The Art of War post 2(originally a comment)

This book, which is a tranlation of the original text, should be a relatively short read for me. I could not get my hands on a copy of Tzu's actual words nor would I be able to read it if I did. After completing the first few chapters of this book, I find that the translator's voice is very dry and dull. He/she uses very simple language that is accesible to an average reader, but does not contain much rhetorical impact, something that I am almost certain Sun Tzu had. The ancient Chinese were very conscious of the art of rhetoric and words were chosen very carefully to effectively invoke the most appropriate response from a reader. With this translation, I only seem to get "what" is being said and seem to lose all of "how it's being said. Therefore this translator only appeals to my logos and not my pathos.This story makes very prominent use of the cause and effect rhetorical mode to appeal to a reader's logos. In these first few chapters, Tzu focuses heavily on the effects of war on the state that is waging it. He presents many negative consequences that can befall a state while waging a long war, which imforms a reader NOT to do certain things. Tzu not only makes use of the simple cause and effect relationship, but also employs complex causual chains to illustrate his points.