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Quote by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is a satirical and philosophical novel that combines elements of science fiction with the author's own experiences as a prisoner of war during the Allied bombing of Dresden. The narrative is non-linear and employs a time-traveling protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, who is haunted by his past and the events of the war. The book is known for its dark humor and its exploration of themes such as the absurdity of war, the nature of time, and the human condition. more

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Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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“I suppose some things seem obscure, Mister Brown, but really, they're quite obvious, aren't they?' said Mr. Forbes. 'Once they've been pointed out, of course. Either by genius before the fact, or, as is more often the case, after the fact by disaster. Don't you think so?...For instance, Mr. Brown, here's some after-the-fact wisdom, if you like. Taken from the Italian campaign. Taught by disaster.' The smaller force, he said, had of necessity always to be made of men who, though they believed many things, must believe but two. Number one, each soldier must believe that he is engaged in a struggle in which he and his comrades are morally right and their opposition is morally wrong. No middle way. No room to negotiate a compromise. It couldn't be a simple dispute over land. Basic principles, not mere borders, must be at stake. And number two, he must believe that he is fighting for his own life and for the lives of his loved ones. So that the only imaginable alternative to his participating in this dreadful war is death for him and his loved ones. No going home for a season to harvest the olives and the grapes.”

WarBeliefStrategySoldiers
Book:Cloudsplitter
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“Semua perang tadi adalah perang demi industri. Bangsa yang tak mengenal perdagangan pula tak mengenal industri, pastilah tak memerlukan perang. Namun bangsa yang memiliki keduanya terpaksa melakukan politik penaklukan. Peningkatan jumlah perang berbanding lurus dengan peningkatan produksi industri. Begitu salah satu dari pabrik kami tidak mampu menjual hasil produksi mereka, diperlukan sebuah perang untuk membantu memberi peluang. Karena itulah pada tahun ini kami memiliki perang batu bara, perang tembaga, dan perang kapas. Kami terpaksa melenyapkan dua per tiga bangsa Selandia Ketiga agar yang tersisa mau membeli produk payung dan produk pakaian kami.”

War
Book:Penguin Island
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“Alix looked at Nikola. With a slight movement of his head, he indicated the open doorway, and she got up and followed him outside. They faced each other, hunched against the wind, and he began quietly, ‘If anything should happen to me…’ She met his eyes and saw something different there. This was not his usual self-pitying ploy to engage her sympathy. He really meant this. Her first instinct was to reply, ‘Nothing will happen. You’ve been in dozens of battles and come out safely.’ ‘This could be different,’ he said. ‘I just want you to know, if anything did happen, I have made Dragomir promise to look after you.’ She almost laughed. Dragomir had taken care of her ever since they were forced out of Uzice a year ago. Then she realised what it had cost Nikola to exact that promise. He had been jealous of Drago since they had met in the ruins of Belgrade and he refused to accept that there could be anything between them beyond the relationship of mistress and servant. This was a tacit acceptance that it was much more than that.”

WarHistoryDramaComplexPage TurnerSuspensefulNapoleonFrench HistoryNapoleonic History
Book:A Call to Home
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“Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter. You will meet them doing various things with resolve, but their interest rarely holds because after the other thing ordinary life is as flat as the taste of wine when the taste buds have been burned off your tongue. Wine, when your tongue has been burned clean with lye and water, feels like puddle water in your mouth, while mustard feels like axle-grease, and you can smell crisp, fried bacon, but when you taste it, there is only a feeling of crinkly lard. (from "On The Blue Water", a 1936 essay about fishing)”

WarFishingHuntingMercenariesDesensitization
Author:Ernest Hemingway
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