Kurt Vonnegut was the youngest of three children. His father was an architect, and his mother was the wealthy daughter of a brewer. However, when the Great Depression hit, his father sold his business and his children were taken out of school. His mother became a raging alcoholic and his father virtually gave up on life. Kurt’s brother, Bernard, was a wonderful scientist and was top of his class, unlike Kurt. With his bad grades and his brothers overwhelming success, nobody simply had time for him anymore. During high school, he wrote for the school paper and developed an interest in writing, but was pressured to pursue science like his brother ,and thus studied chemistry at Cornell. He later admits he was a lousy student.

- Due to his grades, he was drafted to the army in World War II, in which he witnessed the firebombing of Dresden in 1945. He and his coworkers miraculously survived by being drafted ~60 ft underground to work in an abandoned slaughterhouse. This setting became notable in his book, Slaughterhouse-Five. Soon after, his mother committed suicide by means of drug overdose, stating that she didn’t love Kurt.

Around this time, he was married to Jane Cox, a childhood friend. They had 3 children, however adopted 4 from his sister who recently died, totaling 7. He began writing short stories, but quickly turned to novels. With newfound struggle, it was imperative that he earned money somehow. Luckily, he mastered his writing style and released several famous works and was hailed as one of the best authors in the 1970’s.

- However, later on into the 70’s, his children grew up and left home.
His marriage fell apart and he isolated himself in New York, becoming depressed and manic, suffering writers block. He seemed a mess, with his son suffering with bipolar disorders and having several meltdowns. It was said that he rose at dawn to write, but only sat at his typewriter and wrote nothing.

- In the 1980’s, he married to a woman named Jill Millers, a tough photojournalist. Around this time, his career resurfaced and grew with many new novels he wrote. Near the end of his life, he spoke strongly about his anti-war thoughts and his beliefs about constitutional rights, getting rid of nuclear warfare, corporation greed, war, etc. with many new essays written, he became increasingly famous and bold about his beliefs and wrote about them fervently.

- However, on April 11, 2007, he died and was mourned as one of America’s best authors. He died from brain problems and injuries from falling off the stairs of his home.

Slaughterhouse-five, though it is debatable. It follows Billy Pilgrim, who floats across time, reliving various memories of his life in no particular order. In one moment, he is traveling to the nearby planet of Tralfamadore, and in the next he is in the bombings of Dresden in 1945.

The book follows many grim topics such as graphic depictions of war and death. The protagonist, Billy, is indifferent to death, saying the famous quote, “so it goes”, when encountering death. Whether the death be his own or someone else’s, he seems apathetic to the whole thing.

“And so it goes...”

“I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them with satisfaction or glee. I have also told them not to work for companies which make massacre machinery, and to express contempt for people who think we need machinery like that.”

“Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.”


Excerpts from slaughterhouse-five gathered from https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1683562-slaughterhouse-five-or-the-ch...

In which how he expressed his view of the world through his unique writing style, influencing many new writers afterward. Through his political commentary, melancholic tones, and science fiction elements, he has been hailed as one of the best authors of American history, changing the way things were written forever. He was fearless to talk about his beliefs and anti-war thoughts. Extremely bold with everything he had to say.

I remember looking at this guy and saying, “Woah, this guy’s wild”. I was surprised this guy was even in the list. Usually at private Christian schools I get the most Watered-down-and-uninteresting-authors and books ever. He is pretty wild. I’d say I can relate to him in a way, perhaps without raging success and failed marriages myself. However, I understand where he can be affected during childhood and I can understand his view of the world. His work, as nonsensical it is to my horrendously stupid brain, is fascinating to me. I remember being so intrigued reading his 500 page biography that I hadn’t even realized study hall had ended.
He’s had a horrendous life, and it shows in his work. He has absurd political commentaries and talks about some graphic and horrific things with a laugh. It’s the sort of thing I personally enjoy, it’s almost hopeful, in a sense. His marriages remind me of how my family is, his depression and writers block and manic disorders I can relate to. He’s so interesting to me. He’s fascinating, and quite possibly one of my favorite authors.

Why is war a fruitless act in the long run of time?

Of course, there are most likely exceptions to this, but this is simply my belief.

War brings about constant suffering, loss of life and extreme failures and losses on both sides of the war. Materials are used, land is burned, people are killed. People are injured and come back worse than before. The conflict is resolved, and one person won, but can you really have ‘won’, when so many casualties have occurred and you lost so much?Conflicts are constantly resolved through violence and war despite so many people over many years fighting against it. Does the failures of the war neutralize the joy of winning in long term? Violence has become a natural instinct in resolving conflict, but is it really okay? It is my belief that, no, in most cases, It is not truly worth it. One war will always lead to another. Violence will always spark more violence, but that’s simply how the human race is, violent. But it is my firm belief that violence will not solve anything long-term.
Of course, there are most likely exceptions to this, but this is simply my belief.