You Say You Want A Revolution...

Letter To America: By Margaret Atwood

In this letter, Margaret wrote about the serious changes that are happening in America right now.  She wrote to clarify the identity of this country that she no longer knows.  Margaret expressed her confusion towards their current economic and constitutional path, referring it to the downfall of the USSR.  She wrote this letter to show America - from the view of a Canadian witness and caring neighbour - a glimpse of what they were, to what they are becoming, along with a passionate warning that change needs to happen.

 Margaret began her letter by referencing the wonderful memories she has of American culture, such as Mickey Mouse, Ella Fitzgerald and Humphrey Bogart; simply stating “You were a ton of fun.”  She went on to write about the American Constitution, saying “You stood up for freedom, honesty, and justice; you protected the innocent.  I believed most of that.  I think you did, too.  It seemed true at the time.”  Margaret used this positive historical evidence to further strengthen her argument of change, not necessarily change for the better. 

I believe the purpose of this letter was to open up America’s eyes to really take a look what they are doing to their country and who it is affecting.  As Margaret stated, “Because your business is no longer merely your business.  To paraphrase Marley’s ghost, who figured it out too late, mankind is your business.”  This statement brings America’s downfall to global proportions.  It resonates especially strong with Canada, as Margaret described our strong connection with them:  “As for us, you’re our biggest trading partner;  We know perfectly well that if you go down the Plughole, we’re going with you.  We have every reason to wish you well.”  Margaret achieves this purpose by providing the reader with examples of statistical evidence as well as “what-if” scenarios, letting the reader imagine the long-term consequences of the current path America is taking. 

Her insightful paragraphs of the statistical evidence I found very effective.  She began many of these paragraphs with a strongly stated fact, such as, “You’re gutting the Constitution”, “You’re running up a record level of debt” and “You’re torching the American economy.” Margaret continued by supporting these statements with facts and questions that led to her reasoning.  However, her least effective quote (in my opinion) was probably one of the earlier references, such as, “You were Hammett and Chandler, heroic walkers of mean streets” or “You were Lewis and Arthur Miller, who, in there own American idealism, went after the sham in you, because they thought you could do better”, simply because these references are before my time, so they did not resonate with me.  Perhaps they would support a stronger message to someone of that generation.  In all, Margaret Atwood’s letter was a very in-depth view of the American recession and her unique style of writing made it a pleasure to read.

What do you think of when you hear the word “Revolution”?  Does it need to be violent or irrational?  What about a Peace Revolution?  Do you think America would stand a chance for positive change if they could open their mind to a different understanding of this word?