This cheesy video from the 1950s illustrates a woman’s
confusion when she is writing a letter to thank someone for sending her an
invitation. She then asks her brother for help. He tells her about the initial
set up of the letter, what she should say, if it is supposed to be formal or informal,
etc. He then walks her through the format of the general format of every letter
and assists her in writing one saying she should speak as if she was talking to
them in person since it is not a formal letter. The video ends by her saying
that “writing letters will be a lot of fun”.
While not many people still send handwritten letters in the
mail, we still use the lessons her brother taught us in print culture today.
Some textbooks try to be informal, cool and hip so the students reading them
can better relate. Emails we send to professors are typically formal, starting
out with a more professional headline such as “Professor ______,” and might end
with “Sincerely, ______”. If you are emailing back and forth between your boss,
typically you would never use LOL or OMG. You would be a lot more professional
because it is your job, not your friends, much like how her brother
distinguished between the invitation that called for formal attire when you
accepted and one that called for a casual response and wear.
I find it extremely interesting that something this old
could still apply to our lives every day. I feel as if this format will continue
on throughout our entire lives.
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