Katie Savannah Amos December 9, 2013

My Sweet Friend, ! It is a rather simple undertaking, explaining the inner-workings of my writing mind

to you. You know me so well, and you came to be my friend through our stories. I can accurately analyze my ability to communicate written ideas at all because of you and your faith in me. It's through your eyes that I've seen how much Ive grown! Given your responses to my work, I can easily identify my strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies that characterize my writing now. I think that the feelings I pull from your own breast tell me more about myself than I could ever come up with on my own. ! When I pour my mind out onto a page, three distinctive features always present

themselves, and you have told me before; melliuous descriptions, precise diction, and a clear expression of ideas. If saying melliuous description is not enough to convince others that I have a knack for literary illustration, then perhaps my poetic history is - that same poetic history that began with you! Remember when I published the poem from the story we wrote in tenth grade? To this day, it is some of the best descriptive writing that I have I ever done: ! ! ! ! Moments reckon the star-strewn heavens As dreams mottle the hard-pressed ground. Dreams of my own your words hath leavened, And Hope in your presence, my heart hath found.

Apart from being descriptive in general, I am incredibly careful and intentional

about my diction, a worthy trait I picked up from you. Every single word I give to you has been chosen with utmost precision and labor of mind, because that is what you always gave me. For example, throughout my research paper (which will be explored more indepth later), words like manifestation, sundry, egalitarianism, and mores are everywhere to be found; you would be so proud! Along with precise wording, I use many rhetorical questions and quotes in all kinds of my writing, as you well know. I nd rhetorical questions to be a very subtle way of drawing someone into my mind, and allowing them to recreate my ideas while believing they are your own. It sounds a little dark and deceptive, but the truth in writing often as. As Oscar Wilde says, "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." ! The nal mechanism I use to convey myself to my readers is my clear expression

of ideas. Especially in poetry and pleasure writing, my specic or literal meaning may be vague, but the ideas and emotions I pour into those words are always obvious, much like your work has been lately. I want readers to know the very condition of my heart when I paint the pictures within my mind. The best examples of this type of expression are the weekly passages I post in literary anonymity (anonymous to all except you, of course). While none of my posts have ever explicitly stated what was going on, the meaning is obvious, and you expressed to me how you felt my pain so accurately through these words; ! ! ! If I hold my shaking sts to the world, maybe they will stay away." Howl louder, little one." Its like hitting pavement. Sixty-six thousand miles an hour.

! !

Then it becomes the question of smothering your demons beneath the ashes they leave in their wake, or letting them into your eyes.

While this jumble of words and phrases may seem cryptic and nonsensical to

everyone else, the feelings of desperation, anger, fear, and nally resignation, leap from the page, and you know what drives them. ! Because this method of message delivery is only permissible or effective in free

writing, I use chronological order and/or the natural progression of ideas to express my ideas in academic and formal writing. I know you haven't seen as much of this, in academic writing I get my point across paragraph by paragraph, and throughout the whole paper, by building my evidence and summarizing it immediately after in a compelling way. I really do think you'd like my more formal pieces, actually. ! While poetry and free-writing are some of my more favored methods of

communication (as are yours), I chose to analyze my nal research paper for my freshmen honors seminar, titled, The Revolution and Evolution of the Non-Nuptial Futon (clever, isn't it)? This seminar was about French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville and his book, Democracy in America. I was asked to take one of Tocquevilles ideas and apply them to a twentieth/twenty-rst century idea or event. Being of particular interest to me, I chose to explore Tocquevilles ideas about the American family, and their relationship to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, or the cultural/societal shift from familism to individualism. I can only imagine your reaction to this essay! I'm fairly certain you would hate it.

My main research and theory drew on Tocquevilles assertion that the American

family regulated the individual mores, and thus governed society itself. In reference to the American Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, I claimed that As society moved towards the idols of the self and personal pleasure, the family was left behind, and the hearth from which America grew began to fade. Changing sexual mores and increasing rates of premarital sex among adolescents are indicative of cultural changes. . .the nationwide culture shift from familistic values and traditional families to a society based on individualistic attitudes, behaviors, and mores. ! While I am rather ashamed to admit it now, my voice in this piece manifested

itself as one of harsh criticism and condemnation (any surprises there?). Throughout the paper, I presented positive ideas and values only through the lens of the family-centered America while sharply chastising any and all cultural changes birthed from pre-marital sex and an obsession with the self, probably the underlying work of my mother. For example, I associated the virtues of honesty, order, peace, modesty, and appropriateness exclusively with the family hearth in direct contrast with the individual. ! However abrasive my opinions may have been, I managed to back my

arguments with just the right amount of credible information I had selected. For example, one of my favorite phrases in the entire fteen-page paper is The family foundation is central to the order of democracy Tocqueville described. . .But why exactly is it so important? Very simply, the family (especially the women) regulates mores, which regulate societys mores,

and thus, democracy itself. It is a simple sociological principle that stands even today; as the family goes, so goes society. ! I was incredibly proud of my research and work for this assignment. Looking

back now, I would choose to omit a few I believe statements, rephrase several sentences or passages, and above all else, further develop the implications of my theory. I got a fantastic grade on this paper, but my professor did mention that my overall development of ideas was weak. I want to take the passion and the distinctively descriptive rhetoric I employ in my free writing and learn how to apply it to my academic discourses. I'm sure I'll have you edit a few of my upcoming papers to make sure I do this well. ! Throughout the past year, my main goal in writing, whether it be poetry or

academic essays, has been to hone my skills of idea development. Evaluating my writing throughout my life, especially recently, has really given me insight into my own patterns and ticks, thus enabling me to pinpoint and craft a style all my own, even if it was so strongly inuenced by you, dear friend. My nal aim is to improve all of my writing, not just what I write for you or with you, so that no matter the discourse, I can make each and every reader feel what you feel when you read my heart. ! ! ! With Brotherly Affection, ! JW