Katherine Porter Totalitarianism

The hysteria cause from the cold war from the late 1940s to the early 1950s created an atmosphere of disarray that many people preyed on. When put in a position of losing a job or sacrificing her beliefs for a communist principle, Katherine Anne Porter stated her position very clearly. In “To Dr. William Ross” she states her strong beliefs against any form of totalitarian government or ideas because of the the way she was raised, the lack of freedom, and her love for her country.
“This is the first time i've encountered this dangerous nonsense, but I have known from the beginning what my answer must be.” Katherine Porter is opposed to the idea of communism by the principals brought up through her family. The way a person is raised can help
“The life of the imagination and the search for true meaning of our fate in this world, as the soul of a pilgrim on a strong path and of faithfulness to an ideal good and tenacity in the love of truth.” Porter feels that to have a creative heart, a willingness to want to explore and live a life worth living cannot be lived under totalitarianism. She attempts to grab the attention and emotions of the reader by creating a connection with the vision of a life a human dreams about and shows how under communism it is not possible. “ This is the service the arts do, and totalitarians first idea is to destroy exactly this.” By pointing out the weaknesses in communism, she makes the reader see the logical side of her argument as well. She states that Communism is apart of totalitarianism. That fascism and communism are just two types of the same government at war. By making this point, she creates a credible assumption from this statement that “They can do great harm but not for long. I am not the least afraid of them.” She stays firm in her lack of persuasion toward communism and this is the final statement the shows the reader of the strength Katherine`1 has, giving her more respect by the