Letter to Daniel: Despatches from the Heart

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God humbles the proud and raises up the humble. Even the hearts of the greatest kings are under his control (chs. 4; 5). The film is told through chapters featuring voiceover throughout the film. This voiceover is Amy reading her titular letters to Daniel Craig. This is a unique way to frame the film, but it wasn’t clear why. We never hear Amy talking about Craig’s impact on her until near the end of the film. It would have been interesting to actually see a scene where she first sees his work or something of that ilk. If she didn’t keep saying his name in the voiceover, it would be easy to forget that she was writing to him. The letter writers shared stories of their lives. They were the kind of letters only a programme like From Our Own Correspondent could inspire. Narrative stance – ‘I’Narrative stance – ‘I’Word choice - ‘veered’Word choice - ‘veered’&&Sentence StructureSentence Structure Keane ends his letter with a more Keane ends his letter with a more hopeful tone. He is looking forward hopeful tone. He is looking forward more to the future as he thinks more to the future as he thinks about how his own father would be about how his own father would be proud to hear his grandson.proud to hear his grandson.

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? And having known that pain I could only feel compassion and that word which we tough, battle weary journalists of the war zones find so hard to use...love. God can give his faithful servants abilities that cause even unbelievers to appreciate them (chs. 2; 3; 6). Nevertheless, believers should not assume that God will always rescue them from harm ( 3:16–18). 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;

In writing I spoke not just about becoming a father, but also about my own past, about loss and the failure of dreams, about the pain of different children I had met along the roads of war, about my father and how alcohol had taken him from me. What people say about What people say about us is reason enough to us is reason enough to gamble with deathgamble with death.’.’ Letter to Daniel is about Daniel's father writing a letter to him explaining how he is so protective of Daniel. In Rwanda people were trying to kill each other because they were different race. In Fergal Keane's essay "letter To Daniel" the writer tells his son howhe wants to protect him from everything that happens in the world.

The narrative changes from second to third The narrative changes from second to third person. The change removes or distances person. The change removes or distances him from the action initially. We expect a him from the action initially. We expect a story told in third person by a neutral and story told in third person by a neutral and omniscient author; but it becomes clear – omniscient author; but it becomes clear – through convincing detail - that he is telling through convincing detail - that he is telling his own storyhis own story He describes his fathers condition as “cancer”, in other words he sees it as a disease and knows that it could not be helped. This metaphor shows no sense of blame towards his father and also shows that it is killing him. The phrase “it just was” also gives me a sense of his acceptance of his fathers condition. He loved his family, but he was “living and dying for the bottle” and the love he had did not save him. He understands what it would have been like for his father to be separated from his family, as he now has one of his own. I think that this is why he decided to reveal that it was his father at the end of the letter. He personalised it because he now understood. He was not just “a man” anymore, he is “your grandfather”. The clever way in which the writer has used this tone makes me realise what emotions he feels.general public.general public.3.3. The letter is aimed both at his son and the general The letter is aimed both at his son and the general Question Selection: We guide students in selecting the most relevant and effective questions for analysis.

There is one last memory of There is one last memory of Rwanda … beaten to death.’Rwanda … beaten to death.’ Letters to Daniel tells McCorkle’s story over a fifteen-year period, framed with letters to her favorite actor Daniel Craig. The film begins in 1999, as McCorkle (Megan Jones) and her best friend Missy (Virginia Beld) take a chance and move to Texas to pursue filmmaking. In a way, the beginning of the film is an interesting take on a coming-of-age story, with Amy and Missy learning how to become financially independent and dealing with being away from home for the first time. source: Healing Hands Entertainment 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 Growing ever more faint as the Growing ever more faint as the wind blew dust on to his wounds’wind blew dust on to his wounds’

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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. What feeling does Keane have 1. What feeling does Keane have for his son and the future?for his son and the future? Sentence structure – Sentence structure – repetition of phrases repetition of phrases containing “and”.containing “and”.

The writers aim is to create a tone of The writers aim is to create a tone of calm and tranquillity. His baby is calm and tranquillity. His baby is comfortable and safe comfortable and safe More than anything though it was the presence of my son, the boy in the Letter: his zest for life and his need for my presence gave me the strength I needed. Keane goes on to describe how he hopes for "New beginnings". This establishes that he is looking forward to having a good future with his son and it also highlights the sense of hope he feels. Setting is important in this third of the letter as it describes Keane's birth and also his childhood. He describes his mother being alone in a "big city". This conveys an idea of loneliness and isolation and is as though Keane is distancing himself from the situation being described, establishing that this is a story that many can identify with, it is a universal experience.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. Letter to Daniel’ is a Letter to Daniel’ is a non-fiction textnon-fiction text and in non- and in non-fiction we would normally expect authors fiction we would normally expect authors to write as to write as themselvesthemselves – rather than to adopt a different persona. – rather than to adopt a different persona. No longer recognises the person No longer recognises the person he was. Realises the need to put he was. Realises the need to put his son before everything else. his son before everything else. Will this impact on how he does Will this impact on how he does his job?his job? The setting also has a significant role to play in triggering an emotional response from the reader in the opening paragraphs. Keane creates a peaceful and tranquil setting in the opening paragraphs through his word choice. He says " there is a soft quiet in our apartment". This highlights the calm silence of his apartment and also emphasises the