Mary Stafford's Letter Dbq

Everyday writing has been done since the Sumerians created cuneiform. Postcards, diaries, letters, to-do lists are all included in everyday writing. Although some people claim we are faced with an inundation of information, and trivial writings should be discarded for the sake of space, it is important to preserve and study these everyday writings, as these everyday writings are part of the United States’ heritage, and studying them enriches our knowledge of rhetorical and historical concepts. (Source F)

Mary Stafford’s letter, written in 1863, has become of more historical importance than she could ever have dreamed when she related the local gossip of dresses, babies, and deaths to her cousin. (Source B) This letter is part of America’s heritage, as it contains small but not unimportant details about the lifestyle and events of the time period. The letter also illustrates how Americans lived one hundred and fifty-five years ago, and divulges the writing habits typical of 19th-century American women. What was a trivial communication from one cousin to another has historical import now, and could be considered a part of America’s culture?

E. Norman’s postcard (Source C) enriches our knowledge of rhetorical concepts such as exposition, circulation, and delivery, as well as giving them an assortment of genres to analyze. Utilizing letters and diaries that were written by real people in different time periods will also they bring life and personality to the abstract concepts in history books. For example, The Diary of a Young Girl has enlightened hundreds of people about Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, bringing emotions into what otherwise would have been a list of incidents and dates. Smaller texts, like Mary Stafford’s letter, paint a picture of the Indiana town, New Carlisle, as it was in the later