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Andrew Coatsworth
Alissa Bourbonnais
English 111
9 December 2012
Portfolio Reflection
Throughout my academic career, I have always considered writing one
of my strengths. Writing has been the most effective medium for me to
portray my ideas rather than sharing my ideas aloud or in a presentation.
This has been the case with analytical literature papers, historical research
papers and even scientific lab reports. However, as in any field, there is
always room for improvement. English 111 has been a very beneficial
experience for me as I work to fulfill the four outcomes of the course, which
can be boiled down to the following four points: context, analysis, argument
and revision. These points have always been aspects of my writing, but this
class has given me a chance to elevate my writing to a collegiate level.
Achieving these outcomes has been demanding as the course focuses on the
topics of time travel, trauma and cultural memory. At times these were
difficult topics to write about as they can become very personal. While this
characteristic of the course sometimes became a complication, the task of
realizing the outcomes became easier as a result. This challenge forced me
to focus on the goal of the course as I wrote the three essays.
The first of the required outcomes is context. Context is a crucial part
of successful writing as it is necessary for the writer to understand the

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audience to whom they are addressing. In order to do this, the author must
utilize aspects such as style, tone and conventions appropriate for the
situation. For example, in an academic paper, the author must have
cohesive style and tone while also using proper conventions and grammar.
This creates a very polished product that will be effective in the academic
environment. However, when writing outside of the academic environment,
the author can make use of less formal style and tone while continuing the
idea of proper conventions and grammar. The author must also understand
aspects of his or her writing such as sentence structure, word choice and the
content of the work as a whole. These ideas may be different based on the
audience, but it is at the writers discretion as to how to properly utilize
them. For example, in an academic work, it is necessary to vary sentence
length and structure while also carefully choosing words. This becomes less
important if the work is not as formal. Overall, context and audience are
very important because the work must resonate with the reader. If the work
is written in a way that does not match up with the audience, it will lose most
of its strength. Yet if proper context and audience is attained, the audience
will be more interested in the writing as they are the ones to whom the
writing is directed. My understanding of audience and context is represented
in the following passage: Weylin will be portrayed as a hulking figure blocking the
doorway. In his hand he is holding a giant leather whip. It will be necessary to properly capture
the anger in Weylins face as he catches an insubordinate slave. One of Weylins main goals as a
slave owner is to prevent the education of his slaves (Kindred Paper 9). In this paper, it was

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necessary to sell my adaptation of Kindred to my audience. The goal of my adaptation was to
depict the horrors of slavery while the goal of my writing was to capture the effectiveness of my
adaptation. In order to do this, I wrote with a dark tone focusing on the negative aspects of
Danas life. Also, since this was an academic paper, I wrote in a formal manner, while carefully
choosing words and images such as insubordinate and giant leather whip. This style of
writing helped my paper as it remained focused throughout. I knew to whom I was writing and
the point that I attempted to make.
My improved understanding of audience and context will improve my writing in the
future as it can be much more focused. Before I begin writing, it will be necessary to understand
who my audience is and how to use aspects such as tone, style, word choice and sentence
structure. This will help strengthen my writing, as it will have a greater impact on the reader.
The second required element of this course is analysis. In relation to this class, analysis
is understanding the various texts and taking various ideas and pieces of evidence to support the
paper. The texts must be strategically used in order to fully support the writing. This means
choosing useful quotes to analyze and finding the bigger ideas. To further strengthen the paper,
more than one text will be cited and related to the other text or texts. This allows the ideas from
each text to build off of each other and leads to more in depth analysis. Finally, the documents
must be properly cited using the MLA format. Analysis is very important in writing because it
builds and supports the argument. By looking into the bigger ideas of the texts in question, the
writer can raise a point and support it. This is the writers chance to say why their argument
matters. An example of analysis in my writing is captured by the following quote: Zits has
already begun to believe that he can take control of his life and that he is responsible for the
situations in which he finds himself. However, this is a turning point. Zits realizes that through

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his senseless actions he is not only harming himself, but also the people around him. He is
dragging them down on his crash course. This gives him more motivation to change (Flight
Paper 27). My analysis is on two levels; why Alexie included the scene where Zits is piloting the
airplane into the lake and how this event changes Zits. Alexie includes the scene to depict Zits
changing his character as he learns from his experiences. This event changes Zits because he
realizes that he is dragging the people around him down on his crash course. These two ideas tie
together as Zits becomes a better person. My analysis throughout the course helps strengthen my
papers, as it is the bulk of the paper. It will either make or break my paper. If it is strong
analysis, my argument will be clear and the paper will be focused. However, if my analysis is off
base, the paper will lose its clarity and my writing will no longer be effective.
Fulfilling the outcome of analysis will greatly improve my writing in the future, as it will
become more concise and focused. Analysis can still prove to be a weakness of mine.
Sometimes I tend to look too far into the texts and get lost in the bigger meaning. To improve
upon this, I need to take a step back from the text and make sure the bigger idea is clear to me. I
cant get bogged down with the minor details. It is unlikely that the bulk of my writing in the
future will revolve around analyzing novels, yet understanding analysis is still very valid. My
future papers will still require using and analyzing various sources to strengthen my arguments.
The third outcome of this course is argument. This relates to analysis as the analysis
supports the argument. The arguments made by the writer must be complex and original, yet
clear to the reader. The audience must understand what the writer of the paper is saying.
Anyone can come up with an argument, although in this course, it is necessary to prove why the
argument raised matters and to make that argument persuasive. To strengthen the persuasive
aspects of the argument, the writer must take into account various viewpoints of the argument.

