The central idea of the text is:
C. Burning books goes against the freedoms that Americans hold dear.
In this letter, Kurt Vonnegut expresses his strong objection to the burning of books in Drake, emphasizing the damage done to his reputation. The letter underscores the value of freedom of expression and challenges the notion that certain books are inherently evil. Vonnegut criticizes the act of book burning, portraying it as a threat to the cherished American principles of freedom and intellectual liberty. While the letter touches on themes of morality and the impact on students, the overarching focus is on the fundamental importance of safeguarding freedom, particularly in the context of literature and ideas.
The probable question may be:
Dear Mr. McCarthy:
I am writing to you in your capacity as chairman
of the Drake School Board. I am among those
American writers whose books have been
destroyed in the now famous furnace of your
school.
Certain members of your community have
suggested that my work is evil. This is
extraordinarily insulting to me. The news from
Drake indicates to me that books and writers are
very unreal to you people. I am writing this letter
to let you know how real I am.
I want you to know, too, that my publisher and I have done absolutely nothing to exploit the disgusting
news from Drake. We are not clapping each other on the back, crowing about all the books we will sell
because of the news. We have declined to go on television, have written no fiery letters to editorial
pages, have granted no lengthy interviews. We are angered and sickened and saddened. And no copies
of this letter have been sent to anybody else. You now hold the only copy in your hands. 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. Do you have the courage and ordinary decency
to show this letter to the people, or will it, too, be consigned1
to the fires of your furnace?
Which of the following statements expresses a central idea of the text?
A. School boards should not have the power to ban books from classrooms.
B. It is immoral to claim that controversial books may poison students’ minds.
C. Burning books goes against the freedoms that Americans hold dear.
D. Like all good citizens, Kurt Vonnegut has not lied or produced evil work.