It can be argued that no other profession has received more rejection than those involved in the arts whether it be with literature, entertainment, or physical artwork. Kurt Vonnegut, an American author and prisoner of war during World War II, had certainly felt the rewards of success, but when a school board in a North Dakota public school deemed his book "Slaughterhouse-Five" as being full of "obscene language," he decided to respond with a letter. Through the use of the appeal to pathos and ethos, Vonnegut effectively conveys his disgust and feeling of betrayal toward the school board that burned his book in their now "famous furnace." In October of 1973, a young teacher decided to use "Slaughterhouse-Five" as a teaching aid, but was immediately told to end these lessons because he was told that the book was inappropriate. When Vonnegut heard about this, he wrote to the head of the school board.
The audience of this letter is only the head of the school board because he states to him that "no copies of this letter have been sent to anybody else." This is an important aspect of this letter because Vonnegut had no intention of making this issue public. Even though the news spread, he did not want to make it any bigger and make the school board think that he is taking advantage of the situation to sell more books. When speaking directly to the board, Vonnegut states that "books and writers are very unreal to you people." He adds in through the appeal to pathos by saying that he wants to show "how real I am." This is incredibly sad, especially when you know that his book is about him being a prisoner of war. He is making the board feel guilty because they are making his life and his experiences a joke. They are saying that his "work is evil" which Vonnegut said is "extraordinarily insulting" to him. He worked so hard on this book and he also endured so much pain which is told in this book, but the board did not even pay attention to it.
I think his purpose in this letter was really to show the board that there is a real person behind a book, especially when the book is based on a real experience. He hit the board hard, especially when he explained how qualified he is about him being a veteran and having a Purple Heart while these people in North Dakota or saying that he is inappropriate. Overall, this is, without a doubt, an effective letter that shows sophistication but also courage.
The audience of this letter is only the head of the school board because he states to him that "no copies of this letter have been sent to anybody else." This is an important aspect of this letter because Vonnegut had no intention of making this issue public. Even though the news spread, he did not want to make it any bigger and make the school board think that he is taking advantage of the situation to sell more books. When speaking directly to the board, Vonnegut states that "books and writers are very unreal to you people." He adds in through the appeal to pathos by saying that he wants to show "how real I am." This is incredibly sad, especially when you know that his book is about him being a prisoner of war. He is making the board feel guilty because they are making his life and his experiences a joke. They are saying that his "work is evil" which Vonnegut said is "extraordinarily insulting" to him. He worked so hard on this book and he also endured so much pain which is told in this book, but the board did not even pay attention to it.
I think his purpose in this letter was really to show the board that there is a real person behind a book, especially when the book is based on a real experience. He hit the board hard, especially when he explained how qualified he is about him being a veteran and having a Purple Heart while these people in North Dakota or saying that he is inappropriate. Overall, this is, without a doubt, an effective letter that shows sophistication but also courage.
No comments:
Post a Comment