Bryce Ross

AP English, Block 2

7 February 2017

Rhetorical Analysis: Conroy Letter

Pat Conroy was a well-known writer from South Carolina. The works of Conroy were

provocative and scandalous, full of violence and cussing, with real world situations and practices

in each story. With that being said, some feel as though his works are not suitable for younger

students. In West Virginia, a school took the initiative to ban two of his books, an action with

which a student found fault. Conroy was contacted with this news, not at all surprised as it had

become a banality in his life. With him responding to the school about his perspective on the

issue, we are given insight into the works he has made and why he feels they should not be

censored.

Charleston Gazette, making a comment on

Conroy opens with sarcasm in his letter to the

his filthy, vomit-inducing work. Stressing the idea that parents and administrators get too

worked up about his subject matter, he uses this almost invective exaggeration of their reaction

to play up how dramatic their responses were. He does, however, use more directly invective

speech later, calling out the likes of know-nothing parents or cowardly school boards, to stop

bullying English teachers. Conroy does not hesitate to employ hateful speech to enforce his

ideas. He goes on to call them idiots for banning his works and rejects the notion that younger

audiences are incapable of being exposed to mature themes.

Throughout this letter, Conroy calls on the ethos appeal to establish his credibility in his

experiences with violent themes. He makes mention of his school teacher with whom he had
 close. The allusions to Catcher in the Rye helped the author to relate the situation to his
grown

previous ones of the same nature. He also makes use of allusion with references to Hatfield and

McCoy, with which he made a comparison to his stance on the matter. He used his history with

violence in his social and family life to establish credibility as well, commenting on many

traumatic events in his life. He makes it clear that he thinks younger audiences can handle his

subject matter.

The point Conroy makes is one he feels strongly about, which he makes clear with his

use of hyperbole. He remarks that English is the prettiest language in the world, and that

America hates its teachers, which all strike a very dramatic chord. Despite his gross

overstatements and rambunctious tone, this message is simple to understand. His diction is not

too grandiose, his sentences are varied in structure, and he is being very straightforward. He does

not use too many enhancers in this letter, but the ones he does use are easy to understand. The

audience can appreciate his somewhat comical approach to the issue and relate to some degree.

Though he was blocked by the school boards, his victory lies in the fact that people want what

they cannot have and will be drawn to his works. Pat Conroy won in the end, and his works,

although vulgar and violent, make their way into the students hands anyway.