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ClaimSnow Falling on Cedars was written as a cautionary tale to establish a diverse society that is accepting of all people.The author strengthens this by using:PlotHistoryLiterary devices

Difference-based fearHumans are afraid of things that are different. They have a fear that is based in differences and ignorance. Examples of events started by difference-based fear include:Racist acts in Ferguson, MissouriIndian Mutiny during the British RajPearl Harbor

Indian Mutiny and FergusonIndian MutinyBritain imperialized India, stole its raw materials, and then forced citizens to buy the finished product.Enfield rifleReligious discrimination to both Muslims and Hindus, but Britain did not care.

Ferguson, MissouriUnrest due to the shooting of a black teenager who was unarmedThe police force is almost completely white.The citys population is made of mostly black people.Most feel that this shooting was a racist act.

Pearl harborThe United States had refused to go into World War II and insisted on remaining neutral.On December 7th, 1941, Japanese planes killed 2,000 Americans when they attacked Pearl Harbor, an American naval base. Americans feared people from Japan and those of Japanese descent. They distrusted them so much that they sent them away to internment camps.

Kabuo Miyamoto: innocentKabuo Miyamoto, a fisherman, was charged with the murder of Carl Heine. The two men both wanted the same seven acres of land. Carl Heine died one night while fishing and was found the next morning tangled inside his fishing net.Kabuo is of Japanese descent, and the novel is set around ten years after Pearl Harbor. This court case is not about murder; it is about racism. Miyamotos case was thrown out after Ishmael Chambers submitted evidence to the judge proving that a freight ship had knocked Carl Heine off his boat and into his net.

The fogOn the night of Carl Heines death, there was an incredibly thick fog. In Kabuos testimony, he stated that the battery on Carls boat had died and he came aboard to give him one of his. This fog is the authors way of showing his reader how he wants his novel to affect the world. He wants to cover differences with a veil so they are not as shocking to the eye. He strives for members of society to love each other and not focus so much on differences as similarities.

The snowThroughout the novel, a snowstorm takes place. When Kabuo Miyamotos case is thrown out because of evidence provided by Ishmael Chambers, the storm appears to settle. All of San Piedro island is thickly blanketed in white snow. David Guterson, the author, uses this snow to represent purification. In these final scenes, San Piedro is his model for the reader and for society. He wants difference-based wars and attacks to end. The white blanket of snow is showing not that he wants an all-Caucasian society. He strives for a society with diversity, but the similarities are emphasized, not the differences.

Perils of indifferenceElie Wiesel, an author and journalist, survived Auschwitz as a young boy. He gave a speech at the White House when Bill Clinton was president.In Elies speech, he lists numerous tragedies and wars, and then explains how they left the world in indifference.Really, these events are interchangeable. His point would still have been made if he used other terrible events. If details are changed, they are fundamentally the same. There is no difference between Kabuo Miyamotos court case and Pearl Harbor, except for the outcome.

Judge GutersonIn Snow Falling on Cedars, before the jury goes to deliberate, Judge Fielding intensifies his point that their decision must be because the defendant is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Judge Fielding represents the author. These are his opinions being presented to the jury, and to the reader. Judges must be fair and just, and so it makes sense that David Guterson, the author, wrote himself into the novel as the fairest character.

A cautionary taleDavid Guterson uses plot, history, and literary devices to establish an emotional connection with the reader. His goal with Snow Falling on Cedars was to change society. He uses the historical event Pearl Harbor and the effects it had as the issue. Guterson uses weather to give the reader an understanding of his utopia. His plot is interesting and serves the purpose to capture the reader. Once he has intrigued him or her, he proceeds to propose his solution to problems that have plagued many generations. David Guterson attempts to scare his audience into changing the world.

sourcesEncyclopedia Britannica. "Indian Mutiny | Indian History." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. 22 June 2015.The History Place. "The History Place - Great Speeches Collection: Elie Wiesel Speech The Perils of Indifference." The History Place - Great Speeches Collection: Elie Wiesel Speech The Perils of Indifference. Web. 22 June 2015.History.com Staff. "Pearl Harbor." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 22 June 2015.NBC News. "What Went Wrong in Ferguson? - NBC News." NBC News. NBC News, 2014. Web. 22 June 2015.Presentation by Aria Falcone