Chapter 8: Extended Metaphor

         In chapter eight, there were numerous metaphors, but there was one extended metaphor that caught my attention. This metaphor is found in the passages, "The curves were smooth only when seen from a distance. The people climbing them learned that they were treacherous, jagged things--hot to the touch, often unstable--eager, should certain important rocks be disturbed, to tumble some more, to form lower, more solid curves. Nobody talked much as the expedition crossed the moon. There was nothing appropriate to say. One thing was clear: Absolutely everybody in the city was supposed to be dead, regardless of what they were, and that anybody that moved in it represented a flaw in the design. There were to be no moon men at all" (Vonnegut 180). I find it interesting that Vonnegut uses a metaphor to describe the aftermath of the Dresden bombing. In comparing the survivors to an expedition crossing the moon, Vonnegut gives the audience a feel that the survivors are on a mission, which is also an interesting comparison.

        All in all, chapter eight was interesting in how Vonnegut tells the reader about the Dresden bombings.