Keaton 1

Megan Keaton
Dr. Yancey
Everyday Writing
6 October 2014
The Everyday-ness(?) of a Letter
The everyday writing I analyzed for this case study is a letter from a father to his son. (A
transcription of the letter is in the appendix to this paper.) In this letter, the father gives his son
his Kawai piano. The letter is printed on white printer paper. The bulk of the letter which
includes a title (The Kawai), his experiences with the Kawai, and the passing of the piano to
his son is written in black Old English typeface, around 20 point in size. Other than the
centered title, all typed text is left aligned. The father uses five paragraphs to explain what the
Kawai has meant to him, to wish the same kinds of fulfillment to his son, and to freely give the
piano to his son. The paragraphs are single-spaced. New paragraphs are indicated with an extra
space and do not include indents. Meanwhile, the date, the greeting, and a signature are
handwritten in cursive with black pen ink. To Madison is written on the top left of the letter
while May 21st, 2009 is written on the top right; Dad is signed on the bottom left. The letter
has also been framed in a thin silver frame that leaves the majority of the paper exposed.
This letter mixes three genres: letter, narrative story, and deed. It is a letter as it includes a
greeting and signature; it even has a closing line that would often be found in a personal letter, I
love you. It is also a narrative story in that it is titled and includes an emotional description of
how the Kawai has been used for the last 31 years. Finally, it is a deed because it acts as written
consent for a transfer of ownership. It even moves from the poetic language of the narrative to a
formal and legalist tone: Therefore, with spiritual seriousness, I freely give you the Kawai. To

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help me analyze this letter, I asked myself a series of questions; this paper is organized by those
questions. My analysis led me to realize that this letter is simultaneously personal, intimate, and
sentimental as well as official, public, and contractually binding.
Why did the father write a letter? Why didnt he share his sentiments through spoken
word?
The father likely chose to write a letter because a letter has a kind of permanence that
spoken word does not. This permanence allows him to keep alive his sentimental and intimate
connection with the piano. In the second paragraph of the letter, the father writes, To a degree,
Kawai equals God and family because my dedication to God and family has always been
manifested through how He has blessed me in regard to composition and music dedicated to His
glory. His piano, he claims, is as important as God and his family. More, he partially equates
the Kawai with himself, as he asserts that the emotions he has had as a player have been a
reflection of himself and explains that his level of dedication to the piano will determine what
he will see in the mirror. In the Kawai, he can see himself, and, when he spends time with the
Kawai, he sees a better version of himself. Finally, the writer personifies the piano, stating, It
has been a real friend. In fact, in the second paragraph, he drops the article the and treats
Kawai as a name rather than as the brand of the piano. He feels great emotional attachment to
the piano as it has (1) helped him express his love for his family and for God, (2) shown him a
better version of himself, and (3) acted as a friend who brings him comfort, happiness, peace,
[and] hope. Because he has had such an intimate relationship with his piano, the father likely
wanted to use the letter as a way to keep a lasting description of this relationship. Spoken word
would not have enabled him to create a permanent record of what the Kawai has meant to him.
Why did the writer use Old English typeface?

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The choice of typeface may allude to the intent of preserving the letter; this preservation
would be necessary if the fathers experiences with the Kawai are to live on. As the name Old
English implies, the typeface calls forth the length of time that the typeface has survived; by
using this typeface, then, the father suggests that the letter and the sentiments in it will also
remain for a long time. Similarly, the typeface could also be read as imitating typefaces used for
Bibles. Not only does this continue to call forth the concept of a long surviving text, it also
highlights the importance of the letter. Given the writers emphasis on his faith, he likely
believes the Bible is an incredibly important document. As he connects the Kawai and God, he
may be connecting the importance of the Bible with the importance of his letter.
Why does the letter shift into a formal and legalist tone?
Because the piano is important, the father may have felt that the passing of the piano
needed to be handled in a more official manner than an oral transaction. This leads to the letters
ability to act as an official and contractually binding agreement. The language in the fourth
paragraph turns the letter into a deed, as it mimics the legalist language that is found in
documents used to pass property from one hand to another: Therefore, with spiritual
seriousness, I freely give you the Kawai, not for storage or to be returned one day, but for the rest
of your life. The father, with this language, binds himself into giving away his piano and
removes the possibility of reclaiming it. Furthermore, the father writes, The time has come for
you to carry the Kawai through its second generation. The son is given the responsibility of
holding onto the piano in his generation. Furthermore, as he numbers the generation (suggesting
that there will be more than a second generation), the father implies that he expects the piano to
be passed from generation to generation. The letter acts as an implied contract, obligating the son
to take care of the piano within his generation and to pass it to the next.

