This past week in class, we picked a letter of note and then gave rapid-fire presentations similar to a Pecha Kucha. The letter I chose was written by Patrick Hitler to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 3, 1942. This letter was especially interesting to read because Patrick Hitler was Adolf Hitler’s nephew and he had to convince the president for admittance into the U.S. Army. Patrick claimed that he was ideologically different than his uncle in that everyone deserves freedom. He also used “fluffy” language to prove his self-worth and admiration for Roosevelt. This language really showed a stark contrast between him and his uncle. Overall, this letter unsealed an interesting World War II story I had not heard before and it made me more curious about Patrick Hitler.
Presenting this letter was quite the exercise. I had time to collect the information I wanted to discuss before class but we were only given ten minutes in class to construct and brainstorm our actual slides. This was a little stressful but definitely an exercise in quick thinking. We were also only given three minutes for the actual presentation and that made it really fun. I was definitely up for the challenge and it felt like I was performing improv on stage. I was laser focused when I was speaking and seeing Tina’s timer directly in front of me increased my nerves and also my excitement, which was weird. Perhaps I enjoy running on adrenaline? Anyway, I got through the presentation but I do think I spoke way too quickly. After all the presentations concluded, Tina did make note that some students’ had spoken too fast. Next time, I will slow down my speech and remain more in the moment.
Chris Barker and Bessie Moore first met while attending a training course for the Postal Office in southeast London. Upon completion of the course, they had developed a chaste relationship and began drafting letters to one another discussing politics and their hopes and dreams for the future. With World War II already occurring for three years, Chris became a soldier with the Royal Corps of Signals and was deployed to Libya. A year later, Chris decided to mail a letter communicating his love and feelings for Bessie, who at the time was seeing another man. The letter was received enthusiastically by her, and she spent many weeks writing a response which would change the trajectory of their lives forever. Their love letters spanned the next three years and more than 500 survived, capturing Chris’ unrelenting romance for Bessie. The letters eventually led to their marriage which lasted 58 years. Many of Chris’ letters contain references to different flowers. In the “My Dear Bessie Letters”, Chris uses nature through the Romantic ideas of William Wordsworth to equate his love for Bessie.
The Romantic period began in the late 18th century as a response to the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. The period brought profound change to the European world through literature, arts, and thought. Prominent English poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, William Blake, and John Keats appropriated poetry as the highest form of art and contributed to the Romantic movement through their writings. Their work shares mutual values, such as the emphasis on emotion and the exaltation of nature. For Wordsworth in particular, nature “was a saving process and a benign Presence” (Bloom and Trilling 7). This outlook on nature coined him the nickname of the “nature poet”.
William Wordsworth, the “nature poet”. Credit: National Portrait Gallery
Firstly, Chris uses nature to connect with Bessie’s beauty and love tangibly. He sees nature as a relatable concept for making comparisons as it always surrounds us. In a letter written in June 1944, Chris uses figurative language to describe her letters. He says that “these letters of yours are just like an English river running through green fields, clear, refreshing, bright, confident. You come rippling down at me, surround me with your beauty and your meaning…” (64). Just like the English river that gives life as it flows through the pastoral landscape, Bessie rejuvenates Chris with love through nature’s beauty and her correspondences. He yearns to be enveloped by her natural presence and uses nature metaphors to substitute her void. We see another example of figurative language in a May 1944 letter, where Chris desires to see Bessie “…in puris naturalibus…to forage around you, to rove over you, to subdue due you, to possess you” (57). Chris uses language of natural possession such as ‘forage’ to secure his love for her in his war-torn environment.
Like Chris’ comparison of Bessie to nature’s beauty, William Wordsworth writes in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads that “he considers man and nature as essentially adapted to each other, and the mind of man as naturally the mirror of the fairest and most interesting qualities of nature” (Reidhead and Johnson 301). He argues that human beings and the natural world are not separate. We are a part of it, and it is a part of us. It is through this connection to nature that Chris’ love for Bessie transcends borders and oceans regardless of their locale’s geography. In Chris’ eyes, the love he finds in Bessie’s letters is the missing puzzle piece that makes living sustainable.
