Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Post #11: Letter from your writer
Now that you've written a letter to your writer (super great job!), I want you to get creative, embrace the style and tone of your writer, and write a letter to yourself FROM your writer. Have some fun. Capture their voice as best you can. We will share these in class.
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Inspired by: "Cabs, Camels, or ISIS" by Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times Op-Ed, 11/18/15
Jaq–
I'm going to begin this letter by bashing the Republican Party. You may ask what this has to do with you, but please bear with me.
In the past several months of this election season, Donald Trump has been dedicated to making an utter fool out of himself and the GOP. In return, other Republican candidates (who might've been just right of center in friendlier times) have cascaded to and past the far right limit of what you and me might consider reasonable in today's political atmosphere. They have spoken out against the facts of Climate Change, women's health, and a number of other issues that are ultimately hamstringing their entire political party.
As for the fiasco that is the Middle East, the United States must step in and bring reality back into the Israel-Palestine negotiations. Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Benghazi-backed separatist operating out of the Fatah-held portion of the disputed West Bank who allied with Hitler and has repeatedly pressed Israeli-American Putin-backed negotiators (such as John Kerry) for a more comprehensive and equitable peace deal, is obviously committed to opposing any Netanyahu-backed legislation that might be construed as supporting the continued Israeli settlement of Hezbollah-Iranian-backed airspace in the Gulf – an unrealistic expectation. Netanyahu, for his part, is diametrically opposed to any Palestinian demand, no matter how reasonable, that fails to acknowledge the ISIS-backed nature of Prime Minister Olmert's assassination in 1968 and refuses to hear of any international agreement that might put the Dome of the Rock in danger of being annexed by Saudi-backed rebels encroaching on Israel's hard-won land from the territory of Jordan's Coptic Christians. The U.S. must give both sides a heavy dose of reality in order to move future negotiations forward (NOTE FROM JAQ – YES, I KNOW THAT PARAGRAPH DID NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. I MEANT TO DO THAT).
What does this have to do with you, Jaq Pyle? We have not figured that out quite yet. But it may be too late for Israel and the Republican Party.
Thomas L. Friedman
Michelle,
Thank you for expressing an interest in my writings for The New York Times. I am glad that my thoughts have helped make an impact on someone's opinions of our world today! I suppose it would not be appropriate to interject a witty remark about the Republican Party or GOP candidates in this letter, but let's just pretend that it would be inserted around here in one of my usual opinion pieces. It is actually quite refreshing to write this sort of piece rather than an opinion for one of the most widely-read news sources in the nation -- less pressure to be clever and eloquent. I still feel, however, that I have a duty to analyze a national current event and share my perspective. By not doing this I am creating an especially rare occurrence, as I am not only straying from my usual subject matter, but also using the first person quite frequently! Well, this has truly been an interesting exploration for me, personally, and I hope that you continue to read my editorials!
Warmly,
David Brooks
Kyndelle,
Thanks a million for you note. I am thrilled at how much you fancy my writing. It is bloody amazing how much my career has changed of the past few years. I was extremely challenging to convince my critics that my writing was not just adolescent banter, but an analytic lens on current events. Proving that my article about pop culture and music weren’t just candy floss and biscuits was the biggest challenge for while I began professionally writing in Uni. In you letter I saw you commented me on my use of brackets and other various punctuation marks. Well, the reason i am so infatuated with playing with the grammar of the english language is, while growing up in a broken family ,school was really the escape route I had to my dilemmas at home. Although my family life was not like on from the telly, I am so chuffed of where I came from. Thanks so much again for writing me and I hope we speak soon.
Cheerio,
Lanre
Lacy-
Thanks for reading my articles. I write them to keep people updated on things happening in almost every aspect of the sports world. I like to add in little doses of my opinion as well as include some other's thoughts.
I hope you don't mind my long titles, I am just trying to be informative and creative for the reader so they have some insight into what's in the article. I appreciate that someone young like yourself reads my pieces because I write in a casual manner in order to appeal to an audience of all ages.
I hope you continue to read my work.
Bill Dwyre
Brodie
Actually, it was a long and confusing path towards becoming a sports writer. I began as an undergraduate student writing for my schools athletic teams. As a child, I loved playing sports, but was not very athletic. I was the kid who knew every stat. and understood every aspect of the game, but could hardly play it. I found worth in my writing and from a young age was determined to become a writer. As I progressed in age, my aspirations shifted, and continued to shift, like the forty-niner's defense during last offseason. I held many passions, but I always seemed to return to my initial goal. I don't think this has answered your initial question, but thank you for being a fan.
Paul
Jack,
There is a longstanding flaw in the youth of today, yesterday, and years and years back in which students will shield themselves from what is the true, raw purpose of art: viewer interpretation. At some point, they will have to face the seemingly-obliterating truth that, indeed, the meaning is up to their own life experiences, their own imagination, and whatever else they may be able to throw at it. In an effort to repair a flaw that you have so deliberately pinpointed in my column about Inside Out, I am going to concede a little bit of slack to today's kids. Robert DeNiro, Fritz Lang, Francis Ford Coppola--these magnetic film artists were probably the ones who let so-called "overanalysis" get under their skin the most; they were the ones most enraged, most ready to quit after high school. It is my wish that from now on, students will own the practice of "overanalysis," that they will alter it based on their own need--that is the mindset from which the best criticism and construction is borne. Good luck to you; persevere.
