In other cases, the censoring has…

English Questions

In other cases, the censoring has been direct and brutal. On February 28, 1981, the morning newspaper carried a story about the burning of my novel, “Bless Me, Ultima.” The book was banned from high school classes in Bloomfield, New Mexico, and a school board member was quoted as saying, “We took the books out and personally saw that they were burned.” Which type of rhetoric most clearly demonstrates how those in power use censorship to silence the powerless: an appeal to emotion, an appeal to ethics, an appeal to logic, or an appeal to the author’s character?

Answer

Bless Me, Ultima, a coming-of-age novel by Rudolfo Anaya, follows the journey of Antonio M√°rez y Luna and his relationship with his curandera and protector, Ultima. Since its publication in 1972, it has gained significant recognition and is a key work in the Chicano literary canon. The book faced censorship in Bloomfield, New Mexico, where it was banned from high school classes, and a school board member remarked: “We took the books out and personally saw that they were burned.” The type of rhetoric that most effectively illustrates how those in power use censorship to suppress the powerless is an appeal to logic.

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