Through this connection with nature, Chris begins to imagine an alternative reality where he begins to subject himself to Bessie. Chris almost wants to fall slave to her. In a letter composed in April 1944, Chris states, “I am your servant and your master at once” (46). Perhaps this means that as a master he is taking charge of their love story but as a servant to Bessie, he views her as a force of nature rather than an object. The power and force Bessie emits from these letters blind Chris from the surrounding environment and bind him to her love. He longs to be consumed by her love letters. Like Chris, Wordsworth views nature as a power and not an object. He believes that nature “shaped his powers of mind and supplied his life” (Blunden 74). Chris continues writing to Bessie stating, “I will command you and be commanded by you”, reaffirming his desire to control the narrative with a different storyline as well as his subservience to her (47). Seeing Bessie this way provides Chris with a sense of grace and responsibility; it is dependent upon him to write so she will respond and comfort.
Chris also uses his imagination as a mode of escapism. This distracts him from the present and offers opportunities to question the future. We see this in a letter from April 1944 where he writes, “…tell me of your clothes. Tell me your room, the furniture, so that I can better imagine you, more easily come to you when you are alone” (52). Asking these questions anchors Chris to a possible reality when there is no war, and he is reunited with Bessie. He demands every possible detail to attain a well-rounded image of his future wife. Similarly, Wordsworth epitomizes this escapist behavior. He would often depart commercialized areas overtaken by the Industrial Revolution for the Lake District to “relieve himself, not so much of himself, as of those exterior circumstances which aggravate and disturb him” (Jochem 18). Surrounding himself in nature would cure his personal struggles and allow him to be closer to his true love: nature. Furthermore, Bessie’s letters aid Chris in envisioning a better future and her descriptions construct a direct portal to her heart.
Chris also uses nature as imagination to deem his relationship with Bessie as fantastical. He tries to cope with his love pragmatically by writing poetic letters but resorts to writing sexually explicit letters. This propels his imagination and fantasies to bloom. In a letter written in March 1944, he describes his fantasies saying, “This is a fever that I have which makes me hot and dispossesses my mental faculties whenever I think of you, which is more and more often” (32). One month later he writes, “how impossible to sleep with thought and wonder of you hot within me” (41)! Whenever Chris thinks of her, he is overcome by an “irrational, illogical, nonsensical” love fever where he places Bessie on a pedestal, just as Wordsworth elevates nature (32). Moreover, Wordsworth characterizes poetry in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, comparing love to the natural fantasy of life (303). With every passing letter that he writes, Chris’ fantasy world expands. He begins to lust over her femininity and becomes infatuated with her body. Responding to these feelings, he writes, “as I toss and turn and wriggle and writhe I think of you, probably doing the same…I know that if I think of you, I will not sleep; yet I keep on thinking of you, and get hotter and hotter” (41). Chris’ dreamlike hallucinations show us his love for Bessie is fantastical. Because of the war, his hormones are bottled up and these letters give him a fantastical outlet to release. Writing letters to Bessie where Chris describes her image, releases his sexual desires, fueling his connection with her.
