Finally I really know why this book is called "The Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death." (such a strange, long title) Long story short, the Children's Crusade was a so-called holy war which consisted of thousands of children being sent to fight for the Holy Roman Empire's re-possession of the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The armies of the time sent children because they thought kids were too innocent to be killed and would be saved immediately upon death in the war (source: Mrs. Helbing's World Civ. class). That idea sounds absurd now. Children, in the war?! Now we send our precious kids to the Goddard School at three, buy them shoes that rival the cost of our own, and devote ourselves to their soccer, football, or ballerina schedules as we keep feeding gas money in the city-crossing, crumb-filled Toyota minivan.
While the children sent to die in the Children's Crusade were around 8-12 years old, I think that Vonnegut was genius in referring to WWII as another Children's Crusade. Many soldiers in the war were 18-22, just out of high school. They were babies too. How can humans continue to subject their offspring to violence? How can mothers rest at night while their young men witness massacres, become scarred for life? War was wrong in the Crusades. War is just as wrong now.
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ReplyDeleteI never noticed that. That really enlightens me on my knowledge of this section. I must of skimmed over it without paying attention. It is very important because it summarizes why he named the book what he did.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your thoughts. Having been a soldier i never considered wars long past. They were only subjects of discussion for strategies sake. Its such a pity that as enlightened as our society considers itself to be we can't grow beyond wars and racism. I guess old habit do die hard and some don't die at all.
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