Letters to the editor are similar in structure as depicted in all the fourteen letters given in the appendix. Every letter shows the writer’s details i.e. name of the writer, his/her hometown, and the date of publication. The letters are also grouped according to the title. Letters under same title are grouped together in the same page. In my analysis, the first six letters discuss the same topic: “Read This Before Your Feast.” The other letters also share a common topic i.e. Letters # 7 and 8 discuss “Company Secretary, Personal Busines,” letters # 9 and 10 share the topic “The Ancient Bond Between Man and Dog,” etc. It can be seen that some of the letters provide the writer’s profession and current occupation. Examples include “The writer is research director, Nuclear Control Institute”; “The writer is a professor of English at Harvard University” etc. The subsequent paragraphs give detailed genre analysis of the selected letters.
To start with, let us take a look at the titles of the letters and the subjects of discussion. We realize that the letters to the editor can be categorized into two: Commentary letters, and response letters. A commentary letter majorly contains the writer’s comments about a given social issue. The comment may incorporate an observation and or life experience. Let as look at the first six letters. The letters are housed under the main topic “Read This Before Your Feast.” This clearly tells us that the letters discuss the eating habits. Each of the six letters is then given its own heading which narrows down the topic of discussion into specific aspects, or is referred to a previously published letter.
Richard’s letter is titled “Teenagers' Suit Says McDonald's Made Them Obese.” In the letter, Richard gives his life experience and observations he made about the lawsuit against McDonald's Corporation, which allegedly made teenagers eat fatty food. He concludes that human beings do not take responsibilities for their own actions. The second letter comments on a previously posted letter. The writer, Elizabeth Greenspan takes us through David Zinczenko’s letter titled "Don't Blame the Eater." According to Elizabeth, “it is healthier and cheaper to eat a sandwich or a salad made at home from ingredients bought at a supermarket than to go to a fast-food restaurant.” She defends the Fast-Food Companies and at the same time blames the parents for failing to provide healthy meals for their children. The third letter is also a comment on David Zinczenko’s previous letter "Don't Blame the Eater." Natasha Shur, being a pediatric resident, gives her observations when she asked a group of kindergartners whether McDonald's meals were healthy for the heart. Natasha’s opinion is that the main problem is lack of resources for poor urban children but not lack of knowledge. She discloses that the aim of the fast-food industry is to provide services to the families that do not have the time and money to achieve healthier lifestyles. This results into diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and increased obesity. In the fourth letter, the writer, John Dillon makes a response to David Zinczenko’s "Don't Blame the Eater."
He criticizes the letter as being “hopelessly out of date.” John takes us through his youth age where he used to carry with him sandwiches and fruit to school. He has made similar observations when children currently do likewise. He makes a strong conclusion that the alternatives still exist, and “are certainly less expensive and healthier than anything in the fast-food chains.” The fifth letter is also a response to David Zinczenko’s "Don't Blame the Eater." Francine Fleishman believes that the children in the society are nowadays carpooled as very few ride bicycle and none walks. The over schedules make it difficult for the shopping and the preparation of healthy meals. In addition, the writer notes that most of us humans are gluttons as we consume double orders. To avoid all these, Francine suggests that humans should have some discipline, some physical exercise, and some reasoning. The final letter under this same heading is also a response to the above previous letter. Eric Goldwasser supports the fact that consumers lack information on the calorie content of the meals they order. He says, “If restaurant menus listed calories as well as prices, diners could order more intelligently.” He blames the restaurants for failing to give appropriate information which is essential for the decisions on the choice of meals. From the above letters, we can state vividly that letters to the editor fall under the two broad categories: commentary letters, and response letters.
The second group of letters herein are grouped under the heading “Company Secretary, Personal Business.” The two letters respond to an article which appeared on the front page, Nov. 27 titled “When a Trusted Secretary Takes More Than a Letter.” Yael Weinman, the writer of the seventh letter, fails to understand why a secretary, who is paid by the company, engages into criminal acts like stealing, as discussed in the reference article. Tracy Nalevanko-Zimmerman, who has been a secretary for nearly 15 years and an executive assistant, confesses in her letter that she “would never take a penny from any of her employers” In contrast, she believes that her employers have taken financial advantage over her but not the other way round. She confesses that majority of her colleagues are paid very little and in most cases do not receive overtime payments yet they do not complain. Be that as it may, she is still grateful for her employer and believes that there are several loyal and trustworthy secretaries with high integrity and cannot indulge in the above immoral acts. Tracy is certain that straightforward employees like her “vastly outnumber the type of folks described in article ‘When a Trusted Secretary Takes More Than a Letter’.” From this analysis, it is clear that letters to the editor may respond to a given article differently depending on the knowledge and experience of the writer. However, the deviation is still within the main topic.
