Slaughterhouse-Five Lens Analysis: Chapter 5
Part 1-Gathering Info
You will read Chapter 5 with a specific focus, determined by your placement within a particular
group. Your group is responsible for:
1. Taking notes on your assigned “lens.” You should have 4-5 examples that embody your lens.
Record the page # and paragraph where the examples can be found as well as writing the examples
themselves.
2. Answering the specified questions (ALL groups will do Questions 5-6 in Part 1)
**ALL Groups will do Questions 5-6 in Part 1!**
Group 1: Postmodernist Lens
Question 1 (Part 1); Question 3 (Part 2)
Postmodernism is a term applied to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, etc. It stems from a
recognition that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is
constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality.
Group 2: Dehumanization Lens
Question 7 (Part 1); Question 2 (Part 2)
Warfare may, at times, require the dehumanization of people. People may need to dehumanize
themselves, and also project this need on to others.
Group 3: Style Lens
Question 2 (Part 1); Question 4 (Part 2)
How do diction, sentence structure, syntax, description, and voice add to our understanding of the
novel and its purpose?
Group 4: Humanity Lens
Question 4 (Part 1); Question 1 (Part 2)
This pertains to morality and ethics, when people respond to crisis situations in a variety of ways
that reveal much about human psychology and experience.
Group 5: Warfare Lens
Questions 3 & 8 (Part 1); None (Part 2)
There are war realities and war fallacies, which can depend on perspective. What are accurate
portrayals of war? Glorified portrayals?
Part 2-Synthesizing and Presenting Info
After you have finished Chapter 5, you will sit with your group and synthesize all findings and
notes. From there, you will create a presentation that:
1. Presents the answers to your assigned questions for Chapter 5. Class will take notes.
2. Presents the examples of your assigned lens for Chapter 5. Class will take notes.
3. Explains why your lens is relevant in the overall thematic understanding of the novel. Class will
take notes.
4. Incorporates a visual that represents how your assigned lens “looks” (this is a visual that
represents the lens overall, so visually depict it as you see fit based on the novel’s content—it can
be drawn, computer generated, etc.).
Timeline:
Thursday 10/29: Chapter 5 Part 1 due (working in groups discussing Part 1 findings/moving on to
reading Part 2)
Monday 11/2: Chapter 5 Part 2 due (working in groups synthesizing notes)
Tuesday 11/3 (1/2 day): Group work
Wednesday 11/4: Group presentations begin
Thursday 11/5: Finish group presentations
Monday 11/9: SH5 Chapters 1-5 Quiz/Test