To Whom It May Concern:

Michael Brockman

Michael Parrish

Chris Walker

Jon Williams

ENGW1111 -- First Year Writing

Professor Christen Enos

Definition
n. a direct or personal written or printed message
addressed to a person or organization
(Merriam-Webster)

A Look Ahead...
What is a Letter (Traditional View)
What is a Letter Today?
Purpose of a Letter
General Structure
Audience
Rhetorical Appeal
Multimodality
Difference between Letter Writing and Conversation
Subgenres:

What is a Letter (Traditional View)?

Hand-written
Permanent
Audience specifically outlined (Trimbur)
A conversation through written words
Capture the feelings of the author
Purpose made clear in the writing

Image: http://www.patentbaristas.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/bigstock-Declaration-ofIndependence-20186213.jpg

What is a Letter Today?

Not hand-written, for the most part
Vary greatly in their formality

Images:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/state-of-the-union-2016-t
ranscript-full-text/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kanye-west-textbooks_
us_56c381fae4b0c3c55052e436
http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/tweet-like-jaden-smith#.pa
kW80ZZb

Majority of modern letters use electronic means of delivery and composition

Purpose of Writing a Letter

Conversational
Clearly grasps the voice of the writer
Clearly directed at a specific audience
To inform, persuade, share news, share an idea or opinion
Can be formal, but easily used in informal settings today
Many forms: Email, Twitter, Instant-messaging

General Structure of a Letter

Date written along with a salutation/greeting
The message of the letter (the purpose)
A closing or a farewell
Commonly followed and uniform structure
The subgenres of letters develop as messages and structures of letters change
(Trimbur)

General Structure
Date Written

A Greeting

The Body/Purpose
of the Letter

A Farewell
Image: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/

Modern Letter Structure

How do these modern letters still follow the form of the genre as a whole?
What characteristics of a letter do they display?

Images:

http://deadstate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-7.34.07-AM.png
https://sytonnia.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/image1.jpeg?w=228&h=112&crop=1

Who reads letters?

Primary Audience (who the letter is addressed to)
Employer
Business
Friend
General Public

Secondary Audience
other parties who are able to access the letter
nearly everybody if the letter is electronic

Image: http://i.investopedia.com/inv/dictionary/terms/TREE_D~1.gif

Multimodal Aspects of Letters

Logos, Insignias - gives the letter an identity
Colors - clean themes look more formal ( Email
Design)
Graphs - to inform
Images - to inform
In modern letters, there are endless possibilities to
what can be shared in a letter via email or message
Videos
Songs

Image: http://www.americanjobsalliance.com/content/trumpblasts-white-house-calls-25-tariff-china-imports

How Does Letter Writing Differ from Conversation?

The main difference
Conversation - Speak with intent of getting a response immediately
Letter - Write with the intent of not getting immediate response (Trimbur)

As previously stated, response time has greatly decreased

Talking to a person on the phone versus leaving a voicemail
Talking to a person
Direct responses
Voicemail
Date and time, Greeting, body, salutation

Application letter
comparison: Accepted
How would you describe the
Authors Tone? What factors
enhance this tone?
How does the tone relate to how
the reader feels reading the
essay?
What was the authors purposes
for writing this letter?

Image:
https://twitter.com/logan_stalter/status/577937781684629504

Application letter
comparison: Denial
How would you describe the tone
and how does it differ from the
previous letter?
What effect does the way the
letter is written have on the
reader?
What are the purposes of the
letter?

Image: http://sengimu.gotdns.com/ucla-application-essay167937.html

Application letter
comparison: N.U.in
Similarities to a denial
letter?
Similarities to an
acceptance letter?
Do you think this letter is
as effective as the other
acceptance letter?

Application Letter comparison: Summary

These letters were written with the overarching
motive to inform, but the author uses different
tones to cast a different effect on the reader
As letter writing is a Genre, most letters are
formatted similarly, but are written based on
what they want the reader to feel
Authors need to pay close attention to how their
letters are written
Image: http://positivelifetips.com/post/68787221268/wordsare-powerful-use-them-carefully

Formal and Informal Letters

Image: http://www.slideshare.net/marta_ingles/formal-letter-vs-informal-letter

Image: http://www.slideshare.net/marta_ingles/formal-letter-vs-informal-letter

Formal Letters
Not Personal - No emotional connection
Intellectual - Provides extensive information, often cited
Proper Grammar
Structured for a purpose
to inform, to find out information, to send an apology,
to apply for a job, to make a complaint (Writing
Formal)

Informal Letters
Written as a way to keep up or communicate with loved ones
Chatty - Often poses questions, gives reader a reason to write back
Sentence Structure - not proper, much like a regular conversation
Uses
To keep in contact, to express sympathy, to give thanks, to invite
(Writing Formal)

General Structure of a letterBusiness Letters

Used in a professional setting
Formal tone
Ends with a call to action
Purpose is clearly stated throughout
Signature required
(Xerox)

Image: http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/tips/business-letter/enus.html

