Texts Letters of Note

Letters of Note

Letters of Note (lettersofnote.com) describes itself as an online museum of correspondence. It is an online collection of letters written by famous people or regarding famous events in history, compiled by Shaun Usher. Some are moving, some are funny and all are brilliant examples of letter writing. After working in advertising as a copywriter in New York City, Robert Pirosh moved to Hollywood in 1934 with dreams of becoming a screenwriter. Below is a transcript of the cover letter he sent to all of the directors, producers and studio execs he could think of. A cover letter is a formal letter you send to an employer along with your CV if you are trying to get a job. Pirosh went on to win an Academy Award for Best Writing (Story and Screenplay) in 1950, so clearly he was as good at screenwriting as he was at writing cover letters. Dear Sir: I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde. I like suave ‘V’ words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp. I like the word screenwriter better than copywriter, so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around. I have just returned and I still like words. May I have a few with you? Robert Pirosh 385 Madison Avenue Room 610 New York Eldorado 5-6024 ©The Educational Company of Ireland

READING

ACT IVITY

1 What does Robert Pirosh claim to like in this letter? 2 What do you think is the purpose of Robert Pirosh’s letter? 3 Choose three words from this letter that you have never come across before and complete a word exploration quad for each of them in your activity book (see page 159). 4 What features of letter writing appear in this letter? Complete the quote quest activity in your activity book (see page 130). 5 Do you think this is an example of a formal letter or an informal letter? 6 Do you think this is an interesting letter? Why? Why not? 7 If you were a movie producer and you received this as a cover letter, would you hire Robert Pirosh? COMMUNICATING Letters Live is a performance event where an array of well-known performers read a wide variety of letters to the audience. The letters are from all the corners of the world and were written in different time periods, from two hundred years ago to the present day. It is described as a celebration of the letter and was inspired by the Letters of Note website. 1 Choose two letter performances to listen to: edco.ie/hc7c 2 How did you feel after watching the letters being performed? Did you enjoy the performances? 3 Now think about the letter from Robert Pirosh opposite and answer the questions below. Who would you cast to read this letter and why? Give three reasons. What tone would you use to read this letter? Would you use any gestures while reading this letter? 4 Finally, record or perform a reading of the letter live for your class. ©The Educational Company of Ireland

WRITING

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