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Finally, the argument must flow throughout the paper. This means that the writer must focus on
and include their argument throughout the paper in a logical order. Creating a powerful
argument is very important to a good paper because it what the reader will focus on as they read
the paper. In some cases, the argument might be the readers first impression of the paper. If this
impression is negative, it might create bias against the paper as they continue to read. However,
if the initial reaction is positive, the reader is much more likely to agree with the paper and enjoy
reading it. An example of an argument I made is as follows: In both works, the main characters
are ripped out of their natural environments and thrown into gruesome situations depicting how
war and slavery dehumanize the characters and prevent them from coping with the trauma that
they live through. Due to the severity of the trauma, the protagonists are forced to simply live
through the trauma rather than properly coping with it (Kindred and Slaughterhouse-Five Paper
15). I am making the argument that Kindred and Slaughterhouse-Five are similar in the sense
that they use horrific events the characters cannot cope with to show how war and slavery
dehumanize those involved. This argument is strong because it is simple yet leads to a much
bigger idea that I analyze later on in the paper, the characters inability to cope with trauma
leading to their dehumanization. Since this argument is cohesive with my analysis of the two
novels, it strengthens the paper.
Creating a cohesive argument can still be a difficult task for me. Sometimes I try to do
too much with the argument leading to a struggle with analysis. This course helped me to
improve upon this, especially the compare and contrast paper of Kindred and SlaughterhouseFive. I was able to synthesize complex ideas but remain focused and clear. This will help me
greatly in the future, as the argument is an integral part of writing. As my arguments become
more complex, I will be able to use these ideas to write successfully.

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The final and most important outcome for me is revision. Revision is understanding the
writing, noticing weaknesses and strengthening the work as a whole. This relates to big ideas
such as analysis or structure and also smaller issues such as grammar and punctuation. Revision
is important because there is always room for improvement. This helps make the paper cohesive
and stronger as a whole. Throughout the course, revision has been the most important outcome
for me. During high school, I had my parents read my papers and mark them up. Then we
would talk about them and I would make the changes. I never read my own work. Peer edits in
this course changed that. Reading my paper aloud taught me a lot about my own writing. I
learned that I have a tendency to summarize the text when I run out of ideas or lose track of what
I am saying. An example of my summarization is captured by the following quote: After Zits
gets out of jail, he is sent to a halfway house. It just so happens Justice is sent to the same
halfway house (Rough draft of Flight Paper 2). If this were simply an introduction to a scene, it
might have worked. However, the whole body paragraph was a summary. For the final draft, I
focused on analysis rather than summary. The revised version includes the following quote:
When Justice convinces Zits to shoot up the bank full of innocent people, it is clear that Zits has
lost control of his life. Although he has made many bad decisions so far in the novel, none of
them are on this scale (Flight Paper 25).

Reading my own work has also improved my writing

because I become aware of common mistakes I make such as leaving out words. Now, when I
begin a new paper, I am more conscious of these mistakes and I make them much less often.
While it is more work to read and revise my own work, it is very beneficial to my
writing. Revision has improved my work towards the other three outcomes. As I revise, I make
sure that I meet these requirements. This has left me with a sense of accomplishment because I

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made these improvements through my hard work. I have begun to enjoy reading my own work
as I quickly see the improvements that I have made.
Working to fulfill these four requirements has left me with tools for writing in the future.
Due to my hard work, I understand my writing much more than I ever have, my writing is more
focused on my original arguments, and I have realized how much revision is necessary for papers
to be successful and powerful. Concentrating on these outcomes not only greatly improved my
three papers, but also my writing in general. As a result, writing in the future will be a simpler
process for me as I will properly address my audience, create original and complex arguments,
support them with my analysis and revise them in order to make the work as strong as possible.

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Andrew Coatsworth
Alissa Bourbonnais
English 111
9 December 2012
Kindred: Painted in One Scene
In writing the novel, Kindred, Octavia Butler is faced with the challenge of placing a
black female character from the 1970s into the days of slavery while maintaining believable
interactions between the characters in the novel. The fact that Kindred is a science fiction novel
takes away from the horror and trauma that Dana, the main character living in 1976, lives
through when transported to the early 1800s. Danas horrendous experiences in the times of
slavery can be more successfully portrayed in one image, an oil painting of the whipping she
received from Mr. Weylin. Throughout the first three chapters of Kindred, this is Danas most
traumatic event. Condensing the novel into this one scene and displaying it in the form of a
painting leaves the audience with much more room to interpret Danas story in their own minds
rather than through Butlers writing. This allows the reader to further develop their stance on
slavery.

