On November 16, 1973, an angry and disappointed Vonnegut wrote to McCarthy to make his feelings known. Sometimes called “reasoning from first principles,” the idea is to break down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassemble them from the […]. We're Syrus Partners. Severly, the English teacher, was dismayed with the idea of any books being confiscated and burned. We are not clapping each other on the back, crowing about all the books we will sell because of the news. I am among those American writers whose books have been destroyed in the now famous furnace of your school. This battle was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. Kurt Vonnegut. Among the officers in the photo includes […], A Douglas Aircraft Company worker rivets a A-20 bomber at the plant in Long Beach, California in October 1942. “We are angered and sickened and saddened,” he wrote at the time. They have all turned out well. Their admirable stance was ignored. It is a strictly private letter from me to the people of Drake, who have done so much to damage my reputation in the eyes of their children and then in the eyes of the world. [CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]> However, few artists respond with the humor and aplomb exhibited in a letter written in 1973 to Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board at Drake High School in North Dakota. Photo Credit: Marty Reichenthal/AP/npr.org. (250-300 words) Get an essay WRITTEN FOR YOU, Plagiarism free, and by an EXPERT! We’d do well […], The Pygmalion Effect is a powerful secret weapon. Written over a sixty-year period, these letters, the vast majority of them never before published, are funny, moving, and full of the same uncanny wisdom that has endeared his work to readers worldwide. Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter to Drake High School: ‘You Have Insulted Me’ ... Drake High School in North Dakota made headlines in October of 1973 when school board members burned 32 copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter-House Five because … As the situation progressed, Severly held steadfast to his position that the book should not have been burned. I have never been arrested or sued for anything. And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; We buy amazing businesses. Tags: Kurt Vonnegut Years ago when I was a producer in television, I recall that there were many discussions on how broadcasters could encourage younger viewers to have brand loyalty with a particular channel. With this phrase Vonnegut is able to set a inactive turn on decease. When the school board ordered the books to be confiscated, the students protested. Do you have the courage and ordinary decency to show this letter to the people, or will it, too, be consigned to the fires of your furnace? 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. Axtmass, a Catholic priest, attended the school board meeting and told the board that he did not like certain parts of the book but was against the idea of burning it. amzn_assoc_linkid = "b4d6f028c649a54f3f73e082557b5521"; And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. Read Hunter S. Thompson on living a meaningful life, Eudora Welty’s amazing cover letter to The New Yorker, and Sol LeWitt on the power of doing. For three more decades, Vonnegut novels headed straight for the best-seller list: "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Breakfast of Champions," "Galapagos." Still curious? Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to high school students: ‘Pretend you’re Count Dracula!’ 10.06.2014. They didn’t damage us when we were young. It was her daughter Kim who complained about the language in “Slaughterhouse-Five” that started a controversy over the book in the fall of 1973 at Drake High School.” Photo Credit: Minot Daily News, The Drake Public School Board members voted and ordered the books to be taken from the students (they were only a third of the way through it) and burned in the school’s coal burner. // A Totally Fun Thing Bart, Westwood High School Mesa, Az, Funny Troll Usernames, Febreze Car Refill - Asda, Casd Staff Email, Shanghai Teahouse Port Adelaide,