The Power of Irony

Irony is perhaps the base of this book. Everything that happens ends or follows an ironic note. It is because of this that this book may very well be of the funniest I have read. It reminds me of the family jokes and black humor my mother loves and my father despises. 

To find the war buddy you haven't seen or talked since the war itself, and not be able to remember what really happened during the war, is just sad yet ironic. For the first shot of your life as a soldier and tank gunner to miss and expose the location as well as bring death upon your whole crew, is extremely ironic and tragic. To be saved by the bully of bullies, and then sniffed out by what was thought to be a menacing and fierce dog, which turned out to be a scared and confused female called Princess, is so ironic it might as well become a world wide example for the word itself. 

The power of irony depends on the personality "of the beholder". To someone who is sentimental and sensitive to things concerning someone or something else, irony can be a cold hearted remark. For those that are callous and take nothing personally, irony can be the light at the end of a dark and dull tunnel. The enjoyment of irony falls upon the mercy and experience of the one who comes across it. To me, irony is a delight and privilege not all are aware of. This is, perhaps, what makes this novel a precious form of entertainment that I have come to know as a constant highlight of my academic life and demands. 

Slaughterhouse Five has spoken of so many different yet crucial things in life such as time, imagination, war and humor, that the only thing I fear is that it will not mention the topics of death and misery, which would cause a great feeling of disappointment in me. High expectations is what I have built as I advance further along the book, and I sincerely hope it will, not only meet them, but go above and beyond.