Mary Stafford's Letter Dbq

Everyday writing has been done since the Sumerians created cuneiform. Postcards, diaries, letters, to-do lists are all included in everyday writing. Although some people claim we are faced with an inundation of information, and trivial writings should be discarded for the sake of space, it is important to preserve and study these everyday writings, as these everyday writings are part of the United States’ heritage, and studying them enriches our knowledge of rhetorical and historical concepts. (Source F)

Mary Stafford’s letter, written in 1863, has become of more historical importance than she could ever have dreamed when she related the local gossip of dresses, babies, and deaths to her cousin. (Source B) This letter is part of America’s heritage, as it contains small but not unimportant details about the lifestyle and events of the time period. The letter also illustrates how Americans lived one hundred and fifty-five years ago, and divulges the writing habits typical of 19th-century American women. What was a trivial communication from one cousin to another has historical import now, and could be considered a part of America’s culture?

Studying everyday writings, such as Mary Stafford’s letter (Source B) and Mrs.

E. Norman’s postcard (Source C) enriches our knowledge of rhetorical concepts such as exposition, circulation, and delivery, as well as giving them an assortment of genres to analyze. Utilizing letters and diaries that were written by real people in different time periods will also they bring life and personality to the abstract concepts in history books. For example, The Diary of a Young Girl has enlightened hundreds of people about Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, bringing emotions into what otherwise would have been a list of incidents and dates. Smaller texts, like Mary Stafford’s letter, paint a picture of the Indiana town, New Carlisle, as it was in the later

1800s.
Roman philosopher Seneca argued that a multiplicity of information is worthless to the owner, and this debate has been re-sparked by Congress deciding to archive Twitter posts: should we preserve everyday writing, or discard the ephemera? (Source D) (Source F) I argue that we should. These everyday ephemera are more candid and personal than politically correct official documents, and are or will be one of America’s most important historical sources. Even tweets, as ungrammatical or nonsensical as they can be, have a place in America’s history.
America should carefully preserve all the everyday texts she had acquired. Despite their assumed triviality, they are part of her heritage, and examining them will augment our knowledge of rhetoric and history.