Pryor. Master, and Father.
Daniel Le 11-1
January 30, 2009
English III
Mr. Fiorini
Dear Mr. Pryor,
Or should I call you father? But then again, I am your property, so should I call you Master? If anyone were to ask me what I would call you, I wouldn’t know what to tell them either. I mean you haven’t been much of a father to me, or an owner. I guess I should be glad I was too young to work on the fields when I was still there, and now I am safe with my family. If I were to ask you, when was the last time you tucked me in for bed? When was the last time we spent some quality time shared between a father and his son? Or when was the last time you taught me something, like how to be a manly man, or how to court a girl? You probably don’t even know how old I am right now! Well for your information, “father,” I am thirteen now. Have you ever waked up to find that your family is gone, and to find out that you may never see them again? I cried for weeks and weeks, but you didn’t know that did you. That’s because you checked on me thrice from the time momma Ginny left with my brother and sister. After the first few weeks, it started to sink in that they aren’t coming back for me. I was determined to escape on my own, and if fate ordains, we might meet someday. From there, I taught myself how to write and read, so it would be easier to find my way to freedom. When my preparations were complete, I was taken by two men. It was soon revealed to me that they were hired by my mother to take me to her. I guess you can call that good timing. I felt the weight just rise off of my weak shoulders. Now, I can say that I truly belong to a real family. We may not have a father figure, but we have a mother who does her part, and she does a pretty good job of playing the role you were supposed to play.
Anyways, I am writing this letter as a final goodbye to you. I want you to know that I am happy with my family where I am, and we are perfectly capable of surviving on our own. I guess I should thank you for giving me half my life, but that is all the credit you get. I hope you have a good life, father, and master, whatever you wish to call yourself. Goodbye.
Sincerely,
Benny
January 30, 2009
English III
Mr. Fiorini
The Father Who Owns His Children
Dear Mr. Pryor,
Or should I call you father? But then again, I am your property, so should I call you Master? If anyone were to ask me what I would call you, I wouldn’t know what to tell them either. I mean you haven’t been much of a father to me, or an owner. I guess I should be glad I was too young to work on the fields when I was still there, and now I am safe with my family. If I were to ask you, when was the last time you tucked me in for bed? When was the last time we spent some quality time shared between a father and his son? Or when was the last time you taught me something, like how to be a manly man, or how to court a girl? You probably don’t even know how old I am right now! Well for your information, “father,” I am thirteen now. Have you ever waked up to find that your family is gone, and to find out that you may never see them again? I cried for weeks and weeks, but you didn’t know that did you. That’s because you checked on me thrice from the time momma Ginny left with my brother and sister. After the first few weeks, it started to sink in that they aren’t coming back for me. I was determined to escape on my own, and if fate ordains, we might meet someday. From there, I taught myself how to write and read, so it would be easier to find my way to freedom. When my preparations were complete, I was taken by two men. It was soon revealed to me that they were hired by my mother to take me to her. I guess you can call that good timing. I felt the weight just rise off of my weak shoulders. Now, I can say that I truly belong to a real family. We may not have a father figure, but we have a mother who does her part, and she does a pretty good job of playing the role you were supposed to play.
Anyways, I am writing this letter as a final goodbye to you. I want you to know that I am happy with my family where I am, and we are perfectly capable of surviving on our own. I guess I should thank you for giving me half my life, but that is all the credit you get. I hope you have a good life, father, and master, whatever you wish to call yourself. Goodbye.
Sincerely,
Benny
posted by DannyLe123 @ 10:50 AM
5 Comments:
At February 16, 2009 at 5:03 PM ,
Unknown said...
I liked the fact that you showed that Benny couldn't decide what to call his father. And the examples of things Pryor never taught Benny really appeals to one's emotion and if Pryor had actually read this, he probably would have cried. I thought that it was really ironic that you chose two men to save Benny, just like Pryor hired two men to kill Nig-Nag. You have great word choice; it really made everything flow very well together. All in all, excellent job Danny!
-Grand Master Afro
At February 16, 2009 at 8:18 PM ,
DannyLe123 said...
thanks steve. =D
At February 20, 2009 at 5:47 AM ,
Bilha P. said...
This was a really powerful letter Danny. It gave me the opportunity to delve into Benny's point of view and how he felt through out the whole ordeal. The fact that you questioned Pyror's relationship to Benny left me wondering whether Pryor was much of a father to Benny. Anywayzz dude good job =) I really enjoyed reading this.
At February 21, 2009 at 10:54 AM ,
Mr. Fiorini said...
This is a very creative approach here, Danny, to write a letter from Bennie's perspective after having been freed from Pryor's enslavement by Mercer. The questions you asked at the opening of Benie's letter were well conceived, I think. You captured many of the angers, hopes, and concerns one would imagine Bennie would struggle with at a moment like this. A couple critiques: your use of the world "thrice" was a bit awkward and you lapsed into plot narrative towards the end of your letter. I would have liked some more description of Bennie's experiences during his journey away from his father and possibly some insight into his thoughts during this journey. Also, I wonder whether Bennie would be willing to leave the only home he has known if anyone other than Mercer had shown up to rescue him. Would he have left with two men, even if they claimed to be working for his mother? Who knows what Pryor has told him about her...Something to consider.
At February 27, 2009 at 5:59 AM ,
Karl Myers said...
This was a wonderful and powerful letter! I love how you opened it, your first sentence made me feel just like Bennie would have felt. You were able to capture our attention and portray all of Bennie's emotions such as his anger and frustration. Good job Danny!
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