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In the chapter, The Fall, Mr. Weylin catches Dana teaching a young slave boy, Nigel, to
read. In the 1970s, Dana would receive praise for teaching an uneducated boy to read.
However, in the times of slavery, anything Dana does is wrong due to the color of her skin.
Weylin stood squarely in front of the door. Didnt I tell you I didnt want you reading! I said
nothing. Clearly, nothing I could say would help. I felt myself trembling, and I tried to be still.
I hoped Weylin couldnt see. And I hoped Nigel had had the sense to get the pencil off the table.
So far, I was the only one in trouble. If it could just stay that way (Butler 106). This quote is
the basis for the painting. The painting will be of a dark and dreary cook room. The oil paints
will create intense colors to depict the tense scene. It will show the backs of Dana and Nigel
with Dana holding a book at her side and Nigel hiding a pencil behind his back. Weylin will be
portrayed as a hulking figure blocking the doorway. In his hand he is holding a giant leather
whip. It will be necessary to properly capture the anger in Weylins face as he catches an
insubordinate slave. One of Weylins main goals as a slave owner is to prevent the education of
his slaves. If they are able to fully understand the situation that they are living in, it will be much
easier for them to seek change. This greatly increases the seriousness of Danas situation.
To add to the severity of what lies ahead for Dana, there will be a light at the top of the
image. This will act as the light at the end of the tunnel for Dana. When Dana is in danger of
losing her life, she is transported back to 1976. This light will be painted as Danas living room
where, earlier in the novel, she was putting books away with Kevin, her husband. The rationale
for this is to add a location to the painting where Dana will find comfort. However, this light
will be painted as if it is far off in the distance raising the question if Dana will ever get back
home. This aspect of the painting allows the audience to interpret the work in a way not

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achieved by the book. In the novel, the story continues on. Butler must provide a follow up to
this scene. The painting on the other hand, does not.
It will be difficult to capture the anger in Weylins eye and the fear that Dana is
experiencing in one painting. However, if this is successfully done, the impact on the audience
will be much more powerful. Suddenly, I realized what was happening and I screamed-I think I
screamed. He [Kevin] had to reach me. He had to! And I passed out (Butler 107). Dana is
obviously experiencing physical pain. She is clearly in trouble. However, the story is written in
first person. This suggests that Dana survived to tell about her beating. The painting will not
contain this aspect of survival. The dreary setting of the cookhouse and the anger in Weylins
face will suggest that she does not make it back to her comfortable life in the future. Due to this,
the audience will feel more sympathy and fear for Dana. It appears as if she is going to die for
helping an underprivileged boy. Danas lack of hope in the painting will accurately capture the
uncertainty of a slaves life in the early 1800s. She is at the mercy of the plantation owner. She
doesnt know how far he is going to go. She doesnt know if she is going to live. Neither does
the audience, which will help them comprehend the desperate situation in which Dana finds
herself.
I chose to depict the novel through one painting in order to increase the viewers
understanding of the novel. It could either be viewed as a standalone piece or a supplement to
the novel. However, my piece is meant to be much more open-ended than the book, leaving the
viewer with more room to interpret Danas struggles. The readers of Kindred can develop their
own views of what Dana is experiencing. However, this is somewhat limited by the fact that the
story is told from the first person point of view. Dana provides the reader with concrete facts
regarding her experiences. The painting does not. There is much more uncertainty in my

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portrayal of Danas whipping. The viewer will not know how far Weylin is willing to go to
punish Dana. They might not even be sure why Dana is being punished. However, it will be
very clear that Danas life is in danger as she is about to be unjustly punished by a slave owner.

Kindred: Adaptation Analysis

In my adaptation of Butlers novel, Kindred, I made the radical decision to boil the book
down to one page and one scene. Throughout the first three chapters of the novel, this is the
most important and most powerful scene. Choosing this scene for the painting will create a
greater impact on the reader. The goal of the painting is to concentrate Butlers purpose for
writing the book, along with the dark tone of the scene, into one image. Secondly, the painting
still contains an aspect of time travel, however, it is greatly minimized, thus making Danas
trauma more believable. Finally, portraying the ideas of the novel as a whole in one image will
increase the audiences understanding of the novel as the painting will leave more room for
interpretation.
It may seem illogical and counterintuitive to disregard 99% of Kindred in my adaptation
of the novel. However, when dealing with a controversial issue such as slavery, it may be more
powerful to keep the story short, simply focusing on the most traumatic events. Choosing the
scene to fulfill this requirement was the easy part. Deciding to leave out the other parts of the
story proved to be much more difficult. For example, my decision left out the good aspects of

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Danas life such as her time in the 1970s with Kevin. This part of Danas life is included in the
novel to contrast with her experiences in the times of slavery. While there is the depiction of
Danas living room at the top of the image, it does not fully capture what she is leaving behind
each time she travels back to the 1800s. In order to maintain simplicity and order in the image,
it is necessary to focus on the most impactful aspect of the scene, the horrific and unjust
treatment of slaves. If additional aspects of Danas everyday life were to be included in this
piece, the negative aspects of slavery would be watered down and potentially lost upon the
audience.
A second reason for focusing on this one scene is to reduce the focus placed on Danas
travels through time. This made the decision to only look at this particular scene a much easier
one. By cutting out most of the theme of time travel, the painting becomes more realistic to the
audience. The audience will not be distracted by science fiction while viewing the painting.
Instead, they will be drawn to the trouble that Dana is in and how merciless Weylin is in
punishing his slaves. While it is clear that Butler is writing her novel to speak to the horrors of
slavery, my painting has the potential to be more impactful on the audience. The lack of science
fiction in the painting will help target the emotions rather than attempting to be entertaining.
Butler can successfully hold the attention of her readers by including somewhat of a lighter
subject in her writing, time travel. This is an attempt to force the reader to continue to read her
novel. It creates a sense of uncertainty even when Dana is living in the seventies. An example
of how this makes the story more interesting is how Dana cannot drive because she fears that
Rufus will be in danger and she will be called back to the 1800s leaving an uncontrolled car
driving down the street. While this keeps the audience thinking while reading the novel, this
becomes unnecessary in the painting. The goal of the painting is to capture the fear a slave

