The people who lived in Shenandoah National Park were obviously upset by having their lifestyles be drastically changed due to the creation of the park itself. They were confused and lost and didn't know how or what to do. To fix this, they responded to the Chief Ranger through written letters. Though most did not have immaculate grammar or vocabulary, they were still able to get their various points across. Because the letters were through written word and many had points and questions within them, I would consider the people of Shenandoah National Park to be writers, despite their lack of general knowledge of writing. Through the questions and complaints written in each letter, each individual person learned to write how they were feeling and thus were able to express themselves through written word.
Being able to express oneself through written word is how one can become a writer whether expressing their thoughts on a topic they've researched or expressing their beliefs in a letter to another person. This ability makes one a writer no matter their skill because they can express some kind of point to another person or group of people. If that point they make is understood then they've written effectively enough for another person to grasp what they've wanted to express. In my opinion, the people of Shenandoah National Park do this well enough for Mr. Lassiter or the Chief Ranger to grasp what they are feeling. Therefore, the people of Shenandoah National Park can and must be considered writers because they've thoroughly expressed themselves to the point where even an outsider reading the letters can understand what each individual is going through on their own properties.
I consider the people who lived in Shenandoah National writers because even though their writings contain many grammatical errors and the context of their letters are off. They were still able to understand each other. It is similar to how we use text today as a quick way to communicate back then, they probably were not expose to technology and letters were their fast way of communication. So I agree with Paige in saying that she consider the people who lived in National Park writers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paige and Eldia that the people of the National Park were writers. Despite educational differences they were able to convey their concerns to the Park ranger and other residents. I like how Eldia talks about how the concept of writing today differs from when these letters were written. At this day in age very few people would write a letter concerning issues such as these. But still both groups of people can be considered writers.
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