Activity 27: ConsideringtheWritingTask—Letter totheEditor

Acommonwaytorespondtoaneditorialistowritea lettertothe editor.Nowthatyouhaveworkedextensivelywiththistext,youare readytowritea well-informedresponsetoRifkin’sorBraithwaite’s ideas.

Somepointstonotebeforewritingyourlettertotheeditorfollow:

  1. Agoodlettertotheeditorisfocusedandconcise.Itshouldmake yourpoint,butnowordsshouldbewasted.Itissometimesbest towritea longerdraftandthencutouteverythingthatisnot essential.
  1. Newspaper editorsoftencutletterstofittheavailablespaceorto makea lettermorefocused.Ifyourletterispublishedunedited, youareverylucky.
  1. Somelettersrespondtothethesisoftheeditorial,eitherin support ordisagreement,andprovide furtherargumentsor further evidence.Otherlettersfocusononepointmadebythe originalauthorandsupport it,question it,orrefuteit.
  1. Thesedays,mostlettersareemailedtothenewspaper. Togeta letterpublishedina majornewspaper, youmustwriteitquickly andsenditwithina dayortwoofthepublicationdateofthe editorialtowhichyouareresponding.
  1. Ifthenewspaper wantstopublish yourletter,youwillnormally receivea calloranemailtogetpermissionandtoverifythatyou reallyarewhoyousayyouare.
  1. Newspapersareinterested ina widerangeofviewpointsfrom diversecitizens.Ifyourletterisa goodexpression ofa particular viewpoint,bringsupnewinformationorarguments,orhas someparticularlygoodphrases,ithasa goodchanceofbeing published.

ChooseoneoftheLetter-to-the-Editorassignmentsbelow.

Response to Rifkin

Afterthinkingaboutyourreading,discussion, andanalysisofRifkin’s articleandthelettersinresponsetoit,whatdoyoupersonallythink aboutRifkin’spoint?Doyouthinkitistrue,asRifkinsays,that“many ofourfellow creaturesaremorelikeusthanwehadeverimagined”? Doyouthinkweneedtochangethewaywetreattheanimalsaround us?OrdoyouthinkRifkiniswrong?Writea letterexpressing your viewpointtotheeditorofthenewspaper.

Response to Braithwaite

VictoriaBraithwaitearguesthatfishhavenervoussystemsthatare similar tohumansandareverylikelytofeelpainthewaywedo. Shesays,“Weshouldadopta precautionaryethicalapproachand assumethatintheabsenceofevidencetothecontrary, fishsuffer.” Shealsosays,“Ofcourse,thisdoesn’tmeanthatwenecessarily mustchangeourbehavior. Onecouldreasonably adopta utilitarian cost-benefitapproachandarguethatthebenefitsofsportfishing, bothfinancial andrecreational,mayoutweightheethicalcostsofthe likelysufferingoffish.”

Shouldwebantheuseofbarbedhooks?Shouldwechangeour fishing practicesbecausefishmight suffer?OrisBraithwaitemaking a bigdealoutofnothing? Writea letterexpressing yourviewpointto theeditorofthenewspaper.

700 words minimum. Please put a word count at the bottom of your response.