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experiences before a beating and how a slave can be beaten for just about anything. The
differing goals of the novel and painting allow them to concentrate on different issues.
In my proposal, I attempted to use a darker tone in order to match the tone of the scene.
By doing this, my proposal will help them see what the goal of the painting is. For example, I
used diction such as; traumatic, horrendous, dark and dreary. These words are meant to match
Butlers tone in the scene. Butler uses words such as; beating, trembling, convulsed, pain and
whimpering. My choice of diction relates more to what the audience will feel from this scene
while Butlers words relate to what Dana is physically experiencing. I also tried to focus on the
anger in Weylins face. This is a very important point to emphasize in the piece because neither
Danas nor Nigels faces are visible in the work. It will not be easy to detect the fear that they
are feeling. The viewer will need to experience this through the expression of Weylins face. I
pointed out that it would be difficult to successfully capture Weylins emotion. However, if it is
done correctly, it will be clear that Dana is at the mercy of an evil man.
In order to sell my idea to adapt Kindred into a painting; it was necessary to focus on the
negative aspects of the scene. These ideas would give the artist more motivation to create a
moving piece. It was also necessary to provide details on why this work could be more powerful
than Butlers novel. In order to do this, the audience must think for themselves and fill in the
smaller details of the scene in their own mind. If they are able to recreate this horrific scene in
their own thoughts with the painting as an aid, the audience will better understand what Dana is
experiencing while living through the horrific times of slavery.

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Works Cited
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. 1979, Boston: Beacon, 1988. Print.

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Andrew Coatsworth
Alissa Bourbonnais
English 111
9 December 2012
Capturing Trauma Through Time Travel
In the novels, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and Kindred by Octavia Butler, the
authors utilize the theme of time travel to depict the trauma of the events that their protagonists
experience in their lives. Vonnegut writes about the impact that war has on people while Butler
writes about the horrors of slavery. In both works, the main characters are ripped out of their
natural environments and thrown into gruesome situations depicting how war and slavery
dehumanize the characters and prevent them from coping with the trauma in their lives. Due to
the severity of the trauma, the protagonists are forced to simply live through the trauma rather
than properly coping with it. This technique creates contrasts between the different aspects of
the characters lives increasing the strength of the authors central purpose for writing their
novel. War is condemned and is a focal point in Slaughterhouse-Five, and Kindred educates the

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reader on the atrocities of slavery as the authors attempt to place the reader in situations that they
will most likely never encounter.
Slaughterhouse-Five is an anti-war novel centered around Billy Pilgrim, a soldier in
World War II who does not belong anywhere near a battlefield. In the opening chapter of the
novel, Vonnegut writes about a conversation he has with Harrison Starr, a movie-maker. Starr
suggests that Vonnegut write an anti-glacier book rather than an anti-war novel. Vonnegut opines
that Starr told him this because, there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as
glaciers (Vonnegut 3). However, Vonnegut takes a unique approach to denouncing war. Rather
than focusing solely on the grisly aspects of war, Vonnegut writes a book without a clear plot
involving many different chaotic war scenes. The plot of the novel is broken up by Billys
travels through time. In one scene Billy is on the battlefields in the European campaign and in
the next he is in his optometry office or on the planet Tralfamadore on display for the
Tralfamadorians. This style of plot mirrors the view that war does not make sense. Just as Billy
is thrown from one event to another, a soldier might be hanging out at the base with fellow
soldiers and in the next scene they might be dropping firebombs over a heavily populated city
killing innocent and invisible targets. By tossing the reader from one scene to another and
mixing in vivid war stories, Vonnegut attempts to pass on his incomprehensible time as a soldier.
Similar to Slaughterhouse-Five, Kindred is a novel that attempts to tackle a very
controversial issue, slavery. Butler chooses to write about a black woman, Dana, living in the
1970s who, like Billy Pilgrim, has the ability to travel through time. However, Danas travels
through time are much more structured than those of Billy Pilgrim. Dana is sent back to the
times of slavery when one of her white ancestors, Rufus, is in danger of losing his life. Over the
course of the novel, Dana is called back to rescue Rufus six times and each time the length of her

