My Chapter 6

Within this chapter, I see how Slaughterhouse-Five uses irony and hyperbole in a humerous way. Previously in the book, I took everything too literally. The book seemed melancholy and not very interesting. In my english class, my teacher, Mr. Tangen, suggested taking the book not so literally, but with a light and humorous mind. When I did my reading that night, I tried to apply what Mr. Tngen had suggested and I saw all the hidden jokes Kurt Vonnegut put into the novel. I read certain parts twice so that I could be sure not to miss the literal meaning and the humorous meaning. "The Englishman with Lazzaro's feet was colonel who had given Billy his knockout shot. The Blue Fairy Godmother was embarrassed, and angry too. 'If i'd known i would have ... " (page 127) This quote shows how hyperbole is used to add humor to the novel. Vonnegut uses the common and well known image of a fairy godmother, a soft and very sweet character, in a violent and revengeful way. He makes the image and the version from the novel an oxymoron. "..." In this quote, Lazzaro tells them of how envious he is that they are going to Dresden. He tells them of how safe it is and how great it would be for them to go over there. Ironically, when they get there, they are bombed just as Lazarro had told them would not happen.