Critical Analysis: Literary Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut

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Literary Analysis
Kurt Vonnegut, born on November 11, 1922, was an American writer. He was best known for his use of humor, science fiction, and satire in works such as Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions. Vonnegut was born into a family of three and enlisted in the United States Army while in college at Cornell. A while later, on Mother’s Day, in 1944, Vonnegut discovered that his mother had committed suicide. That same year Vonnegut was assigned to a new combat unit and captured during the Battle of the Bulge while serving as a private with the 423rd Infantry Regiment (Bio). Throughout his stay as a prisoner of war he was able to take up a position as a leader but was soon revoked when he spoke out to the German guard. In February of 1945, Vonnegut witnessed the Allied firebombing of Dresden, which destroyed the city. Along with other American survivors, Vonnegut was one of the few that survived the bombing in an underground slaughterhouse meat locker. The German guards called the meat locker “Schlachthof Fünf” which translated to “Slaughterhouse Five" (Wiki). After the unforgettable experience of the bombing the name stuck with the building and was soon his inspiration for his famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five was Vonnegut’s novel written about the journey and experience of a young solider named Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut makes the biggest event in his novel the bombing of Dresden to make the novel a semi-autobiography because like Billy, Vonnegut experienced the horrible bombing personally. The main character, Billy Pilgrim portrays the experiences that Vonnegut went through while he was a suffering POW. It is clear after reading the novel and essay written by Vonnegut over a forty y...

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...where the individual is “easily startled”, always has a feeling of being “on edge”, and has “difficulty sleeping, and/or having anger outburst” (HelpGuide). A combination of these symptoms or only one of them often make it hard for an individual to go about their day to day lives.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." NIMH RSS. National Institution of Mental Health, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." : Symptoms, Treatment and Self-Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York City, New York: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1968. Print.
Pak, Eudie, Leanne French, and Laura Grimm. "Kurt Vonnegut Biography." Bio.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"ARMY.MIL Features." Battle of the Bulge. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
"Kurt Vonnegut." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 08 May 2014.

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