Sincerely (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Naomi Shihab Nye
- First Published: 1994
- Type of Work: Epistle/letter in verse
- Genres: Poetry, Epistolary literature, Didactic literature
- Subjects: Authors or writers, Poetry or poets, Writing, Letter writing, Postal service
The Poem
“Sincerely” is a cleverly constructed seventy-nine-line poem about the art and craft of letter writing. Its author, inspired by her Palestinian American heritage and extensive travels to Asia, the Middle East, and Central America, considers correspondence from friends, family, and strangers a fascinating subject. She begins the six-part poem by describing envelopes as “usually white and slim,/ bleached as a shell we might press to our ears.” Letters, she suggests, are full of mystery, humor, pathos, and joy. Within the first few lines, Naomi Shihab Nye poses...
[The entire page is 1355 words long]
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