Call to Write, Third edition Chapter Four, Letters: Establishing and Maintaining Relationships

Part Two: Writing Projects  This chapter is the first one in part two of the textbook, which covers common genres, or types of writing.  Genres include: letters, memoirs, public documents, profiles, reports, commentaries, proposals, and reviews.

Overview of the chapter  Examines the genre and discusses different types of letters  Looks at a variety of readings that consist of letters or correspondence  Presents the visual aspect or element of looking at an advertisement

Overview, cont.  Considers several possible writing assignments  Goes through the steps of the writing process for writing a letter

Letters as a genre  Letters take many forms (handwritten, typed, e- mail).  All share a similar format, with date, salutation (Dear Mary…), a message, a closing (Yours), and a signature.

Reflecting on the genre  Letters help you to establish and maintain relationships; they are like a conversation between the reader and the writer.  They also call for a response of some kind: pay this bill, call for an application, respond to this request, or show up for this meeting.  Letters record our thoughts in a more permanent way than conversation, and allow time for the reader to reflect before responding.

Letters have many purposes  Personal letters vary in purpose: We write sympathy notes, love letters, complaints, and letters of advice to friends, among others.  Public or open letters also vary, and have a wider audience; they may appear in a newspaper or magazine, or be posted on a Web site.

Chapter readings  A group of letters on the U. S. policy on containment of Saddam Hussein in Iraq  A group of letters to the editor about the proposed punishment to cane Michael Fay in Singapore  Correspondence with Nike on sweatshops  An open letter from James Baldwin to his nephew

Visual design  Find the Letter of Appeal from Doctors without Borders on pages  Notice that the first page contains a standard business letter, while the second page resembles a flyer, with pictures, headers, quotes, a map, and a bulleted list of activities in Afghanistan.  It is designed to draw your eyes to the people in the picture, and then down to the header, “Helping families recover from war famine-and fear.”

Writing assignment  Compose a letter; the text presents a list of options, pages. The rest of the chapter walks you through the writing process, from invention to the final draft. Make note especially of the advice to read some sample letters and find some models (page 137).  Your instructor will let you know whether your class will be doing this particular assignment, and provide you with additional guidelines.

Organizing ideas  Most material will fit into three sections.  First, the opening. Explain the reason for writing the letter, and your relationship to the issue or your audience.  Second, the body. Explain your main point, supporting it with details.  Finally, the closing. Repeat the main idea, call for action, send regards, and thank the reader for his or her time.

Michael Brady’s example  Look at his letter, written in response to Mark Patinkin’s column about the original incident: a young American committed a crime in a foreign country and now must be punished.  Look too at his commentary, which follows the letter; it explains his approach.

Student Companion Website  Go to the student side of the Web site for exercises, chapter overviews, and links to writing resources for this chapter:  Click on the textbook cover, and then select Student Resources.