Poo-tee-weet

“Poo-tee-weet” is what a bird says to Billy shortly after the war is over. This shows how there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. There is really nothing to say about a massacre besides “Poo-tee-weet.”

Motif

The motif “so it goes” has appeared throughout the entire book. At first I thought it was that Billy didn’t know if the person had died or he wanted the reader to think that the person might still be alive. Now that I am done reading the book, I think Billy said “so it goes” after someones death, because everyone else thought the person was dead, but not Billy. Billy knew that the person was still very alive and not to be sadden by their death. The phrase “so it goes” allows the reader to recognize this.

Airplane

The situational irony in this chapter reminded me of the movie Airplane. It was almost funny that Valencia died on the way to a hospital. In the movie Airplane, there is a lot of situational irony and dry humor. Valencia’s death is something that I could see being in the movie.

Situational Irony

There is situational irony in chapter nine. The fact that Valencia dies from carbon monoxide poisoning on her way to Billy who is recovering in the hospital is ironic. Also, she gets in a car wreck and Billy was in a plane crash. Vonnegut writes, “Poor Valencia was unconscious, overcome by carbon monoxide. She was a heavenly azure. One hour later she was dead. So it goes.” (Vonnegut 183). Valencia dies while trying to get to the hospital is situational irony.

Music

Billy heard a song that gave him a descriptive memory he had. Many times I will hear a song and think of memory of mine. This is true for a lot of people. A song has the power to remind a person of something.

Tone

Billy’s tone changes in chapter 8 to a sad and somber one. He is reminded of the bombings in Dresden at his eighteenth wedding anniversary. Vonnegut states, “He did not travel in time to the experience. He remembered it shimmeringly-as follows” (Vonnegut 177). This time Billy remembers the moment and does not need to travel to it.

Schindler's List

The fact that Billy allowed all those people to die is unbelievable. He had the chance to save so many lives and just let them die. This reminds me of the movie Schindler’s List. At the end, Schindler is crying and says, “I could of saved more, I could of saved more.” Schindler was upset with himself, because in his mind he could of saved more people. Billy on the other hand doesn’t even bother trying to save people from a plane crash.