These examples teach us that Chris uses nature through the Romantic ideas of William Wordsworth to equate his love for Bessie. We learn that Chris uses nature to connect with Bessie’s beauty. He uses figurative language to take the place of void and language of natural possession to secure his love for her. Additionally, Wordsworth argues that human beings and the natural world are not separate. Through this connection with nature, we learn that Chris uses his imagination three separate ways. Firstly, he creates an alternative reality where he subjects himself to Bessie. He views her as not an object but a power, which she releases from her letters to secure Chris. Bessie’s letters give Chris a sense of grace. Wordsworth agrees with this idea and believes the power of nature gave him intellect. Secondly, Chris uses imagination as a mode of escapism to distract himself from the present so he can ponder his future. He sends letters demanding her every detail to attain a clear image of his future wife. The details he receives in her letters aid Chris in visualizing a different future. Lastly, Chris uses imagination to create a fantastical relationship with Bessie. He places her on a pedestal in response to the love fever he gets when thinking of her. In comparison, Wordsworth likens love to the natural fantasy of life. Moreover, letters describing Bessie’s image give Chris comfort and propel him to lust over her and release his sexual desires.
This past week we completed our study unit on World War II letter writing with our presentations which accompany our papers. It was very interesting to listen to many of the presentations and take note of the various public speaking techniques that were being used. I was especially impressed with the visual aids incorporated into the presentations and how each aesthetic differed from the next. One such presentation I found compelling addressed the theme of hope in letters from the “Last Letters from the Holocaust” archive in Yad Vashem. The individual spoke about that even in times darkness and destruction, hope always finds its way to the surface. Torah and Talmudic scholarship were used to support the argument and it was interesting to see which individuals were used to support the different strings of reasoning. I was surprised that the presenter volunteered to go first as she was struggling to brainstorm ideas. That being said, she did a great job.
Next up…Ezra!
When I was called up to present, I was very nervous. I am still not done with my paper and not having all of the necessary points to defend my argument about elements of romanticism in the My Dear Bessie Letters scared me. Overall, I think I presented pretty well considering the limited time I had to prepare due to Jewish holidays. I knew that it would be more interesting if the audience was involved and thank goodness there was participation. Making use of my surrounding space was very important to me and I used it when talking about the word “forage.” The laughter I received in response to my doing that was satisfying. I initially was very nervous about the time constraint in my presentation but after I finished, I was pleasantly surprised. Ironically, I wish I had a little bit more time to talk about my last point which would have tied the presentation together.
Hearing that we have extended time to complete our papers was the highlight of my day. Even though I will continue to spend much time writing and editing, I find comfort in knowing that I don’t have to be so stressed out about the impending deadline. Stay tuned next week to read my paper!
This past week in class, we studied love letters written during World War II. I was personally not very excited about this topic of letter writing but after listening to a selection of the My Dear Bessie Letter’s, a collection of 500 letters written between Chris Barker and Bessie Moore, I came to appreciate the artistry. My preconceived notions before this assignment framed this style of writing as “gushy” and “on the surface” whereas now I see love letters as narrative and poetic.
Chris Barker and Bessie Moore first met each other while attending a training course for the Postal Office at Abbey Wood in southeast London and developed a platonic relationship. Upon completion from the course, they drafted letters to one another discussing politics and their hopes and dreams for the future. Now stationed in Libya and serving in the Royal Corps of Signals, Chris decided to mail a letter in which he addressed his love and feelings for Bessie, who at the time was seeing another man. The letter was received enthusiastically by her and she spent many weeks writing a response that would change the trajectory of their lives forever.
Baby, Just Say, “Yes”
While listening to the letters, I was struck by the parallels they had to the ideas of English Romanticism which William Wordsworth conveyed in his poems in the 18th and 19th centuries. Wordsworth is most well known for writing Lyrical Ballads, describing poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, equating these feelings to nature. He believes that we are one with nature; we are intertwined with it. I believe that Chris sees Bessie as nature. Throughout his exchange with Bessie, he writes that he wants to touch her, feel her, see her, and hear her. He wants to be enveloped by her and have this special type of relationship. Whenever he thinks of her, Chris is overcome by an irrational, nonsensical love fever where he puts Bessie on a pedestal just as Wordsworth elevates nature. These descriptions of love between Chris Bessie may sound like a work of fiction but it was a product of a 58 year wedding knot between the two.
