Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
7. Uluslararası Rumeli [Dil, Edebiyat ve Çeviri] Sempozyumu, İstanbul, Türkiye, 21 Eylül 2024, ss.91-98, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
This paper examines the short story Brighten Up, included in the story collection Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut from the perspective of text linguistics. When texts are considered with their socio-cultural and historical contexts as well as their linguistic contexts, their true meanings are reached. In this regard, the historical background will also be discussed when analyzing Brighten Up because Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) is a writer who participated in the Second World War and it is possible to see his memories and important sections about the war in his story. In the story, which is shaped around the unnamed soldier story person, also the narrator, and another soldier, Louis Gigliano, the author shows the complex dynamics of survival in such harsh environments through the cunning and opportunistic character Louis, who creates a black market as a soldier who can easily access food and cigarettes in the prisoner of war camp. At the same time, the author reveals the meaninglessness of war and the disasters that powerful people cause for their ambitions. The story, in which motifs such as ‘memory, war, soldier, prison camp, opportunism, usury, betrayal, enlightenment, responsibility, despair and fatigue’ are identified, focuses on the brutal side of wars. The action that the author wants to carry out with the content shaped on the theme of ‘morality lost in the war environment’ is to try to awaken and enlighten humanity, as it coincides with the title of ‘Brighten Up’, which is the largest scale proposition.
Keywords: War, exhaustion, betrayal, Brighten Up, Kurt Vonnegut.