That book is handled with care and placed in a special spot on the bookshelf. ![]() We feel the need to acknowledge previous times, and by doing this, we are reminding ourselves to keep going. These moments in time are forever a part of our life story, and once in a while, we reread our stories by flipping through photo albums or reminisce about old times. Childhood memories are cherished and milestones are monumental. May I always flutter in the wind.Īs much as we try to live in the moment and look ahead to the future, it is hard to dismiss certain aspects of life leading up to the present. The chances of me ever meeting the answers to life questions are slim, but for as long as I live, I will make the most of what comes my way. How would my life decisions be different if I had a little bird chirping “poo-tee-weet?” Would the nudge of something telling me to keep going push me beyond my limits and inspire a leap of faith? Would the question of where will time take me be enough of a reminder to never settle for something less when greatness is within my grasp? I would like to think that we all have the internal driving force telling us whatever motivation we need to live our lives. There are some elements of mystery that will forever remain a mystery, but one can still wonder. Reflecting on Slaughterhouse-Five has been something I have wanted to for some time now. My renewed interpretation of the seemingly meaningless phrase now held two distinct meanings for me. All while Billy Pilgrim has been unstuck in time, underlying themes came into perspective. Intonation and form now added an extra element to the meaning. Suddenly, it could no longer mean the same thing in that context. This may not seem like a profound detail to catch, but in this instance, it was everything. There is one time in Slaughterhouse-Five that “poo-tee-weet” is written as a question. So, for every time I read “poo-tee-weet” in the text, I added, keep going, Billy Pilgrim. Billy needs the encouragement to keep going. This short statement was as if the bird is the whisper of hope for Billy. I thought about the question I had been asking for weeks, and now I had the opportunity to answer it in any way I deemed appropriate.įor much of Slaughterhouse-Five, “poo-tee-weet” is written as a statement. With each turn of the page, I could only hope Kurt Vonnegut would eventually reveal what the purpose and significance were of “poo-tee-weet.” Although the hopes of the meaning being revealed were crushed, the day came when I was encouraged to define “poo-tee-weet” for myself. ![]() ![]() The entire time as I read Slaughterhouse-Five I wondered what the phrase could possibly mean. The meaning of the phrase may not be explicitly displayed, but the interpretation and internalization of it will help chip away at the shell of the words to reveal a personal meaning. A small bird follows Billy Pilgrim throughout the story simply saying, "poo-tee-weet." An acknowledgment of the bird's presence and the sounding call is significant, considering it is one of the limited constants in Billy Pilgrim's life.
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