This past week in class, we were assigned to read a letter from the Clara Breed Collection. Known for her support of Japanese American children during World War II, Breed worked as a librarian who communicated with these children while they lived in internment camps. As she noticed the departure of Japanese American children to internment camps, she gave the children self-addressed stamped postcards to give them an outlet for correspondence. Many of the correspondences between Miss Clara Breed and the children were compiled into the Clara Breed Collection, which can be accessed via internet.
The Recipient
One such receiver of these letters was a girl named Katherine Tasaki, who was interned in Arcadia, California. In one such letter dated May 4, 1942, I enjoyed reading about Katherine’s love for reading. She writes how the internment camp just got a library and her favorite thing to read is the geography magazine. I found this topic of choice very interesting . You could imagine that because she is stuck in one place, she probably yearns to travel and is therefore attracted to this magazine. As I was reading about Katherine’s affinity to geography, I wondered where she wanted to go. Did she only want to go back home? Did she want to travel around America?
Another piece of the letter I found striking was Katherine’s love of the piano. She mentions to Miss Bree that one day to went to practice the piano but when she arrived, she remembered that she had left all of her music books at home in San Diego. I paused my reading and thought about how powerful the gift of music is and that Katherine has the ability to harness her musical gift but is ultimately unable to do so. This made me really sad because music comforts us and Katherine was probably looking for comfort to shield her from the hardships she was experiencing.
This past Thursday in my first year seminar, we were joined by Susan Falciani Maldonado, the Head of Special Collections & College Archives. Now, that’s a long title and when I initially heard it, I knew I was in for a treat. After Susan introduced herself, she began speaking about the history of Muhlenberg and how the college operated during the World War II era. She told us that the V-12 Navy College Training Program was implemented on college campuses across the United States. This included Muhlenberg! We learned that many of the buildings on campus were converted into barracks and students who attended Muhlenberg were enlisted in this specific program. After speaking for a few minutes, Susan split our class into pairs and we were given letters written by Muhlenberg Alumni who were enlisted in this program. All of the letters which were received by our class contained a correspondence between a serviceman and the Alumni Affairs Office. When Susan came and delivered a thick manilla folder full of envelopes to me and my partner, I was excited. My partner and I opened up the folder and found old, yellowing letters from eighty years ago with a correspondence between a man named Ray Nies and the college. Many of the letters were very wrinkly yet still well contained. Some letters were handwritten, and some were typed with a typewriter. As we were reading our letters, it was sometimes a challenge to decipher the cursive handwriting that had faded away. I was taught how to read cursive in third grade and I was definitely up for the challenge.
Ray Nies
The correspondence between Ray Nies and Alumni Office spanned a period of time between 1945 and 1951. When reading through the letters, we learned that Nies wrote about his life as a Marine from his training at Quantico, a Marine Corps base in Virginia, to his duties around the Pacific including San Diego, Guam, and Japan. In one letter which we read, we were shocked to read that Nies visited Nagasaki and offered his perspective of the destruction he witnessed. Neither me nor my partner were expecting to read such a letter and we found the content extremely jarring. Throughout the letters, Nies shared his loyalty and continued interest in Muhlenberg’s athletic teams by peppering the Director of Alumni Affairs with questions. Additionally, Nies showed his loathing towards Muhlenberg’s decision to become a co-educational institution. He would write for paragraphs expressing his dislike towards this decision and even asked jokingly asked how soon it would be until Muhlenberg added a fashion department. (They still haven’t). It was not until he had a daughter did he appreciate the academics he received which propelled him to realize the educational value for her to receive an education. While reading letters that contained similar content to this, we wondered how soon his way of thinking changed from opposing the decision to appreciating. Did he have a conversation with a colleague? Did he actually come to terms with Muhlenberg’s educational transition?
Reading these letters opened up a new world for me and gave me insight and a new perspective into how a World War II serviceman lived during this time. I am curious to read more of these letters and see this topic as a possibility for my research paper.