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stay increases. While Butler chose to use a much more structured form of time travel, the idea
behind using it is very similar to Vonnegut. Dana is ripped out of her comfortable life with her
husband, Kevin, and thrown into a time in which she does not belong. I turned, startled, and
found myself looking down the barrel of the longest rifle I had ever seen. I heard a metallic
click, and I froze, thinking I was going to be shot for saving a boys life. I was going to die
(Butler 14). Butler makes it apparent very quickly that Dana is not safe in her time travels. Due
to the color of her skin, she was almost killed for saving a boys life. However, this event is
fairly tame compared to some of her experiences later on in the novel. Throughout Kindred,
Butler makes the horrors of slavery clear through Danas experiences as a slave, living at the will
of her master.
Since both novels deal with such controversial topics, it is nearly impossible for the
protagonists to adequately cope with their situations. In the case of Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy is
numb to war. He is simply there. This is reflected by the commonly used phrase, So it goes.
Every time a character dies in the novel, the paragraph is concluded with So it goes. This idea
suggests that Billy doesnt truly process the situation that he is faced with. For example, The
third bullet was for the filthy flamingo, who stopped dead center in the road when the lethal bee
buzzed past his ear. Billy stood there politely, giving the marksman another chance (Vonnegut
33). It is very clear that Billy does not belong on the battlefield. At one point, after nearly being
killed, he gives the enemy another chance to end his life. This passage suggests that Billy cant
fully process his surroundings, partly because he does not belong there, but also because of how
traumatic war is. Vonnegut is able to strengthen this idea by placing a character like Billy into
the Second World War. It simply doesnt make sense to have young men killing each other. Yet

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through his time travels, Billy is continually thrown into brutal wartime events that he is ill
prepared to live through.
Danas situation in Kindred is similar to Billys. She cannot cope with her life as a slave.
It is unlike anything she has ever experienced. She is not considered a human being due to the
color of her skin and she is forced to be the guardian angel for a future plantation owner, Rufus.
As the novel progresses, Dana realizes that she must keep Rufus alive in order for another one of
her descendants to be born. However, in order for this to happen, Rufus must continually rape a
slave named Alice. On top of the horrors of the relationship between Rufus and Alice, Dana has
to do the work of a slave. Whether it is working in the kitchen, fields or taking care of a sick
Rufus, Dana must do her best work while always facing the possibility of a brutal whipping.
Dana lives in constant uncertainty when she is in the 1800s and when she is in her real home.
She no longer finds comfort at home as she might be called back to Rufus at anytime during
which she has little to no control over her life. I was afraid to leave the house, walking or
driving. Driving, I could easily kill myself, and the car could kill other people if Rufus called me
from it at the wrong time (Butler 116). In both of Danas worlds, it is unimaginable that she
could find any sort of comfort.
A theme in both Slaughterhouse-Five and Kindred becomes the dehumanization of the
characters. Since neither Billy nor Dana can cope with their situations, they lose part of their
humanity. Billys life is controlled by his constant time travel and the trauma of WWII, while
Dana lives at the mercy of Rufus. Neither character is able to find any sustainable form of
comfort, tying into the central purpose of these two novels; capturing the dehumanizing effects
of war and slavery.

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While both novels contain a similar central purpose and both authors use time travel to
strengthen this central focus, the two forms of time travel are very different. As mentioned
before, the time travel in Slaughterhouse-Five lacks the structure of the time travel in Kindred.
Vonnegut utilizes time travel to throw the reader off and destroy any sense of a linear plot. This
is done by rapidly moving Billy Pilgrim to different random points in his life. His father had
taken out his pocket watch. The watch had a radial dial. Billy went from total dark to total light,
found himself back in the war, back in the delousing station again. The shower was over. An
unseen hand had turned the water off (Vonnegut 90). In the span of two sentences, Billy went
from being a young boy learning to swim with his father to being a prisoner of war in WWII.
This jump in time is not something that can be explained. Instead, it can be seen as Vonnegut
mirroring the plot of war as previously mentioned. Another example of nonsensical time travel
is when Billy is watching a war documentary in reverse. The formation flew backwards over a
German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a
miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers
into the bellies of the plane (Vonnegut 74). While this ties into the unexplainable plot structure,
it also relates to the dehumanization of war. While the planes fly backwards, all the pilots have
to do to unleash a fiery death upon a heavily occupied city is push a button. This is one of
Vonneguts strongest points against war. He writes of this senseless killing and unreal time travel
all with a satirical tone. Vonnegut is almost mocking war and those involved.
Vonnegut adds ridiculous characters such as Roland Weary to strengthen his case against
war. Weary is described as unpopular in Pittsburgh. He had been unpopular because he was
stupid and fat and mean, and smelled like bacon no matter how much he washed (Vonnegut 35).
Later in the novel the audience sees Weary die in the arms of a fellow soldier, Edgar Derby.

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Hed been in Roland Wearys car, had cradled Wearys head while he died (Vonnegut 83).
Before Wearys death, another soldier named Paul Lazzaro swore to make Billy pay for Wearys
death. The plot structure of Slaughterhouse-Five does not develop its characters enough yet the
audience reads of these complex and hard to believe wartime relationships. Time travel allows
Vonnegut to accelerate these relationships. They are almost unbelievable yet the reader accepts
them because chances are that they did not live through WWII. Through relationships such as
those among Billy, Weary and Lazzaro, Vonnegut is able to make the point of dehumanization in
war. These soldiers are at the mercy of the war. Instead of properly mourning the death of a
fellow troop, Lazzaro swears to turn on Billy. Billy, of course, is numb to the idea of being
killed. The war alters the soldiers emotions to inhuman levels, furthering Vonneguts case
against the fighting in WWII.
Just as Billy Pilgrim fails to find comfort with his fellow soldiers, Dana struggles to find
support from those around her in the times of slavery. Her situation becomes more complex
when her white husband, Kevin, follows her into the times of slavery. That gave me the idea to
tell him I planned to sell you in Louisiana because that was where my journey ended- and Id
heard I could make a nice profit on you down there (Butler 80). Kevin is forced to act as a
slave owner in order to fit in with the time. However, this, unsurprisingly, complicates Danas
relationship with Kevin. Dana is used to a loving relationship with her husband. Instead, she
becomes Kevins property. There is no way for Dana to process this situation. Later in the same
chapter, Rufus and Mr. Weylin catch Dana as she unsuccessfully attempts to escape the
plantation. I awoke tied hand and foot, my side throbbing rhythmically, my jaw not throbbing
at all. The pain was a steady scream (Butler 174). Dana is brutally beaten for attempting to
improve her life. This facet only makes Danas life more impossible. As if her life is not