The last group of letters that I have analysed here forms my ninth and the tenth letters, both of which have the main topic “The Ancient Bond Between Man and Dog”. Both the letters respond to the previously posted article "From Wolf to Dog, Yes, but When?" on November 22. Cynthia Branigan, the author of the ninth letter stipulates that the intimate and long history between humans and canines is not definitely known. However, there exists a well known passion that humans have for this historical bond. She concludes that “dogs tap into humans’ primal need for contact with the natural world.” On the other hand, Misha Weidman tells that the history of this bond dates back to the era of the pre-Columbian explorers, who would today be dismayed at “how we treat their erstwhile companions.” The letter also reveals that in France, “the man and dog are reputed to live in civilized harmony, with rare complaint from either side.” These two letters -- as much as they respond to a previous article -- are informative.
Considering the three groups of letters discussed above, we can make a conclusion that letters for the editor can come from a variety of topics and sources. From this analysis, we realize that letters to the editor have two categories of components: specific components, and variable components. We have seen that there can be a slight variation in the basic structure; however, the trend remains more or less similar. Similarly, the topics also depict slight variations. Other than the last two letters, the remaining ones show events, observations, and life experience of the authors in relation to the previous publication. This makes the letters to the editors to be either commentary or response.
Letter #1
I have practiced law in New York for 28 years and have steadfastly defended my profession from the barbs and so-called jokes aimed at it in recent years. But when I read about the lawsuit against McDonald's Corporation for allegedly making teenagers eat fatty food, I was embarrassed for my profession.
I will be even more embarrassed for my profession and for the judicial system if this case is not summarily dismissed and the lawyer who filed it is not severely sanctioned for wasting the resources of an already strained system.
We have become a nation of "victims" who can't take responsibility for their own acts. Lawyers who encourage this trend in pursuit of large class-action contingency fees do the society and their profession a disservice.
Letter #2
David Zinczenko ("Don't Blame the Eater," Op-Ed, Nov. 23) sympathizes with the kids suing McDonald's for making them obese. He says when he grew up, in the 1980's, as now, fast-food restaurants "were the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal."
In fact, it is both healthier and cheaper to eat a sandwich or a salad made at home from ingredients bought at a supermarket than to go to a fast-food restaurant.
That many parents do not know this or do not have the time or inclination to provide healthy meals for their children is a social problem that cannot be solved by suing fast-food companies.
Letter #3
As a pediatric resident, I recently taught a group of kindergartners about the heart. I asked, "Is McDonald's healthy for your heart?" To my surprise, the response was a chorus of noes!
The problem is not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of resources for poor urban children. The fast-food industry aims its products at families that do not have the time and money to achieve a healthier lifestyle. A result is increased obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Why should taxpayers shoulder the burden? It is not unreasonable to ask the golden arches to repay a fraction of the health care costs of its billions served.
Letter #4
Unlike David Zinczenko, I was not a child of the 80's, my youth having been spent in a more remote era, so my response to his Nov. 23 Op-Ed article, "Don't Blame the Eater," is probably hopelessly out of date. But I can't help but offer some alternative fast foods that he did not mention.
Back in my youth, before McDonald's et al., I brought sandwiches and fruit to school. Our children, of more recent vintage, did likewise, sometimes substituting crackers and cheese for the sandwiches.
These alternatives may still exist, for all I know. If they do, they are certainly less expensive and healthier than anything in the fast-food chains.
Letter #5
There's plenty of fault to go around in explaining the problem of obese children.
Our society is one in which children are carpooled, no one walks and very few bicycle. We are overscheduled, so it is difficult to shop for and prepare healthy meals and snacks to bring along.
Further, we are gluttons. One can find healthy foods in fast-food places; it is not required that one consume double orders of fries and milkshakes at every outing.
Letter #6
If restaurant menus listed calories as well as prices, diners could order more intelligently.
Letter #7
While there is no doubt that the stealing secretaries discussed in "When a Trusted Secretary Takes More Than a Letter" (front page, Nov. 27) are committing criminal acts, these incidents raise a question: Why is a secretary who is being paid by the company taking care of an executive's personal affairs?
Clearly, these executives can afford to hire their own private secretaries, paid out of their own pockets, to take care of their own personal business. And the executive's statement that "shopping for the children's birthday gifts is part of the job" is laughable — that is something the parents should do, and if they can't make it to the store, order online!
