Phillip+Song's+Summer+Reading

Phillip Song's Summer Reading Kurt Vonnegut // Slaughterhouse-Five //



Essay #1

Baptism In Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five//, there is a scene where Billy Pilgrim, the main character and protagonist of the novel, is drowning in a swimming pool. Ironically, he refuses to be rescued. However, an unknown person eventually drags him out of the water, which is seen like an incident of baptism. Baptism is a ritual in Christianity where one dies and is reborn as a new identity. In a typical situation, baptism is performed by one being submerged in water, then him coming out of the water. Before Billy becomes unconscious, he recalls the time when he was yet to be born and inside his mother’s womb. He says it was when he felt the most love in his entire life. Then, he recalls the time when his father taught him how to swim. Billy’s father threw Billy into the war, stating that if he didn’t start swimming, he would drown. Just before Billy becomes unconscious, he starts to hear harmonic music. According to //How to Read Literature Like a Professor//, baptism can be painful at times. This idea is proven when Billy refuses to be saved because of the beautiful harmony he hears. “His eyes were closed. When he opened his eyes, he was on the bottom of the pool and there was beautiful music everywhere” (Vonnegut 44). When someone pulls him out of the pool, the whole scene can be seen as painful baptism, for he loses his consciousness but is also reborn.  The opportunity to be reborn is a privilege, although it came come painfully nonetheless. Billy starts out resenting baptism, but eventually goes through it painfully. //How to Read Literature Like a Professor// shows that any novel can be read in a religious perspective.

Violence Brutal events and accidents constantly emerge in Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five//. Since the catastrophic firebombing took place at the German town, we cannot ignore the destructiveness of war. As the Tralfamadorians show how greatly one can be influenced by the war. Through one’s brutal experience about the war, the world has been destroyed and became a world that one can never understand. One day, Billy watches a documentary on American bombers and pilots in World War II. As he watches the movie forward and backward, he sees planes quelling flames and drawing their bombs. In his mind, he makes a connection that humanity results in creating Adam and Eve. However, Billy must realize that even at the moment he was watching the war scenes, he is already becoming violent. The action of watching the movie forward and backward shows that Billy is interested in violence. Relating to the guidebook //How to Read Literature Like a Professor//, literal violence encodes a broader point about the essential hostile. “Over France, a few German fighter planes flew at them backwards,” a scene from the movie (Vonnegut 74). By rewinding the war, Billy is transforming violence into peace. Billy showed that he is involved in an anti-violence and does not favor violence. Violence is something personal and intimate acts between human beings. In other word, it can be something indifferent, but actively interested in our demise. Even though violence exists everywhere, we possess the ability to make it peaceful.
 * Essay #2**

**Essay #3** Symbol Bird symbolizes the lack of intelligence about war in the Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five.// In Chapter 12 of //How to Read Literature Like a Professor,// it is said that symbol doesn’t always have to be objects and images. Action can be also considered symbolic. In the novel, the action of soldiers showed how symbolic their actions were, compared to selfishness of human nature. When the war was nearly over, Billy stayed in the train for two days. After two days, people became a single organism which ate and excreted through its ventilators. Human beings were excreting into steel helmets and Billy was the one who dumped them. However, when the food came in, the people became quite and shared with trust. According to //How to Read Literature Like a Professor,// it mentioned that action can be symbolic too. The action was described as “When food came in, the human beings were quite and trusting and beautiful. They shared.” (Vonnegut 70). This quote shows that food is something symbolizing the unity of soldiers. At once, human beings were dirty as creatures, but became peaceful all of a sudden when they achieved something they have desired for. Food was a significant symbol that worked as a magical spell. However, it showed how dreadful human beings become in front of food. Despite the fact that human beings were separately fulfilling their duty, food brought symbolic action which is the unity of human beings

Comments:

Hey Phillip, how was your summer? I really like how you start off your introduction by contrasting two different types of symbolism: Object and Action. This is very productive, but I think this would be better if you put some transitional words such as however. The introduction also links with the Foster’s novel, which makes readers easy to follow. I like how you have a concise summary because if it is overdone, the essay will sound like a summary. The start of the last paragraph was great, starting off with the main topic, symbolism. You also provide some understanding of how the quote reinforces your argument. However, there is one thing I am confused with. In the beginning paragraph, you said there is also a symbol of action, but then in the analysis, you kept talking about food. Apart from this, the organization and the voice were great. One minor grammar mistake can be found on the last sentence. You should be aware of using present tense rather than past.