Richard Brody
Micah,
I have no idea who you are or what you want exactly, but thanks for your letter. In this depressing reality we find ourselves in, I find it easiest to survive day to day by admiring something's hilarity rather than its consequences (although those are important too). With our political system, it's only a matter of time before we're all screwed so I thought I might as well share my comedic insights with others before we go. I'm sad to hear you aren't always up to date on current events, especially because that means you could be contributing to the sad state of our country's management. However, since you aren't old enough to drink, there's a chance you're not old enough to vote either, so that's reassuring. Anyway, keep reading my articles, hopefully it helps both of us. Try picking up a newspaper too, that might explain some of my references.
Matt
Jez,
Thank you for the letter.
It's fantastic that you actually find my work enjoyable. I work hard to give the people their daily dosage of weather, as erratic as it may be. Do you happen to live in the Washington area by any chance? If not, it's pretty awesome that you would be checking my work reporting weather where I live and nowhere near your location. Thank you. I really appreciate it.
Cheers,
JS
Nora,
I feel comfortable using your first name too because you you feel so comfortable with using mine. I'm glad we got to spend that special moment together in San Francisco. I am also very flattered that you stayed for the talk after witnessing my stomach do that, as most young people are appalled for some reason. I also apologize that what you thought was going to be a book talk turned into a somewhat of a sex-joke demonstration play. However, commend your bravery to witness it amongst a group of middle aged woman. Brave. In all seriousness, I appreciate your kind words, I had lost hope in teenagers respecting me due to the reactions of my daughters whenever anything comes out of my mouth. I hope you don't look up to me in much more than "great writer" sence however because I had quite the smoking habit and an extremely extended "awkward phase."
Cheers,
Caitlin
p.s. Thank you for using cheers correctly.
Angus,
Thank you for your kind words – I think. It is encouraging to hear that I have managed to reach a young audience, yet something tells me that you are not reading my work simply for pleasure. I try to cover issues that are controversial and applicable to the daily lives of educated Americans. Although many of the subjects of my writing may not exactly pertain to you at your age, I don't doubt that you find some useful points that you can take with you into your adult life. On that note I know I may seem arrogant and entitle at times but I must let you know that this is not simply the result of my self-absorbed personality. When I write with such polar opinions it makes the content of my articles interesting, fiery if you will. It would not be a very captivating article if I had said, "Trump is a very mediocre guy." It just doesn't click. I'm glad you enjoy my opinions and please continue to read them. It means a lot to hear from the reader.
Richard Cohen
Dear Douglas,
Thank you for your kind letter, I am glad that you enjoy my articles. I think you really hit the nail on the head regarding my goals for my writing. I have always tried to engage my audience while still staying true to the matters at hand and offering a fresh perspective. Right now I am fascinated about the familial tensions and the sort that dominate the political atmosphere. Watching Poppy Bush and Jeb interact is like watching an episode of Game of Thrones (as I mentioned in my last article!).
On another note, I am sorry that you feel that my humor is heavy handed. I assure you that I never make a concerted effort to be clever, that is just my natural style. I hope that you continue to enjoy reading my work.
All the best,
Maureen Dowd
Dear Jorge,
Thank you for the letter. I appreciate the time you spend reading my work. Thank you for sharing a bit about yourself and your personal views. It is really important for us to think critically about what is happening in our country. As Americans, we must continue to speak up for what is right and continue our fight for justice. I hope you enjoyed my recent post. It was good interviewing Banderas and hearing what he has to say about Trump and his new film. Well, I hope we can keep in touch and I encourage you to continue to read and write.
Sincerely,
Jorge Ramos
P.S. I think it’s awesome how we both have the same first name!
Andrew,
I am thrilled to see that our next generation cares about the current state of our racist society as much as I do. I'm also glad you find my writing enjoyable. Being a writer myself, I am definitely in agreement with you that you should continue exploring ideas of race and identity in your writing and reading. I also encourage you to branch out and read the work of authors that don't have the same opinions as you, for I think it'll provide you with different perspectives that will in turn allow you to solidify why you believe in a your opinions and allow you to come up with counter arguments. These arguments will come in handy in your writing by providing your writing with some weight. I hope you continue to read my work and start to develop your own voice as a writer.
Good luck,
Steven W. Thrasher
Dear Jenny,
Thank you for appreciating my humor. It is nice to know that whenever I release my weekly column, you are out there along with all of the other 50 year olds and their coffees. It was kind of you to take time out of your day to share your thoughts about my impact on you, and your letter sent an uplifting message on a day that was otherwise very mundane. You may have noted that I do not possess my usual snideness in this message, which might seem quite out of character. I wanted to take this opportunity to be genuine, because genuineness is not often expressed in my column. I am sorry if this letter did not meet your expectations, but I am so glad you reached out to me. I can only hope that you feel the same.
Joe Queenan
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