Place as a method for rhetorical criticism involves five factors. One’s senses, the rules of the place, other people, identity and then finally the relationship between the previous four factors. In this post I will be using these factors and this method to analyze The Library of Wan Shi Tong.

A bit of history, Wan Shi Tong is the spirit of knowledge and his Library is his collection of knowledge. In the series it is said that he brought his library from the spirit world to the human world in order to share such knowledge so that humans can better themselves, as well as so that he might be able to expand his collection of knowledge. Wan Shi Tong uses the help of his knowledge Seekers that often take the form of a fox to go out and collect knowledge to be added to his Library. With his Library being located in the middle of the Si Wong desert of the Earth Kingdom, only the highest of the towers is visible. The rest has become covered with sand.

Senses

The inside of the library is very ornate and appealing to the eyes. Owls are depicted all around. Wan Shi Tong is a spirit that is in the form of an owl so it makes sense that his Library would share in his likeness. Despite being nearly covered in sand the inside seems quite clean. I would imagine there would be an earthy aroma as well as the smell of books and parchment. As far as sound goes, I would think that there may be echoes from any noises made. The air inside may be stagnant and stale as it is buried in sand and I would think that would hinder air being able to flow since all the windows except for that of the Tower are open. The library itself is likely made from stone and I feel this is a safe bet as Toph was able to use earthbending to prevent it from fully sinking beneath the sand later in the episode.

Rules

Wan Shi Tong explains the rules for his Library. The Avatar and his team were allowed admittance to the library only after they offered a contribution to it. This rule was made as an exception to the current standing rule that he had of humans not being permitted into the library after the last human that was there used the knowledge that he found to gain an advantage against his enemies. It was also later discovered that this human was a Firebender who then took the liberty to destroy the entire section on the Fire Nation. It was not specified but I believe it was implied that no books or information found would be allowed to be taken out of the library. This is supported by how Sokka was very nervous and anxious whenever he would take a book or scroll and put it into his bag as well as his anxiety about Kitara mentioning the parchment that he had put in his bag in front of the fox that led him to the observatory. When Wan Shi Tong learned that the team came to the library to find information on the Fire Nation to gain an edge in the war he became hostile with them and made the library begin to sink further into the sand as he was reclaiming his knowledge from the human world. The rules over the library had been broken at that time.

Other People

As previously stated, the library had been closed to humans after Wan Shi Tong felt its knowledge was misused for gaining the advantage over another. The only ones allowed into the library at this time were the Knowledge Seekers and Wan Shi himself.

Identity

In the first meeting that the team has with Wan Shi Tong allows them to enter his study after they prove themselves as Scholars by presenting a worthwhile bit of knowledge to him to be added to the library. This leads me to believe that the intended audience or identity that the library aims for is that of a scholar. Someone who is interested in knowledge and learning. The professor that was among the Avatar’s party at the time was likely the only one to fit that description. The others may have an interest in learning but not to the level of the professor who chose to remain in the library to explore the knowledge within and ultimately died in the library. I don’t believe the rest of the party would have such devotion to knowledge.

Relation Between Factors

Now to explore the relationship between the four factors. Most of the relations that I can observe are between the rules for the library, the people that are in the library and the identity that the library promotes. The library was intended to be a place for humans to learn and gain knowledge as well as contribute knowledge to the library. When the Firebender came and abused of that knowledge the rules change to where it was now no longer open to humans but to anyone else that did not fit that description. The identity promoted by the library is that of a scholar. This leads me to believe that it is not intended for those were the passing interest in learning but for those that have dedication to knowledge. The identity promoted does not change as the rules change, nor does it change those that are allowed attendance to the library. The only thing that has wavered in the factors of the library is the rules of the library.

By analyzing the library with this method we can see how a place can be something that is tailored to a specific clientele and how the rules for such a place influence those that are permitted access to a place. A single place is not intended for anyone and some places are intended for everyone. The identity that one has will influence the places that they will want to go or where you would expect to find someone of a given identity.