By the final stage of the letter Keane reflects on the birth of his son and the tone changes again to one of optimism and hope. Keane reflects on all aspects of his life to date and begins to not only accept but also forgive his father in spite of his faults. He says, "I thought of your grandfather". This highlights that Keane has forgiven him as he is talking about him as if he is still one of the family. People criticise Keane for being People criticise Keane for being melodramatic in these paragraphs. He melodramatic in these paragraphs. He “overdoes” the drama and emotion of the “overdoes” the drama and emotion of the moment. Keane was not there and has moment. Keane was not there and has made some of his narrative up (based on made some of his narrative up (based on facts) for dramatic effect. So is the setting facts) for dramatic effect. So is the setting made to seem worse to emphasise his made to seem worse to emphasise his mother’s struggles and hardships?mother’s struggles and hardships?

Keane effectively continues the tone set by his experiences as a war correspondent and having witnessed children's suffering to reflect on his own childhood in the third stage of the letter. The letter changes from first person narrative to third person and Keane begins the paragraph saying, " It begins thirty five years ago in a big city". This sounds like the start of a gritty fairytale. ACTIVITY 2ACTIVITY 2• Consider the following possibilities and decide which one Consider the following possibilities and decide which one On the way a taxi driver notices her sitting exhausted and cold in the doorway of a shop and he takes her to hospital for free. Later that day she gives birth to a baby boy and just as you are to me, he is the best thing she has ever seen. Her husband comes that night and weeps with joy when he sees his son. He is truly happy. Hungover, broke, but in his own way happy, for they were both young and in love with each other, and their son. By distancing himself from his father, he also By distancing himself from his father, he also makes it easier for him to forgive as his dad makes it easier for him to forgive as his dad has been made out like any other man and has been made out like any other man and his unfortunate circumstances could have his unfortunate circumstances could have happened to anyone.happened to anyone. 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 tone is created in the 1. What tone is created in the apartmentapartment2. What has the birth of his son 2. What has the birth of his son brought Keane?brought Keane?1. What does the writer mean in his 1. What does the writer mean in his use of “days have melted into night”?use of “days have melted into night”? Sentence structure – Sentence structure – repetition of phrases repetition of phrases containing “and”.containing “and”. The sympathetic tone of this part of the letter reinforces the idea of regret and it evokes emotions of sadness from the reader. I wonder how I could I wonder how I could ever have thought that ever have thought that glory and prizesglory and prizes and and praise were sweeter praise were sweeter than than lifelife.’.’

As the letter continues the tone alters as Keane reflects on his life as a foreign war correspondent for the BBC. Keanes use of language is very effective in establishing a negative mood in the next few paragraphs. He describes Sharja, a girl aged twelve who has lost both her parents and says "guiding me through the grey ruins of her home, everything was gone". The setting he describes is in complete contrast with that of the first third of the letter where he talks about his comfortable family life. I am going to describe the details that Keane has included in "Letter to Daniel" and show how they have made an impact on the text as a whole.The book’s central theme is God’s sovereignty over history, empires, and kings ( 2:21; 4:34–37). All the kingdoms of this world will come to an end and will be replaced by the Lord’s kingdom, which will never pass away ( 2:44; 7:27). Though trials and difficulties will continue for God’s people up until the end, those who are faithful will be raised to glory, honor, and everlasting life in this final kingdom ( 12:1–3). Key Themes his newborn son was broadcast on the his newborn son was broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘From our BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘From our own Correspondent’. own Correspondent’. It started with a refusal. The producer called and asked if I would think of writing a piece about being a foreign correspondent and a father. I said no. I was on paternity leave and overwhelmed with the sleeplessness of early parenthood. But, Daniel, time had some bad surprises in store for them. The cancer of alcoholism ate away at the man and he lost his family. This was not something he meant to do or wanted to do, it just was. When you are older, my son, you will learn about how complicated life becomes, how we can lose our way and how people get hurt inside and out. By the time his son had grown up, the man lived away from his family, on his own in a one-roomed flat, living and dying for the bottle. He died on the fifth of January, one day before the anniversary of his son's birth, all those years before in that snowbound city.

His book on Rwanda, His book on Rwanda, Season of Season of BloodBlood, won the George Orwell Prize , won the George Orwell Prize for political writing.for political writing. The big idea in Letter to Daniel is about the writer writing a letter for when he grows up. He is very proud of his son and wants to protect him. He is writing this letter with Daniel cradled in his left arm. This story describes a person; the person is Daniel. Also the writer expresses their own thoughts and Here Keane gives detail about the Here Keane gives detail about the wounds and hardships the children wounds and hardships the children in war torn countries are suffering. in war torn countries are suffering. The detail of this anecdote and The detail of this anecdote and image makes the text more emotive image makes the text more emotive and engaging.and engaging.

Lastly, throughout the letter the writer relates to a particular theme. This theme first becomes apparent to me when the writer uses the phrase;

Daniel, these memories explain some of the fierce protectiveness I feel for you, the occasional moments of blind terror when I imagine anything happening to you. But there is something more, a story from long ago that I will tell you face to face, father to son, when you are older. 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 learning a new grammar, a long sentence whose punctuation marks are feeding and winding and nappy changing and these occasional moments of quiet. However, audience and purpose in non-fiction will vary However, audience and purpose in non-fiction will vary and are extremely important. and are extremely important. Suggests that the feeling of Suggests that the feeling of happiness is so great it outweighs happiness is so great it outweighs the tiredness which accompanies the the tiredness which accompanies the birth of a child.birth of a child.Setting - The word suggests the Setting - The word suggests the comfort and peace brought into his comfort and peace brought into his life by the son.life by the son.Word choice – “cradled”Word choice – “cradled”Tone &Tone &Sentence structure – Sentence structure – repetition of “more”repetition of “more” Surely FOOC - as we correspondents call it - was the place to talk about our experience of other people's lives and countries, not to reflect on our own. The children had died holding on The children had died holding on to their mother, that instinct we to their mother, that instinct we all learn from birth and in one all learn from birth and in one way or another cling to until we way or another cling to until we die.’die.’