Read the following excerpt from Van Gogh's biography by Greenburg and Jordan, and answer the question.

In October 1876 Vincent preached his first real sermon: 'Sorrow is better than joy-and even in mirth the heart is sad-and it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasts, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.' Which of the following is a reason that the author might have included this particular information? (Think of why the author presented us this information.)

It was important to know that he was not a good speaker.

Van Gogh doesn't know how to inspire a crowd.

Van Gogh did actually preach for a little while.

We see that Van Gogh sees things a bit more negatively than most people.

Question

English

Augustus Webb

28 March, 06:42

Read the following excerpt from Van Gogh's biography by Greenburg and Jordan, and answer the question.

In October 1876 Vincent preached his first real sermon: 'Sorrow is better than joy-and even in mirth the heart is sad-and it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasts, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.' Which of the following is a reason that the author might have included this particular information? (Think of why the author presented us this information.)

It was important to know that he was not a good speaker.

Van Gogh doesn't know how to inspire a crowd.

Van Gogh did actually preach for a little while.

We see that Van Gogh sees things a bit more negatively than most people.

+4

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Regina Gentry · Answer 1

D.

This information is important to get a full look at VanGogh's personality. Through this we see that he values sorrow much more than happiness, which gives us insight into why he acted the way he did. It is one thing to say that VanGogh was a negative person, looking at his actions and themes in his art, but by giving us words that he actually said that show just how negative he was, we are able to see this aspect of his character with more support and evidence.