Slaughterhouse Five deals heavily with the violence and trauma of war. Discussing this as a class beforehand will help readers prepare for what's coming. A discussion about the nature of war and its persistent existence throughout history can also serve as a bridge as to why Vonnegut wrote this novel as an anti-war text. Students will have varying opinions about war, so it will be important to preface the novel by establishing the fact that what Vonnegut expresses is his opinion, with which students are welcome to disagree.
The thought questions in this lesson plan provide material and ideas that students can use to write short original essays and to develop their powers of analysis. The...