General Structure of a Letter - Professional

Emails
Almost identical to a
business email
Include a
meaningful/relevant title
in the subject line
Never send classified
information via email
Respond within a reasonable
timeframe, usually <24
hours
(Gimenez)

Image: mmbrockman@gmail.com

General Structure of a Letter- Recommendation

letter
Type of persuasive writing
Tries to convince employer of potential
employees qualification
Used for college admissions and jobs
Provides an outsider perspective on a
potential member of a community (Doyle)
Author often provides contact information
Image: http://testteste2016.blogspot.com/2015/10/letter-ofrecommendation-format.html

General Structure of a Letter- Open Letters

Addressed to a broad
audience (Trimbur 162)
Aim: To influence public
opinion
Various types of rhetorical
stances used
Distributed through media,
public officials, etc.
(Trimbur 162)

Image:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/provost/15231c5a0
1e61fe7

General Structure of a Letter- Letter to the Editor

Generally sent to authors of major news
publications
Aim: To show disagreement and a
counterargument to the author (Trimbur
174)
Most of these letters are very short
Some letters show personal experience in
relation to an article
An opportunity for readers to voice
concerns
Image: http://www.cads.com/Letters%20to%20the%20Editor
%20March%202006.jpg

General Structure of a Letter- Thank You Notes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxShvRdsXUQ

General Structure of a Letter- Cover Letters

Introduce yourself and your resume to a potential employer
Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the information
provided in your resume
Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate them to job
requirements
Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job application
Provide a sample of your written communication skills
(Purdue OWL)

Image: https://resumegenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Classic-Cover-Letter-Template.jpg

Rhetorical Appeals
Type of appeal varies with the type of letter youre writing:
Type
of
Letter

Ethos

Logos

Patho
s

Busine
ss
Letter

Varies

Varies

Cover
/
Applic
ation
Letter

Thank
You
Letter

Evolution of Letters
In the past, letter writing was a necessary
form of communication
Took days, weeks or longer to be
delivered
Telephone renders letter writing obsolete
Revival of letter writing in the Internet
Age:
Nearly instant gratification
Informal
Easy

Image: Chriss iPhone

Disappearance of Handwritten Informal Letters

Handwritten informal letters have become a lost
art (THE ART)
Technology has eliminated the need to write letters
New forms of writing have diverged from informal
letter writing
Many people believe that these new forms are detrimental to
a persons writing ability

While the idea of writing a letter remains intact, the

basic structure of a letter does not (Lam)

Images:
http://kirei23.com/category/%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%93%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8D%E3%82%B9
http://web2.ctsh.hcc.edu.tw/stu103/s10311408/public_html/main.html
https://twitter.com/bestofimessage

Informal Letters: Email (Casual Emails)

But one of them recently sent me an e-mail
complaining that, now that we are communicating on a
regular basis, she actually misses me more, not
less(Lam)
Often much like informal letters, but sometimes
lacking structure, grammar
More Frequent: Communicating is much more a
shallow
Not as personal (Lam)
Image: http://www.starterist.com/marketing/

Contemporary Letters
Most modern letters are composed on a
computer
These letters are sent through the
internet
Contemporary letters are sent through
websites such as Twitter, Facebook,
etc.
Letter writing is in decline (Huffington
Post)
Modern letter writing methods are just
easier

Image: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/celebrities-read-mean-tweets-volume5_n_4324121.html#gallery/326550/14

Why Write a Handwritten Letter Today?

Handwritten letters almost obsolete now (Lam)
Handwritten letters relate to the prior generation
More effort, more personal, permanent, heartfelt, identity

What is the future of letter writing?

Why could you still write handwritten letter?

Image: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0031AV74E.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Works Cited
"Writing Formal And Informal Letters". Skillswise. BBC, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Chapter 33. Conducting A Direct Action Campaign | Section 2. Writing Letters To The Editor | Main Section | Community Tool Box". U
Kansas, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Doyle, Alison. "Tips For Writing Letters Of Recommendation For Employment". About.com Careers. About.com, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Email Design Guide". Mailchimp. MailChimp, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"THE ART OF LETTER-WRITING". JSTOR. Ithaka, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Letters As / Not A Genre". Life Writing (2005): n. pag. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Definition Of LETTER". Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Methods of Communication that have Threatened Letter Writing. Letters Preserve Memories. Web. 23 February. 2016.
"Business Letter Format: How To Write A Business Letter | Xerox". Xerox Office.Xerox, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Purdue OWL: Basic Business Letters". Purdue Owl, Purdue, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Works Cited Continued

"Purdue OWL: Email Etiquette". Purdue Owl. Purdue, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Business E-Mail Communication: Some Emerging Tendencies In Register". Sciencedirect. Elsevier B.V, 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Wong, Curtis M. "U.S. Postal Service Survey Reveals Personal Letters At Record Low." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Aug.
2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Trimbur, John. The Call To Write. New York: Longman, 2014. Print.
Lam, Andrew. "The Lost Art of Letter Writing." Huffpost Education. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 May 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.