RESPONSES TO LIT CIRCLES (Slaughterhouse Five)

Slaughterhouse Five

Multiple Choice:

1. d.
2. c
3. a
4. c
5. a
6. c
7. b
8. b
9. b
10. c
11. b
12. b
13. a
14. b
15. b
16. a
17. c
18. b
19. b
20. a
21. a
22. a
23. a
24. d
25. b
26. b
27. d
28. c
29. d
30. a
31. b
32. b
33. a
34. d
35. d
36. b
37. b
38. b
39. b
40. d
41. c
42. d
43. d
44. b
45. b
46. d
47. d
48. d
49. a
50. a

Essays:

1. Explain how war affects modern life and society as it did in Slaughterhouse Five.

It has often been war that has changed the trajectory of societies history. War effects modern life and society through technology and new ideas. It changes the way people think and gives new perspective. After war starts a period of rebirth and recovery. Slaughterhouse Five portrays how war effects society as it would in reality.

Technology is huge part of society and accounts for how society functions. War effects technology in that it speeds up the process of technological developments. Much of the technology today comes from devices built for war. This is all due to the fact that war is also a competition of who has the better technology. Whoever has the better technology will win. After the war is over the technology that was developed for war is transitioned into society.

With war comes new ideas that changes history. It gives birth to ideas and which ever side wins gets to test those ideas. These ideas form the base of society. These ideas may include new form of government or new policies to prevent future wars. It adds onto preexisting ideas and allows for society to move forward.

Wars are dark chapters in the human history, but have allowed society to be what it is today. From destruction comes a process of rebuilding and through that process something new is added to society. Modern life and society is what it is today due to war.

2. Free will is often described as an illusion. What are your views, is free will an illusion or do we choose our own path? The authors? And how did he convey these view points.

Humans have always hoped to achieve free will in society. Complete free will is an illusion built in the human mind to make one believe that he or she is in complete control of his or her destiny. Free will is blocked by society. 
Since the moment a human is born free will is stripped away. The life you are born into is not by any means your choice. As you grow up you are bound by the life you were born into whether it be being born into a wealthy or poor family. As you grow older you have options but those choices are limited due to society. You must make money to survive. Society strips away your free by giving you only a few paths to choose.
 By giving you only a limited options you are tricked into believing the illusion of free will. Some have more free will more then others but ultimately we are chained to what life gives us. It is up to you to make the best of what you got.

3. "So it goes" Explain the role of death in the societies of Slaughterhouse Five? What is the role of death in our society?

Death is often a tragic but necessary part of life. In Slaughterhouse Five “So it goes” is used when someone dies. This is used so casually due to the fact that it points out even though a person has died in that particular moment he or she is alive in other moments. This belief captures the theme that in “time” they all coexist and haven't necessarily disappeared.

In Slaughterhouse Five the phrase “So it goes” keeps a tally of deaths throughout the novel. It gives the reader the sense that everyone dies and there is no escape from it. Death is just another tool used by the author to explain how when one dies he or she still exists in another time.Death in our society if broken down simply has the role of keeping the population down. There is a limited resource and death makes it so not much of that resource is used up all at once. On a more emotional level death gives birth to “will”. When one dies he or she passes on his or her will to the next generation and to the one after that.

Death has been the biggest mystery of life. It has many roles and is necessary. It allows for growth to take shape within in the ones that are still living.