In the book the sense of misery and death is seen as a simple common thing that is meant to happen and that will not change even if one tries to evade it.

The narrator sees death as a common happening thing that is inevitable and will happen to all no matter when or how. This thinking is proved by the lines in which a dead occurs and ends in “as it goes”. The death that shocked me the most for the show of lack of importance in the novel was the one of Wild Bob as described in the following sentences. “There were just six live colonels- and one dead one. The Germans carried the corpse out. The corpse was Wild Bob. So it goes.” (Pg 69)

Also the amount of symbolic presence made me think on a lot of different things. For example the presence of Adam and Eve that are very religous symbols being present in a pair of boots that are made for war and the massive killing of people. And the fact that this are very important for their owner and cause an effect on Billy for he says. "They were so innocent, so vulnerable, so eager to behave decently. Billy Pilgrim loved them." (Pg 53)

Slaughter-house five Chapter 2

In this chapter Billy explains the way he was kidnapped by aliens and taken to another planet. He says he was displayed naked in a zoo and that he learned how to become unstuck in time. He goes back and forth in time between his present life as an optometrist and his past in World War II. This moments are very important for the book because its where he began having this breaks in time. "Billy Pilgrim had stopped in the forest. He was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. His head was tilted back and his nostrils were flaring. He was like a poet in the

Parthenon. This was when Billy first came unstuck in time." (pg 43) This kind of relates to the way in which you remember important things you have lived and many times regret what you have done. In this chapter Billy is pushed around by others because he is very weak and in a sense has no feeling of time or presence because he is constantly changing of time period. Billy is very vulnerable because he is only half conscious of what is happening and even though he is in the middle of a war he has no weapons.

All the way throughout the novel Billy is jumping in time staying only for very short moments on each time frame. Billy can have a fragile state of mind for believing in some strange things, like Trafalmadorians, but more than this I think it is a symbolic thing that we will possibly discover throughout the rest of the novel.

Answers Questions First HW

A. What is the diffrence between a blog and a book?

A blog is a site where people can comment on many different subjects of interest, it’s used to link the information you have and want to share to that of many others, who have information on the same topic they want to share. A blog has the advantage to be an only online source where hyperlinks can be placed to take readers to other pages of interest to the author or that have information on the blogs topic. A book in the other hand is a printed writing in which the information has to be complete in order to give the reader the knowledge he is looking for.

B. How have blogs changed recently?
The blogs have changed a lot in the past years, in the beginning the blogs were used to post important information but then they became a way for people to communicate with others and share their thoughts in a specific topic. The word blog comes from the word “web log” which was shortened to the actual “blog” in 1999, when Peter Merholz separated the word into “We Blog”. There are about 15 million active blogs today that cover almost any topic anyone would like to look for.

C. Why migt you read a blog?

I might read a blog to find information about a specific topic I like or to find the opinion of others in pieces of literature or any other type of topic I like. In blogs anyone can post their opinion without having to worry for others point of view.

D. Is there a reason to dubt the objectivity of a blog? Why? Why not?

A blog is a free writing in which all pople can say anything they want. Most of the writings in a blog are opinions, which many times are biased depending on the writters preference or point of view. Most blogs arevery profesional and deliver a well writen opinion of the topic to all blog readers.

E. If you kept your own blog, what would you title it?

I would title my own blog depending to the topic that is to be discussed in the blog, but I would leave the title open to fit the different ideas that can be discussed or can emerg during the discussions that are taken place by the "bloggers".