I Am Very Real By Kurt Vonnegut

Throughout the world’s history, book burning has always been a supposed remedy for the spread of “unfavorable” knowledge. Whether it be a repressive regime trying to snuff out rebellious ideals or a religious institution claiming heresy, countless “forbidden” books have been burned. And yet, in the end these actions were completely ineffective, because no matter how many books you burn you cannot burn an idea. Nonetheless, the town of Drake in North Dakota decided to burn every copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five after finding it dissatisfying. In response, Vonnegut wrote his letter “I Am Very Real.” By establishing his credibility as a good person, using descriptive adjectives paired with polysyndeton to sell his displeasure, and

However, he refutes this entirely by explaining his background and thereby proving that he is none of those things. He explains how hardworking he is, describing that he is a man “who did a lot of farm work as a boy, who is good with tools. [He has] raised six children, three [his] own and three adopted” (Vonnegut 5). Knowing that he is a father and knowing that he is a diligent individual is enough to convince the audience of his character, but Vonnegut takes it further. He adds, “I am a combat infantry veteran from World War II, and hold a Purple Heart” (Vonnegut 5). Naturally, this should horrify the school officials in Drake who burned his books, knowing that they had destroyed the work of a military hero. By establishing his credibility in this way, Kurt Vonnegut combats the incorrect image that these people have of him, driving the point that they had him pegged completely

However, he reminds them that he is a real person too, and their actions truly hurt him. He does this by utilizing vibrant language and effective sentence structure. Kurt Vonnegut starts by stating that he and his publisher “have done absolutely nothing to exploit the disgusting news from Drake” (Vonnegut 4). The use of “disgusting” is very noteworthy, as it is a very strong word that conveys how utterly upset and repulsed Vonnegut was hearing news of the book burning. He goes on to say, “We are angered and sickened and saddened” (Vonnegut 4). The repetitive use of “and” makes this a use of polysyndeton, as he piles on word after word further driving the point that he is truly a real person, with the capacity to feel all of these emotions. The use of emotional language cleverly works to instill regret in the minds of his guilty