Letter to Daniel: Despatches from the Heart

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Setting/Word choice – Setting/Word choice – effect of “soft”effect of “soft”Word choice – “melted”Word choice – “melted” The wordchoice of “huddled together”, “holding” and “cling” shows the sacred image between mother and child. He also conveys this idea when he is writing about his mother; his newborn son was broadcast on the his newborn son was broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘From our BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘From our own Correspondent’. own Correspondent’. Question Selection: We guide students in selecting the most relevant and effective questions for analysis.

These earthly events are reflections of a great conflict between angelic forces of good and evil (ch. 10). Prayer is a significant weapon in that conflict ( 9:23). But, Daniel, time had some bad surprises in store for them. The cancer of alcoholism ate away at the man and he lost his family. This was not something he meant to do or wanted to do, it just was. When you are older, my son, you will learn about how complicated life becomes, how we can lose our way and how people get hurt inside and out. By the time his son had grown up, the man lived away from his family, on his own in a one-roomed flat, living and dying for the bottle. He died on the fifth of January, one day before the anniversary of his son's birth, all those years before in that snowbound city. His ego and need to please and His ego and need to please and receive praise outweighed his receive praise outweighed his own safety previously. He now own safety previously. He now finds this ridiculous notionfinds this ridiculous notion This This gloriousglorious dawn sky makes dawn sky makes me think we’ll call you Son of me think we’ll call you Son of the Eastern Star.”the Eastern Star.” I said I would think about it. But I didn't 'think'. Instead, one morning early, sitting up with the baby in one arm, I just started to write. Directly to my son.II know, know, II have lived a have lived a life that, on occasion, life that, on occasion, has has veeredveered close to the close to the edge: war zones, edge: war zones, natural disasters, natural disasters, darkness in all its darkness in all its shapes and forms.’shapes and forms.’ The sympathetic tone of this part of the letter reinforces the idea of regret and it evokes emotions of sadness from the reader. What feelings do the new parents 1. What feelings do the new parents have.have.2. What do their feelings help cope 2. What do their feelings help cope with? with? Look at this sentence. Comment 1. Look at this sentence. Comment on the structure of this sentence.on the structure of this sentence.2. Comment on the phrase “Wanted 2. Comment on the phrase “Wanted you and waited for you”.you and waited for you”.

The writer also helps to convey emotion and feelings throughout the letter by using an appropriate tone. I can see that Keane uses a personal tone at first as he uses words such as “you” and “I” repeatedly. This emphasises the sincerity of his letter and helps to convey his thoughts and emotions. However his tone changes to a more formal one when he begins to describe the disasters and darkness that he has faced as a reporter. He contrasts his child’s actions with these disasters and I can see this through the writer’s wordchoice. He describes his son with gentle and innocent images such as “sleeping face” “sigh” “gurgle” “glory” “prizes” and “praise”.learning a new grammar, a long sentence whose punctuation marks are feeding and winding and nappy changing and these occasional moments of quiet. It begins 35 years ago in a big city on a January morning with snow on the ground and a woman walking to hospital to have her first baby. She is in her early twenties and the city is still strange to her, bigger and noisier than the easy streets and gentle hills of her distant home. She's walking because there is no money and everything of value has been pawned to pay for the alcohol to which her husband has become addicted.

The writer is conflicted. He is very happy and overjoyed about his son but also feels differently when it comes to the world. He thinks the world is a very cruel place because of the things he has seen with his won two eyes. Letter to Daniel is about Daniel’s father writing a letter to him explaining how hr is so This reflects Keane’s own life. His This reflects Keane’s own life. His mother was left alone to bring him up mother was left alone to bring him up as his father became victim to as his father became victim to alcoholism.alcoholism. StructureStructure – lists most dangerous – lists most dangerous places he has been to emphasise places he has been to emphasise the risks he once tookthe risks he once took What feeling does Keane have 1. What feeling does Keane have for his son and the future?for his son and the future? Letter Overview/SynopsisLetter Overview/Synopsis• At its most basic it is a father’s expression of joy and hope at the birth of his At its most basic it is a father’s expression of joy and hope at the birth of hisBecause Fergal Keane has used Because Fergal Keane has used very precise detail in his letter to very precise detail in his letter to his son, the reader is given much his son, the reader is given much more powerful imagery and a real more powerful imagery and a real sense of what Keane writes about.sense of what Keane writes about. The tone of happiness and joy reinforces the universal theme of fatherhood effectively and the closeness of the bond between father and son is clearly established in the opening paragraphs. God rules over all of these conflicts and events, he limits the damage they do, and he has a precise timetable for the end of his people’s persecutions. At that time he will finally intervene to cleanse and deliver his people (ch. 12). Alcohol is an occupational hazard for journalists; for me it went from being the comforting, relaxing presence that calmed the aftermath of witnessing bloody violence, to a self destructive compulsion, that taken to its logical conclusion would have taken my life just as I had seen it take the careers, marriages and lives of good friends and colleagues in newspapers and broadcasting.

Lastly, throughout the letter the writer relates to a particular theme. This theme first becomes apparent to me when the writer uses the phrase; calmness and peacefulness of their home, which triggers emotions of happiness and joy in the reader.And, as I've said, I found my father. In those shivering early morning hours before I quit, in hotels across the world, I think I was touched by some of the pain he knew as alcohol was claiming more of his life and spirit, that steady, incremental departure of hope. By distancing himself from his father, he also By distancing himself from his father, he also makes it easier for him to forgive as his dad makes it easier for him to forgive as his dad has been made out like any other man and has been made out like any other man and his unfortunate circumstances could have his unfortunate circumstances could have happened to anyone.happened to anyone. God is sovereign over the course of history, even over those who rebel against him and seek to destroy his people (ch. 8). Practice Questions: A full set of practice questions ensures students have ample opportunities to hone their analytical and writing skills.