Coatsworth 21
harrowing enough, her method of time travel increases the gravity of her situation. In order to
get back to her life in the seventies, Danas own life must be endangered. Kevin! I screamed.
I couldnt leave him behind again-not even if my scream made Rufus fire. Something landed
heavily on my back and I screamed again, this time in pain. Everything went dark (Butler 188).
In Danas next trip she is forced to slit her wrists to make it home.
Together, all of these horrific experiences in Kindred create a situation that no mortal
could handle. Even after Dana kills Rufus, it is clear that she is not entirely comfortable in her
situation. If we told anyone else about this, anyone at all, they wouldnt think we were so sane
(Butler 264). The only person Dana can talk to about her times during slavery is Kevin. Kevin
cannot fully understand what she went through. Due to her time travel, Dana lived as a slave.
The outrageousness of this time travel also prevents Dana from coming to grips with her
circumstances. While Dana did not live her whole life as a slave, her experiences were not
watered down. In a sense, she was freed after killing Rufus. However, a freed slave could never
forget their previous existence. It would be difficult for them to completely process their
freedom. Dana most likely felt the same way. She could not be completely certain that she
wouldnt be summoned back to the times of slavery.
Due to the fact that the characters in these two novels are faced with such grueling
situations, it is difficult to understand what the reader can take away from their experiences. The
characters cannot cope with their situations. They simply live through them. It is what the
characters do with their lives after the traumatic events that defines them. For example, Dana
chooses to kill Rufus because she feels that is the best mode of action. He will no longer be able
to abuse other slaves as he abused her. It is not as clear-cut with Billy Pilgrim. The structure and
outrageousness of the novel prevent Billy from doing anything to help him get over his traumatic

Coatsworth 22
experience in the war. However, Slaughterhouse-Five gave Vonnegut a chance to express some
of his war experiences and his hatred for war. He attempts to speak out against war and possibly
prevent others from supporting war. These ideas suggest that it is not how a person lives through
trauma that defines them. It is instead how they live after the traumatic event that proves their
true character.

Works Cited
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. 1979, Boston: Beacon, 1988. Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. 1969, New York: Dell, 1991. Print

Coatsworth 23

Andrew Coatsworth
Alissa Bourbonnais
English 111
9 December 2012
Controlling Zits and Finding Michael

Coatsworth 24
Then I remember that God is really, really old. So maybe God has God arthritis. And
maybe thats why the world sucks. Maybe Gods hands and fingers dont work as well as they
used to. Maybe God looks down on earth and sees the bad guys and tries to pick them up.
Maybe he wants to squish them like bugs. But Gods arthritis is so bad he cant make his fingers
work (Alexie 81).
Throughout the novel Flight, by Sherman Alexie, the author includes the theme of
the control one has over ones own life. Through the protagonist, Zits, Alexie makes the point
that no matter how rough someones upbringing and current situation is, they have the control to
turn it around and improve their own life. This idea becomes the central purpose of the novel;
one taking control of ones life and making the most of their situation as epitomized in the above
passage.
In this passage, Alexie is saying that there isnt anything preventing the evil in the
world. If someone wants to do something to harm others, nothing is going to stop them. If they
are determined to carryout their evil ways, they will. However, the opposite is also true. If
someone is determined to fully embrace the good in their life and take control of their situation,
there might not be someone to help them, but there is nothing to stop them. This idea is very
significant in the novel because Zits starts out in a very dark situation. He doesnt have a
permanent home or family, he gets drunk with homeless Native Americans, he does not have any
respect for authority, he is no stranger to jail and he is willing to shoot up a bank full of innocent
strangers. Zits is any parents worst nightmare. Yet, as the novel progresses, Zits begins to
realize that he is in control of his life. He knows that he made decisions that led him to be in his
current situation. Upon this realization, he sees that he can make decisions that will improve his
seemingly hopeless life.

Coatsworth 25
Although control is a theme throughout the novel, the above passage best represents the
idea that Alexie is attempting to get across to the reader. It is very pertinent to Zits because at
this point in his life, he is one of the bad guys. Despite his shortcomings, no one has forced him
to change. While many have tried, Zits is able to resist the attempts. This is because Zits has
complete control of his life. Gods arthritis prevents the bad Zits troubled ways from changing
automatically. Later on in the novel, once Zits realizes the pain that he causes those around him,
he will realize that since God has not stopped him, he has a chance to change himself. He no
longer has to be one of the people that makes the world suck.
Zits is introduced to the reader as a very troubled teen. Zits father ran off the day he was
born, his mother died when he was a young boy and now he is bouncing between foster homes
and jail. It is difficult to relate to Zits because his life seems hopeless. In his final foster home,
he is offered breakfast. Instead of accepting the offering, he makes a scene. He is told that he
wont be given breakfast unless he says good morning to the family. Yeah, like thats a real
threat. Yeah, like I havent been hungry before. Yeah like I care (Alexie 15). The initial
reaction to Zits might have been favorable for the reader. He most likely gained some sympathy
as he is a troubled orphan. However, after this encounter with the foster family, it is very easy to
dislike Zits. There isnt much of a connection between Zits and the audience. This situation
worsens when Zits is taken to jail for shoving his foster father, running away from home and
then fighting two cops. While incarcerated, Zits meets a boy called Justice. While it takes some
time for Zits to warm up to Justice, Justice essentially takes control of Zits and brainwashes him.
Zits has a special connection with Justice unlike hes had with any other person. For some
reason the two are able to understand each other. When Justice convinces Zits to shoot up the
bank full of innocent people, it is clear that Zits has lost control of his life. Although he has