Seung Woo Eun

**Essay #4 Communion** In Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five,// Vonnegut successfully injected a symbol that brought the concept of communion. In chapter 2 of //How to Read Literature Like a Professor//, it is stated that whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion. In other words, it means that food and drinks are what brings people together. The war was nearly over and Billy was spending his days stuck in the train. People excreting into steel helmets which were passed to the people at the ventilators, who dumped them. When food arrived, the human beings became quiet and trusting each other. As I mentioned before, the guidebook //How to Read Literature Like a Professor// stated that whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion. In Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five//, the author described the scene as “the human beings were quiet and trusting and beautiful” (Vonnegut 70). As English soldiers prepare feasts for visitors, it brings people together and forms the concept of communion. The food supposedly worked as a primary role for communion in the novel. Moreover, we can relate this meaning to Christianity. As Christians break bread together, its considered as an act of sharing and peace. Therefore, the act of gathering people together is a form of communion. As a result, the scene where people ate and drank together in Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five// is a religious communion. According to the guidebook //How to Read Literature Like a Professor//, we can interpret the scene as the concept of communion. Despite the fact that human nature is filled with selfishness, they have showed the communion through their symbolic action.

**Essay #5** Blindness  Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut’s //Slaughterhouse-Five// //, //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';"> seems utterly feeble in appearance. However, deep inside, he is one that seeks to be a leader, enlightening the world with his beliefs. His career as an optometrist is symbolic in the way that he fixes the vision of others, which can also be interpreted as Billy changing the way others view the world. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">In Chapter 7, Billy survives a plane crash when everyone else assumes his death. Then, he decides to teach the lesson he learns during his trip to planet Tralfamadore. He learns that destiny plays a big part of life, and that what is destined to happen cannot be changed by anyone under any circumstances. He also learns that one’s life is not completely over at death. After Billy recovers fully from his injuries from the crash, he sets out to New York to enlighten the world of his belief, despite his not fully functional brain due to skull fracture. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">Blindness is a major theme of //<span style="color: #40362d; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">Slaughterhouse-Five //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">, for Vonnegut implies that human beings trick themselves into thinking that they have the power to change reality, although it is impossible. When Billy tries to cure the world of blindness, he says, “You sound to me as though you don’t believe in free will,” (Vonnegut 86). Although Billy fails to enlighten the world with his revolutionary idea, he is still credited for his bravery and effort to change the world. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';"> <span style="font-size: 120%; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Vonnegut’s idea of introducing Billy Pilgrim as a optometrist was an extremely creative idea for symbolism because the quote, “If you want your audience to know something important about your character, introduce it early, before you need it,” from Chapter 22 of //How to Read Literature Like a Professor// perfectly fits into the situation; Billy Pilgrim is an optometrist and he fixes the way people see life. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">Hi Hajung, this is Phillip from last year. I hope you spent great time on your summer vacation. Anyways, after I have looked over your essay, your thesis and purpose was clearly stated. How the blacks relied upon God giving them faith. However, it seemed unnecessary how you have stated your thesis by saying "religion theme is portrayed to explain how...". Your essay was well organized with clear statements. Moreover, your idea and thesis was well supported by your supporting statements. However, your essay does not contain one of the requirements for this assignment. Its summary. You did not summarize the particular section of the novel very well, which can lead the readers to misunderstanding of the analysis. Moreover, your essay seem to lack word choices. It would've been much better if you used challenging words. Anyways, your thesis was very clear which is great. Overall, it would've been a great essay if you have took care of some minor mistakes. -Hajung Kim, Essay #1
 * Comment #1 **

<span style="color: rgb(19,19,88); font-family: Georgia, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif';">Hi Lyd, this is Phillip. Anyways, I think your overall essay is pretty nice. However, I think you could have improved your essay by giving more information about the characters and the plot. And also your concluding paragraph is little bit too short. But I liked your introduction. You successfully introduced the meaning of the symbolism. However, your second and third paragraph could have been improved. In the structure, you described the plot at the 2nd paragraph and analyzed it at the 3rd. I felt some sentences were somewhat repetitive and could have been simplified. Although some structure seem little bit awkward, your use of quote and good clarity covers the lacking point of the essay. Lastly, I think you have a potential to be a great writer, with a little bit of more effort you will be able to write great essays. -Lydia Ahn, Essay #2
 * Comment #2**

<span style="color: rgb(19,19,88); font-family: Georgia, serif;">
 * IMPORTANT: Your summer reading assignment page should have five essays (copy and pasted) and two comments (copy and pasted). If I have to look for your assignments, points will be deducted!**