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Why did he handwrite certain items? Why didnt he type it all? Why didnt he handwrite it
all?
The combination of computer generated text and handwriting points to the dual role of
the letter. Typewritten documents are often seen as more official and important than handwritten
documents. It is unlikely that a lawyer would draw up a legally binding document in
handwriting, after all. Moreover, handwritten documents must be rewritten completely if the
document is destroyed or lost. On the other hand, because they are typically saved and can be
reprinted easily, typewritten documents are often assumed to be less ephemeral than handwritten
documents.
Yet, handwriting adds sentimentality and intimacy to the letter. As we discussed in class,
handwriting often carries more emotional weight because we give more meaning to writing that
takes more work; handwriting is often seen as more work than typing. We also often recognize
people in relation to their handwriting as the handwriting is unique to each person. Handwriting
the greeting, then, brings forth the fathers presence and suggests an emotional weight that the
typewritten text does not (at least before the words are read). The signature also suggests
intimacy because it is signed as Dad, signifying a personal and intimate relationship, rather
than his name. Alternatively, handwriting is used for signing official documents. The signature at
the bottom, then, could imitate a signature that is included at the end of a deed.
Why is the letter framed?
The letter is given further importance because it is framed. Whether the father or son
framed it, the frame suggests that the letter will be displayed. The framing shows that the letter is
a sentimental artifact because the letter is likely to stay in better condition and last longer when it
is framed and on display than if it was tucked away in a box. On the other hand, displaying the

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letter suggests that the sons children will read the letter. The visibility of the letter adds to its
contractual nature because the children will know the piano is supposed to be passed to them.
What does this teach us about everyday writing?
This letter complicates my understanding of everyday writing because it acts
simultaneously as everyday and not everyday. By most definitions, this particular letter is
everyday writing. To being with, the letter as genre is typically considered everyday (Barton and
Hall 2-3). This particular letter was written by an everyday person to an everyday person. It was
also written on an ordinary day as the letter did not mark a birthday or holiday. Most of the letter
is written in an informal tone and includes repetition of ideas and convoluted sentences; these
features likely would be edited out in more academic and/or professional (i.e. non-everyday)
writing. Yet, in the lives of the letter writer and reader, the occasion that was marked by the letter
(that of passing on the piano) was far from ordinary. Additionally, it was not written as everyday
correspondence, like many letters are. Given the letters importance, it does not seem mundane,
and the letter reader and writer likely do not want the letter to be transitory, which is why they
framed it.
Before completing this study, I thought a text needed to be identified as everyday by all
audiences in order for it to be labeled as everyday writing. However, this case study showed me
that different audiences may understand the everyday-ness of a text differently. For instance, the
letter writers family would not label this letter everyday writing. Meanwhile, those outside of
the family (except perhaps for very close family friends) would likely call the letter everyday
writing because they do not have the same position toward it; they are unlikely to know, for
instance, that the piano was bought by Madisons maternal grandfather and given as a gift to
Madisons father or that music and composing is central to the son/father relationship. Without

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understanding the importance of the piano, one is unlikely to give significant weight to the letter,
meaning one would probably call the letter everyday.
I think, then, whether a text is defined as everyday depends on circulation among
particular kinds of audiences. A text becomes less everyday as it circulates among more
audiences who give it special (non-everyday) value. Anne Franks diary, for instance, was
everyday when it had a small circulation (beginning with Anne Frank herself and expanding to
include Miep and Otto prior to the diarys publication) (Anne Franks History). As its
circulation widened, more people found value in the diary and gave it a special (non-everyday)
status. On the other hand, unless Madison, his father or someone who owns the piano in the
future becomes famous, it is unlikely the letter used for this case study will be called noneveryday by people outside of the family; this would probably be the case even if it was
published and read by several people because giving a piano to someone is not an extraordinary
event. Therefore, though it is important to the family, the letter is likely to keep its status as
everyday.

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Works Cited
Anne Franks History: the story of Anne Frank. annefrank.org. Anne Frank Museum, n.d.
Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Barton, David, and Nigel Hall. Letter Writing as a Social Practice. Amsterdam: John Benjamins
Publishing Company, 2000. Print.

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May 21st 2009

To Madison
The Kawai

During the past 31 years the Kawai has been a vital part of not just my musical development, but
yours as well. You have developed to a point where it is essential that you have an instrument, an
instrument that you can count on everyday to be under your hands as you further develop your
understanding of the mysteries of music as well as yourself.
For 31 years the Kawai has been an anchor in my life. Outside of God and family, I find it hard
to differentiate my love for it from my love for God and family. I suppose that is because all I
have ever wanted to do with regard to music was for God and family. I guess you could say it
has always been God, family and Kawai. To a degree, Kawai equals God and family because my
dedication to God and family has always been manifested through how He has blessed me in
regard to composition and music dedicated to His glory.
The time has come for you to carry the Kawai through its second generation. It has been a real
friendit has brought me comfort, happiness, peace, hope and at times even sadness. But, isnt
that simply a reflection it offers to the player? The complexities of emotions and feelings I have
experienced over the last 31 years having the Kawai could not possibly be put into wordsthey
have been the purest form of self-awareness and confidence. If you experience only a portion of
the fulfillment I have had from having the Kawai at my disposal that would make me very
happy. It is really up to you and the time you invest at the keyboard that will determine what you
will see in the mirror.
Therefore, with spiritual seriousness, I freely give you the Kawai, not for storage or to be
returned one day, but for the rest of your life. It has done for me what it was meant to doeven
so the passing of it to you. You have earned it and you deserved it.
May God always open the mysteries of music to you and anoint your mind and hands for His
Glory.
I love you.
Dad