Coatsworth 26
made many bad decisions so far in the novel, none of them are on this scale. This scene sets up
the central purpose of the novel, Zits finding himself and taking control of his life. By the end of
the story, Zits character will undergo a complete change. However, in order for this change to
occur, it was necessary for him to hit this low point in his life where he is willing to kill innocent
people.
For the next major portion of the novel, Zits is no longer in his own life. He lives the
lives of strangers. While Zits does not have control over his life in these episodes, he begins to
learn about controlling his life. It is unclear how much control Zits has over the bodies that he
occupies. Sometimes he has more control than others, but in all cases it is a battle for him to
control his new body. Zits struggles symbolize his difficulty in controlling his own body in his
real life. When Zits lives the life of Gus the Indian Tracker he attempts to stand up for what he
believes in. Zits knows that through Gus, he is leading a U.S. Cavalry company to the slaughter
of whole Indian families. They will hold nothing back, killing men, women and children.
Though Zits attempt to lead the cavalry in circles fails, he finally understands that he has values
in his own life that he must stand for. There are much more important things in life than finding
a place to get drunk that Zits must believe and stand for. However, as Zits astutely points out,
God has a very bad case of arthritis. God isnt going to reach down from heaven and force Zits
to stand up for his beliefs. God isnt going to stop the evil in Zits life as long as Zits lets it in.
Without the help of a higher power, it will be very difficult for Zits to take complete control of
his life. While he will most likely not have to live through times as violent as these attacks in his
real life, he will have to make tough decisions on how to make it through hard times. He will
have to stop putting himself in such poor situations like shoving his foster father and shooting up
banks but he will still find himself falling on difficult times. They are unavoidable. Though he

Coatsworth 27
cant learn how to stop these events, Zits is learning how to make the most of these situations as
exemplified by his attempt to lead the cavalry away from the attack.
At this point in the novel, Zits begins to realize that by taking control of his life he can
begin to change his character. While Zits fails to lead the cavalry away from the Native camp, he
does not give up hope. Zits continues to try to take control of Guss life. The horrors of the
battle are too much for him to sit back and watch. Oh, Jesus, stop this. Oh, God, reach down
and crush all of us like insects. But when have Jesus and God ever stopped a man from taking
revenge? (Alexie 92). Again, Zits realizes that nothing can stop this battle other than the
soldiers fighting in it. They had the control to start the fight and they have the control to stop it.
Zits makes a very courageous decision to help another U.S. soldier save a little Native boy from
the battle. Zits is living in an old mans broken down body. On top of that, his fellow soldiers
expect him to kill the Natives, not save them. Despite the expectations, Zits is utilizing his
transformation to attempt to make this terrible situation better. He does all he can to help the
poor boy caught in an unexplainable time. Even when Zits flies off of the pony that the group is
attempting to make their escape on, he doesnt give up. He makes the ultimate sacrifice to stay
behind to hold the soldiers off. When the soldiers catch up and see an old man attempting to
hold them off, they laugh. He is no match. However, it is the thought and the fact that Zits is
being so selfless that counts. He is truly beginning learn from these horrific times that he is
living through.
Zits next life is that of a pilot named Jimmy. After the trauma of teaching a terrorist to
fly a plane and his wife leaving him, Jimmy resolves to take his own life by crashing his plane
into a lake. Zits is along for the ride. As we fall, I think about my mother and father. I think
about the people I loved. I think about the people I hated. I think about the people I betrayed. I

Coatsworth 28
think about the people who have betrayed me. Were all the same people. And we are all
falling (Alexie 130). Zits has already begun to believe that he can take control of his life and
that he is responsible for the situations in which he finds himself. However, this is a turning
point. Zits realizes that through his senseless actions he is not only harming himself, but also the
people around him. He is dragging them down on his crash course. This gives him more
motivation to change. Zits time as Jimmy is his most valuable up to this point in the novel. It
doesnt necessarily teach him to take control of his life. It does apprise him of the pain that he
causes those around him. There is no doubt that Zits has lived a very trying life. However, there
are still people who care about him and look out for him such as Officer Dave. Zits is starting to
see what Dave goes through when he is repeatedly forced to put Zits in jail. Dave experiences a
lot of pain when he sees such a young person throwing his life away. This crash helps teach Zits
not to be so selfish. By gaining control of his life, he can greatly improve himself and
consequently, he can greatly improve the lives of those around him.
Zits final life that he lives through is that of his drunken father. This experience
solidifies Zits character change. At the conclusion of this trip, Zits shows a man a picture that
he finds in his pocket. I snap the rubber band and sort through the mess until I come across a
familiar photo. Is that your son? the man asks. I study the boys eyes and nose and chin. Is
that your son? the man asks again. No, I say. Its me. (Alexie 150). When Zits comes
across the picture of himself in his fathers pocket, he must feel a mixture of emotions. For one,
he must be reminded of the pain of being abandoned by his father has caused him throughout his
life. Secondly, he must feel some hope that his father is still alive and aware that his son is alive.
There is some possibility that the two cultivate a relationship. Most importantly, Zits has to
realize that he never wants to inflict the same pain on someone else that his father inflicted on

