Analyzing Letters to the Editor

Letter 1:

Almost everyone in Massachusetts had their own opinion of the election of Scott Brown to replace the US Senate seat of late Ted Kennedy. One of the best ways to let these opinions be heard is by writing to a newspaper or magazines and hope to get your piece published in the “Letters to the Editor” section. In my search for letters on this topic, I came across this letter on MassLive.

This letter was an interesting piece on the responsibilities of the Republican Party now that Scott Brown has been elected. Rather than writing about how Brown has to step up and prove that he was worthy of the win, the writer chose this platform to send a message to all Republicans. It was a very interesting writing style and I’m glad that the publishers of The Republican decided it would be a good idea to print this piece.

I’m sure plenty of people wrote into The Republican saying that Brown’s election was a travesty and that Massachusetts failed the country. And I’m not going to say I don’t disagree with these people. But as this writer said, the fact of the matter is that Brown won the election by using powerful campaign methods and by sticking to his guns and not backing down. And this writer is correct in what she says. The Republican Party needs to follow in the footsteps of Scott Brown and realize how to run a successful campaign the next time elections roll around. And the GOP absolutely needs to realize that Brown’s campaign strategy was the perfect way to rattle things in Congress.

Watch out Democrats, the Republicans are coming for you.

Letter 2:

Another letter to the editor that I found dealt with the success of the New Orleans Saints and their influence on New Orleans and Louisiana. As any NFL fan would know, the talk of the league this entire season has revolved around the resurgence of the Saints and how the team feels like it is carrying the city of New Orleans on its collective shoulders. Everywhere you turn some announcer or sportscaster is saying those exact words. As this person wrote on Boston.com, people seem to have forgotten how badly New Orleans was affected by Hurricane Katrina nearly five years ago.

As I read this I realized how right this person is. I haven’t given a second thought to New Orleans or Louisiana in quite some time. And when I hear the reports on ESPN I immediately think that things must be going great in New Orleans. But as the writer of this letter knows firsthand, things in New Orleans are nowhere near back to normal. Businesses and locals are indeed still struggling and the city and surrounding locales are far from the place they were before Katrina struck.

What stands out the most to me about this article is the fact that it came not from a professional writer or journalist, but from a citizen who felt the need to enlighten not just the public but also the writer of the article on what is actually going on in New Orleans. I give her the utmost credit for submitting this letter to The Boston Globe and just as much credit to the Globe for publishing it. This is a perfect example of how in this day and age even non-professionals can enlighten the masses.