Letter #8
I have been an executive assistant and secretary for nearly 15 years, working with four different executives, and I would never take a penny from any of my employers. In fact, if anything has happened over the years, it is that the employers have taken financial advantage of me — from not paying vacation time earned to not reimbursing expenses to delayed paychecks. Not to mention that the majority of us work on a salary that is generally far less than half of our employer's, and we never receive any overtime.
Nonetheless, I am grateful for the employment I have had and continue to relish the work that I do. There are people out there doing these types of jobs who have integrity and are loyal and trustworthy, and always will be, and I'm certain we vastly outnumber the type of folks described in your article.
Letter #9
The exact start of the long and intimate history shared by humans and canines may never be known definitively, but what can be known, and felt, is the continued passion we have for this ancient bond.
Whether it is scientists seeking answers in dogs' mitochondrial DNA, Princess Anne's recent legal run-in with her English bull terrier, or simply the billions of people worldwide who consider their dog their best friend, it is clear that dogs tap into our primal need for contact with the natural world.
Letter #10
If pre-Columbian explorers were to arrive on these shores today, they'd be dismayed at how we treat their erstwhile companions. In urban parks everywhere, "No Dogs Allowed" signs protect young children at every hour of the day and night from vicious poodles and marauding packs of golden retrievers.
It's no easier for man's best friend in the wilder places, where it seems there's no stretch of beach, no pristine forest trail, where there does not lurk some species of fern or plover requiring protection from the predatory jaws of an overfed Rover.
Perhaps they'd turn back and hope to find their way to France, where man and dog are reputed to live in civilized harmony, with nary a complaint from either species.
Letter #11
A Nov. 25 front-page article says that ''tracking Iraq's nuclear weapons sites is considered less complicated because of the radioactivity they emit and because the United Nations compiled a detailed picture of Iraq's program in the early 1990's.''
Unfortunately, key technologies like centrifuges to enrich uranium for bombs release little detectable radiation. Fabrication of nonnuclear components for bombs, like high-explosive lenses, emits no radioactivity.
Before 1998, inspectors dismantled much of Iraq's bomb program. But significant issues remain unresolved: Iraq's bomb designs and nuclear-weapon components, for example, are still missing.
The greatest risk is Saddam Hussein's smuggling in bomb material stolen from civil or military programs, which the International Atomic Energy Agency concedes it has very little chance of detecting.
The only fail-safe approach is to halt production and use of plutonium and highly enriched uranium worldwide. Bomb-usable nuclear materials are too dangerous for civilian commerce.
Letter #12
It is a moral error because it deflects the blame from those who attacked the United States. Sept. 11 was premeditated and cold-blooded mass murder.
It is an intellectual error because it indulges in a variant of American exceptionalism. It is comforting to believe that changing our policies overseas will avert future terrorist attacks. Indeed, many of these policies need to be changed. But overlooking the independent force of a fanatical ideology is a bad mistake.
It is a strategic error because such hyperbole weakens potential support for critical policies that the writer presumably supports: preserving our civil liberties, cooperating with other nations and increasing foreign aid.
Letter #13
I, acting on my own, and insisting to Mr. Paulin that there would be no rescinding of his invitation, said I did not think his poetry would get a fair hearing. He and I agreed on a statement that, by mutual consent of the poet and the English department, his reading would not take place. Because this mutual withdrawal was interpreted as a unilateral departmental rescinding, the department subsequently reaffirmed the invitation.
Mr. Paulin's statement reads in full: "Whatever was said in my lengthy exchange, the views I hold on the situation in the Middle East, and on the need to oppose all forms of anti-Semitism, have been made clear in the statement I issued to The Daily Telegraph. This reflects my lifelong commitment to fighting racism in all its forms. I fully understand that some of what was reported in the original article is deeply offensive to all right-thinking people. My quoted remarks completely misrepresent my real views. For that, I apologize."
Letter #14
On the basic principle of freedom of speech, Harvard University was right to reinstate its invitation to the poet Tom Paulin (news article, Nov. 21). It should be noted, however, that Mr. Paulin is himself committed to the censorship of political opinions with which he does not agree.
Last year Mr. Paulin wrote to The Guardian, in London, asking why it permitted "Zionists" like me and the author and critic Ian Buruma to write for and express our views in the paper. He is also a supporter of the boycott of Israeli academics, denying those who (like me) deplore the policies of the current Israeli government the right to speak in international forums, solely on the basis of their nationality.
Works Cited
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/opinion/L27MCDO.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/29/opinion/L29SECY.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/28/opinion/L28DOGS.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/29/opinion/L29IRAQ.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/28/opinion/L28POET.html