Coatsworth 29
him. His father let a childhood full of abuse ruin his whole life and as a result forced his son to
grow up without a father. This put his son on the same life path. Yet because Zits experiences
the worthless drunk failure that is his father, he has a chance to get off of that path by taking
control of his life and overcoming his adversity.
Alexie writes about the very important idea of one taking control of ones life. Of course
there are aspects of life that cannot be controlled. Some things are random and simply happen.
However, one must always control the aspects in ones life that are in ones power and make the
most of them. It is one thing to put this idea into words, but it is another thing to have Zits follow
through and embrace this idea. When Zits finally reenters his own body, he is dropped back into
the bank and given a chance to change the outcome of the shooting. Zits welcomes the second
chance and keeps the guns in his pockets. At this point Zits is beginning to utilize his newfound
knowledge to change his life. This trend continues when he is offered a permanent home with
Officer Daves brother, Robert, and his wife Mary. While this is much better than a foster home,
Zits had had the chance to live in loving environments, he simply did not take advantage of his
opportunities. When Mary mentions that this new arrangement could be permanent, Zits thinks;
For a second, I cant even remember what that word means. For a moment, I forget that the
word permanent ever existed (Alexie 177). While it may be corny and clich, Zits is being born
anew. He is clearing up his acne and going by his real name. This is a far cry from the troubled
teen who sought out violence and chances to get drunk with homeless Native Americans. Zits
improving life is Alexie suggesting that one taking control of ones life and embracing the good
aspects of their life truly can be beneficial and improve even the darkest of situations.
While the novel ends during the first day of Michaels life, the reader is left with hope
that he will not become Zits again. It appears that Michael, unlike Zits, realizes that his life can

Coatsworth 30
be good if he makes the most of his chances. His new situation is too good for him to make a
mess of. He has both a loving mother and father figure. Also, Zits learned too much about
himself, pain and life in general to mess up Michaels life.
While the ending of Flight is abrupt and does not fit in with the rest of the novel, the
message that the reader can take away is very powerful nonetheless. Zits begins the novel in
about the worst situation imaginable. He has obvious issues such as substance abuse, a lack of
respect for authority and a knack for violent ways. Zits also has less apparent issues such as a
sexually abusive male in his life. However, Zits still manages to turn his life around. The reader
can walk away from the novel knowing that no matter how bad their current situation is in life,
there is always hope. It wont be an automatic transformation, but if Zits can find himself and
become Michael, the reader can also make the most of what they have and embrace the good in
their life.

Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. Flight. New York: Black Cat, 2007. Print

Coatsworth 31

Process Logs For Paper 1

Process Log 1
1. What went well?
Choosing what scene to focus on for the paper
My reasoning for choosing the scene
Getting my ideas onto the paper
2. What needs work?
The flow/organization of the paper
The differentiation of the first portion of the paper to the second
The description of the painting

Coatsworth 32
3. What specific question do you still have about your draft?
How should the first portion of the paper be separated from the second?
Is my metacognition portion of the paper too similar to the first portion?
Is there anything that I missed in the metacognition section?
Process Log 2
1. What went well?

Adding more persuasion to the first component

2. What needs work?

Cutting out unnecessary aspects of the paper

The differentiation of the first portion of the paper to the second

3. What specific question do you still have about your draft?

Is my metacognition portion of the paper too similar to the first portion?

Could the description of the painting be stronger and how would this be done?
Process Logs For Paper 2
Process Log 1

1. What went well?

Getting my ideas down
Using quotes
2. What needs work?
Organization
Focusing more on time travel
3. What specific questions do you still have about your draft?
Does the paper answer the prompt?
How could I work in a conclusion to tie together the bigger ideas.
Process Log 2
1. What went well?
Making the paper flow better
Trying to tie my ideas back to time travel
2. What needs work?
Making the paper more concise
Continuing to focusing more on time travel

Coatsworth 33
3. What specific questions do you still have about your draft?
Does the paper answer the prompt?
How could I continue to weave time travel into my ideas for each book?

Process Logs For Paper 3

Process Log 1
1. What went well?
Getting my ideas down on paper
Connecting to a bigger idea
2. What needs work
Organization
Supporting why this passage epitomizes the idea
3. What specific questions do you still have about your draft?
Does this answer the prompt?
How could the thesis be improved?
Process Log 2
1. What went well?
Making the paper more than a summary
Adding analysis
2. What needs work
Sentence structure and punctuation (lower order concerns in general)
3. What specific question do you still have about your draft?
The first draft ended up being a summary of the book. I made a lot of changes to
the body paragraphs of this draft so Im curious if it answers the prompt better
than the last draft