Rhetorical Analysis of 'A Letter to the Chairman of the Drake School Board'
Rhetorical Analysis
“A Letter to the Chairman of the Drake School Board” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Is a letter that Vonnegut wrote to the chairman of the Drake School Board to address the burning of his books. Throughout the letter he uses logos, pathos, and ethos to give the audience reasons to emotionally and logically to agree with his side of and argument. The books were being burned because of the bad language in his book and also they convey sexy and wildness to the students. He wrote this to tell the Drake School board how hurt he was to hear his books are be burned, also to let them know how disgusted and sickened to have his work destroyed with no good cause.
The writer use logos to appeal to logic throughout the writing. Vonnegut uses logic when he said “If you were to bother to read my books, to behave as educated persons would, you would learn that they are not sexy, and do not argue in favor of wildness of any kind.” This is an appeal to logic because they probably never read his books, but they judged them anyways. How can they say the books convey sexy and wildness if they never read them. The writer convinces the reader to agree because of the fact that the probably didn’t read his book is mentioned several times in the argument in different ways.
The writer also uses pathos to appeal to emotion throughout the writing. Vonnegut appeals to emotion when he said “I have raised six children, three my own and three adopted. They have all turned out well… I am a combat infantry veteran from World War II, and hold a Purple Heart. I have earned whatever I own by hard work.” He is use his life experiences to relate to some people on the board that has a similar life situation. This appeals to emotion because it make the audience feel the sad or angry, because they have the same or similar life style. The fact that he was in the World War II and got a Purple Heart makes the audience respect him more because of his service.
He also uses ethos many times
“A Letter to the Chairman of the Drake School Board” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Is a letter that Vonnegut wrote to the chairman of the Drake School Board to address the burning of his books. Throughout the letter he uses logos, pathos, and ethos to give the audience reasons to emotionally and logically to agree with his side of and argument. The books were being burned because of the bad language in his book and also they convey sexy and wildness to the students. He wrote this to tell the Drake School board how hurt he was to hear his books are be burned, also to let them know how disgusted and sickened to have his work destroyed with no good cause.
The writer use logos to appeal to logic throughout the writing. Vonnegut uses logic when he said “If you were to bother to read my books, to behave as educated persons would, you would learn that they are not sexy, and do not argue in favor of wildness of any kind.” This is an appeal to logic because they probably never read his books, but they judged them anyways. How can they say the books convey sexy and wildness if they never read them. The writer convinces the reader to agree because of the fact that the probably didn’t read his book is mentioned several times in the argument in different ways.
The writer also uses pathos to appeal to emotion throughout the writing. Vonnegut appeals to emotion when he said “I have raised six children, three my own and three adopted. They have all turned out well… I am a combat infantry veteran from World War II, and hold a Purple Heart. I have earned whatever I own by hard work.” He is use his life experiences to relate to some people on the board that has a similar life situation. This appeals to emotion because it make the audience feel the sad or angry, because they have the same or similar life style. The fact that he was in the World War II and got a Purple Heart makes the audience respect him more because of his service.
He also uses ethos many times