Letter

Write a letter to the person you interviewed, reflecting on your conversation and what you discovered about your 

idea for your essay. Explain the connection between your reading and your conversation with the friend or family 

member. As you compose the letter, think about ways to use evidence to interest your reader in that connection; you 

might, for instance, tell a story that relates to something the interviewee said, and which also relates to your chosen 

article. Perhaps you’d like to share a story of your own with the interviewee. Remember that your reader will require 

context for understanding.

– MSS Notes: 

– Your letter (or epistolary essay) should be no more than 3 typed double-spaced pages. 

– You won’t need MLA documentation for this letter, but you’ll still need to be clear about where you’re 

getting the phrases, images, sentences and ideas you are presenting. 

– Don’t belabor the fact that you are writing this letter to satisfy a course requirement; they know that. Use 

this as an opportunity to connect with this person on the topic and engage them in the work you are doing 

as a writer.

– Plan to send this letter to the interviewee. You’ll have several audiences then: your classmates, instructor, 

and this real person whom you care about. Adjust your diction and information accordingly. 

– Proofread and spell check diligently! Read your letter out loud before sending it off.

INTERVIEW WITH FAHAD A STUDENT AT California State University Northridge; CSUN.

Almejren: In a few words tell me who Fahad is?

Fahad: I am 20 year old young man, a proud Kuwaiti citizen living in America I arrived here in the spring of 2012, presently I am in my freshman year at California state university Northridge; CSUN. Pursuing a Major in Civil Engineering

Almejren: How did you end up in America and why did you not study in Kuwait

Fahad: I got the chance to study in America through a scholarship program and therefore thought it would be a great chance for me to meet new people and learn new cultures I wasn’t used to back home where I had been growing up my whole life.

Almejren: So coming to America what was your biggest worry?

Fahad: Before I came to America I knew that I would have a difficult time communicating in English since I was not good in speaking it or understanding it so this worried me a lot of times.

Almejren: When you arrived in America did you have the communication difficulty you thought you would?

Fahad: Yes it was very hard to understand what people were saying to me I was frustrated and also people got tired very first trying to talk to me ,I was sad and felt helpless many times as well as lonely I wished to go back home where I was understood but knew I had to adapt to my new country, I did not want to be seen as a failure back home.

Almejren: What steps did you take to prepare yourself to help you overcome this problem?

Fahad: I enrolled for a one year intensive language course at the California Polytechnic Language institution in Pomona, transferring to yet another ESL program in the fall of the same year at the California State University Dominguez hills in Carson, so that I could better prepare to join College where I knew all the instructions would be in English.

Almejren: Have you noticed any improvement in your communication skills

Fahad: Yes there has been a great improvement since last year, after I enrolled for the ESL programs I developed my English got better with time and has now improved to college level English.

Almejren: So you think the ESL classes were a good investment

Fahad: Yes I believe that the classes were a worthwhile investment into my future as I will use the English language in all parts of my life both here in the States and any other international country as English is the most spoken language in the world. Also once I joined college in August I wasn’t so much out of place and was able to understand what the teacher was teaching. I can also talk fluently and can understand what people are saying.

Almejren: What are your final comments?

Fahad: Learning is fun out you have to be passionate about whatever it’s you want to learn to succeed as sometimes it proves difficult, my hard work at the ESL paid off in the long run even though I am still work in progress. I love that I can chat on twitter or Facebook in English I am proud of my achievements and are a testimony that learning especially another language is worth your time.

Summary

Just like Fredrick Douglas’s journey with the English language all those many years ago so has been the journey of my best friend Fahad, from the questions I asked him regarding his various experiences in his efforts to learn the English language and where he has gotten so far in his journey to proper English. I realized similarities of his with Douglas even though not identical both of them were similar in that they both had a passion for the language and despite the challenges they faced at the end they were victorious.

Fahad and I are best friends we are both 20 and attend California state university Northridge; CSUN, in the interview I put forward questions regarding his experience with learning specifically the English language from the feedback he gave me it was evident that he gained a lot from his perseverance and interest in the English language which he realized from the onset would be an asset while in his stay at California state university Northridge; CSUN.

At his arrival in America he had difficulty in communicating to the people he interacted with on a daily basis and this was frustrating to him, just like Douglas who had to find an alternative means to learn how to read and write so was the case of Fahad who had enrolled in ESL programs where he saw marked improvement in his English which has helped him a lot in his college life and made his social interactions much easier.

Leaving your country and loved ones to persuade a degree is truly an amazing and brave decision. It is a proof that education is worth sacrifices. And also, a scholarship! to get a scholarship from your government means you have worked really hard in high school and graduated with a very high GPA, well done! Deciding to study in America without being fluent means you had to do anything possible to learn how to speak, read and write fluently before college starts.