.... apparent safety, thousands of refugees from all over Europe converged on Dresden for protection (Klinkowitz 2-3). Dresden's neutrality was broken and the resulting attacks laid waste, what Vonnegut called, "the Florence of the Elbe." Kurt Vonnegut was a witness to this event and because of fate, had been spared. He wrote Slaughterhouse Five to answer the questi on that resounded through his head long after the bombs could no longer be heard. "Why me?"- a frequent question asked by survivors of war. Vonnegut was tormented by this question and through Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist in Slaughterhouse Five, he attempts to reconcile the guilt which one feel .....

.... you value and relish. The story starts off with a boy named Steve, who is ashamed of his street, because everyone keeps making fun of it. He does not recognize the beauty of his street and only sees the bad points of his home. He later learns to appreciate Sandra Street and sees the finer aspects of it after talking to his teacher, Mr. Blades, who tells him to open his eyes and be more aware of the good things in Sandra Street. Steve then goes on a walk with his teacher and realizes the significance of his home. Steve recognizes the finer aspects of his neighborhood and sees beautiful features that he had never notices before. By the end of the story, i .....

.... an incinerator. The next example of irony comes when you learn about the departments of Government in Oceania. The Ministry of Truth is actually the maker of lies for the history books, the Ministry of Love discourages love, and the Ministry of Peace is actually quite violent. The final example of verbal Irony can be seen in the name of the leader of Oceania, "Big Brother." The concept of a big brother is one whom is older and wiser and helps the "littler siblings" -- this not the case with 1984's Big Brother. The Big Brother in this novel completely watches over every move a person makes keeping them controlled with fear. The next type of iro .....

.... things from our wrecked ship. Some of the items included: a knife, a pocket watch, a pair of glasses, and a twig. I reached land in about a day. When I reached shore I looked up upon this small island, it looked beautiful. I just wanted to sit on the beach and look up at the desolate trees that were swaying. I could not handle all of this beauty; it knocked me out, literally. When I awoke I noticed that some of my things had been moved about. Each item was placed in a navigational direction: north, east, west, and south. I also was aware that my hands were placed in the direction, northeast. I collected my things and began walking, I must have walked fo .....

.... it manages to both accurately describe the actions of the Puritans, and relate it to our world today. To understand the implications of Mr. Miller when he discusses the Salem witchcraft trials as having an impact on our society, one must first completely understand the metaphor, and all of its implications. Clearly, the candle described represents their persecution of the witches, perhaps the burning flame a symbol of the power that the Puritans possessed. It was the divine light that emanated from this candle, that they believed they could use to expose the heretics and eventually remove them from their society. The darkness that supposedly befuddled good and .....

.... the dinner, not out of respect for her late husband, but out of “poor man’s pride” to spend her last savings on a “traditional social ceremony” to show others that she was “not to be looked down upon” (Dostoevsky 308). Her motivation to plan and give the dinner was a way of dealing with her poverty level by proving to others she could entertain others, being from an “aristocratic” family. Katerina’s idea of a perfect dinner was spoiled when she saw the guest that actually arrived. No one had replied to the invitations—which reflects the bad manners of the people—but Katerina expected for “everyone” to be present. Only the poorest and most insignifica .....

.... largely a matter of timing; when the book came out in 1969, the moral dilemma surrounding illegal abortions was still a hot enough topic to seem ripped from the headlines. Though abortion certainly remains a hot-button issue, the debate has shifted. For the time being, at least, the argument centers on whether or not the act should be legal, not on whether or not doctors are currently breaking the law by performing them. The antiquated plot line is not the story's main flaw. The biggest drawback here is a one-two punch of highly technical prose employed to relate a thoroughly dull story. Karen Randall, the daughter of an eminent physician, dies as the resul .....

.... he decided to arrange for her to marry Anthony Angeluzzi, his friend’s son. Anthony was living and working in New York and would be willing and able to give Lucia Santa a good life. Reluctantly she agreed to marry a man she only knew as a young child. Together they had three children; Lorenzo, Octavia, and Vincenzo. Just as Lucia Santa began to care deeply about her husband, he was killed in an accident at work. After her husbands death she had to raise her two young children alone and give birth to a fatherless child. After her husbands death many of the other women on the street offered Lucia Santa help, but soon after the pity and condolences they turned t .....