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Essay / The Lost Art of Letter Writing - 1130
In the last week, how many texts, emails or instant messages have you received? The majority of you would probably answer “too many to count.” In fact, I would also have the same answer. Now think about how many handwritten letters you have received? And by handwritten letters, I mean a letter with a stamp and an envelope, sent by post. None at all? This is not surprising, given the great benefits of technological communication that are causing people to abandon communication by mail. According to an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, in 2010, a typical household received a personal letter every seven weeks. This is a decline from results in 1987, when a typical household received a personal letter every two weeks. If handwritten letters were compared to emails, yes, it would lose out in terms of ease, convenience and speed of delivery; however, it would win based on its value, impact, and emotional sentiment. It is tragic to see letter writing, an art form for some people, slowly disappearing in favor of an alternative. The lost art of letter writing is worth reviving because there are so many features of handwritten letters that outweigh those of a typed email. I wasn't really aware of the rarity of letter writing until the only means of communication with my brother at boot camp was through letters, and I found myself in new territory. There was some research and a little shopping trip for supplies. Everything, the type of paper, the type of pen, the color of the ink, the formatting and the content of the letter, everything was planned out. Through a handwritten letter the writer's personality really shines through because...... middle of paper...... the tear stains were there, they couldn't be seen on an email. All the tear stains would be on the keyboard in the writer's house. Overall, the physical written letter is preferable to the typed email because it has some effect and provides more information through small clues. With the rise of communication via the Internet, many people have abandoned the archaic method of communication: letter writing. We cannot deny that technological communication has very persuasive advantages, but we have completely forgotten that communicating through handwritten letters has many other types of advantages, which are mostly overlooked. With the gradual decline in the use of letters, this method will eventually disappear before we know it. This would be the ideal time to try to revive this means of communication before it is forgotten by everyone..