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Kurt Vonnegut was born November 11th,
1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the
son of German- American citizens. He
attended Cornell University, and enlisted
in the U.S Army, where he studied
mechanical engineering. His mother
committed suicide on Mother’s day in
1944.
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During WWII, Vonnegut was captured
during the Battle of the Bulge on
December 19th, 1944. He was selected
leader of the POW’s because he spoke
German. He witnessed the fire bombing
of Dresden in February 1945, and
survived in an underground
slaughterhouse meat locker, called
Slaughterhouse five. The bombing
destroyed the majority of the city.
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Vonnegut was released by the Red Army
troops in May of 1945 at the Saxony –
Czechoslovakian border. When he
returned to America, he was awarded a
Purple Heart for what he described as
frostbite.
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Vonnegut went back to school to study
anthropology at the University of
Chicago. He also worked at the city
news, as well as many other newspapers
in Chicago. He moved to New York, and
began writing short stories, like Cat’s
Cradle, which the University of Chicago
later accepted as his thesis, and they
awarded him the Master of Arts degree
in anthropology in 1971.
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Report on the Barnhouse Effect (1950)
Player Piano (1952)
The Sirens of Titan (1959)
Cats Cradle (1960s)
Slaughterhouse-Five (1970s)
Breakfast of Champions (1973)
Deadeye Dick
“Harrison Bergeron”
Timequake
Slapstick
Mother Night
1981 – Literary Lion award, New York Public
Library
1983 – Freedom to Read award, Chicago
Public Library
1985 – Emmy Award for Outstanding
Children’s program “Displaced Persons”
1986 – Bronze Medallion, Guild Hall
In 2001, a fire destroyed the top story of his
home. He suffered smoke inhalation, and
was hospitalized in critical condition for four
days.
Vonnegut smoked unfiltered Pall Mall
cigarettes, which he classified as a “classy
way to commit suicide”
In March of 2007, Vonnegut fell in his
Manhattan home, and suffered irreversible
brain injuries which lead to his death on
April 11th, 2007
Setting : The main character is currently
set in a jail in Old Jerusalem. Yet, the
majority of the story is set in New York
City.
 Main Character:

› Howard W. Campbell Jr.
 Campbell is the narrator. He was a nazi in
Germany at the time of World War Two.
 Married to Helga Campbell
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Howard Campbell was born in 1912 in New
York. He was moved to Germany by his
parents. He married Helga, who was a
German actress. When WWII began, his
family fled Germany, but he stayed with
Helga. HU was recruited by the Nazi party
to spread propaganda. But, at the same
time, he was recruited as a spy by the
United States to send messages through
Nazi propaganda. Helga was killed in an
attack when she was performing for the
troops. He was caught at the end of the
war.

He fled to NYC to hide. He rented an attic
apartment, and spent most of his time
there. An article was published in a
newspaper about his works during WWII,
and the publisher of the newspaper visited
him and brought along a friend. He tried to
play her off as his wife Helga, but it turned
out that it was her younger sister, Resi.
Howard fell in love with Resi, and they
began a relationship. When the article is
published word spread that Campbell was
actually alive, and Israel wanted to try him
for war crimes.

Campbell and Resi tried to escape to a
foreign country, but they were caught by a
Secret Agent. He is arrested, and is taken
into custody by Israeli police. While he is
awaiting his trial the American agent who
recruited him wrote a letter that Campbell
was a spy helping the Allied forces. He then
comes to the realization that no matter
what his defense is he will always be known
as a Nazi propagandist, and that he must
take responsibility.
Vonnegut uses simple language.
 Foreshadowing is used through the book.
 There is an underlying theme which is
anti-war.
 The author uses the characters to show
how people use each other for their own
disadvantage.
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Characters:
› John Bokonon
 The narrator
› Angela Hoenikken
 Oldest child of Felix and Emily
› Emily Hoenikken
 Felix’s wife, died while giving birth
› Felix Hoenikken
 Key researcher in the development of the atomic bomb
dropped in Hiroshima
› Frank Honenikken
 2nd child of Felix and Emily
› Newt Hoenikken
 Youngest child. 4ft. Midget
› Papa Monzano
 Ailing dictator of San Lonenzo
› Mona Monzano
 Adopted daughter of Papa Monzano
› Nestor Aamons
 Designed Julian Castle
› Asa Breed
 Felix’ supervisor
› Martin Breed
 Asa’s brother
› Julian Castle
 Millionaire owner of Castle Sugar Corporation
› Philip Castle
 Son of Julian
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John writes a book the day the atomic
bomb hits Hiroshima. He writes it to the
oldest son, Newt, of the creation of the
atomic bomb. Newt remembers playing
with toy trucks, and his father playing
cats cradle with string when the bomb
dropped.
John traveled to see the Hoenikken’s.
Frank’s classmates told john how strange
he is. Asa gave John a tour of Felix’ job,
and John visited Felix’s grave. John was
also hired to write about Julian Castle.
He was a multi millionaire philanthropist.
 Bokonon created the religion of
Bokonism. Papa Monzano practiced it.
He had terminal cancer, and he named
Frank his successor.
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During the ceremony in honor of San
Lorenzo hundred martyrs the
democracy, John planned to announce
his assumption of presidency. Then the
bomb went off. Most of the islands
survivors committed suicide. John wrote
cats cradle as a record of what
occurred.
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Characters:
› Billy Pilgrim
 World war I veteran
› Bernhard V. O'Hare
 A war time pal
› Mary O'Hare
 Bernhard's wife
› Roland Weary
 A cruel solider taken prisoner by the Germans with Billy
› Wild Bob
 An Army Colonel
› Paul Lazzaro
 the man responsible for Billy's death
› Edgar Derby Survior of Dresden's incineration
› Eliot Rosewater
 A war veteran in the bed next to Billy
› Tralfamadorians
 Aliens
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Billy Pilgrim born in 1992 grows up in Ilium,
New York. He is drafted into the army during
world war II. Trains as a Chaplains assistant
in South Carolina. Billy's dad dies in a
hunting accident right before Billy ships
overseas to join the infantry regiment in
Luxembourg. In the Battle of the Bulge in
Belgium he is taken prisoner behind
German lines. He has his first incident of
time. He sees his entire life in one sweep.
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He has a breakdown and a shot of
morphine sends him tripping again. He and
the other Americans go to Dresden, where
they have to work for their keep. Their
camp occupies a former slaughterhouse.
Allied forces bombed the city and dropped
bombs that created a firestorm that sucked
all the oxygen asphyxiating or incinerating
130,000 people. Billy and his friends survived
in an airtight meat locker. Days later the
Russian army capture the city and Billy no
longer has involvement with the war.
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Billy goes back to llium. He has a terrible
breakdown and commits himself to a
veteran's hospital and gets shock
treatments. A patient introduces him to s
science fiction novel writer and they get
married. The sight of a barbershop makes
him breakdown and he realize it triggers
memories of Dresden. The night after his
daughters wedding, he tells to a radio talk
show, He is kidnapped by two-foot-high
aliens. He is brought from earth and is now
with Tralfamadorians. They explain their
perception of time.
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When he returns to earth he goes on a
plane to a conference and the plane
crashes. Only Billy survives. He feels it is
necessary to tell the world what he has
learned. He makes a tape recording of
how exactly he will die.