88
"Dear SE, I don't even know how to express how disappointed I am in you--literally. Because I don't know all the facts. But all the indications I've seen make me fear that the full facts would only make my current disappointment even greater."
Thereby:
Injecting some smartass humour, but also
Expressing how huge your current disappointment is, while
...
54
Dear Stack Exchange,
for once can you be honest with us?
Why didn't you give Monica Cellio a second and private hearing?
Yours,
The volunteers who make up Stack Exchange.
Update #1
An explanation and an apology has recently been posted.
An Update to our Community and an Apology
The line
We removed a moderator for ...
31
It depends on what your goal is --an open letter can have many different audiences, and the putative addressee may not be the actual target. With that said, the best structure for a persuasive argument is to start with common ground, and to show how the same things that all sides agree on lead inevitably towards your conclusion. Then, bring things full ...
19
Never I would have believed to consider StackExchange but the mask before the monstrous face of intolerance.
That's not stronger than your first attempt. It's so archaic even experienced writers (e.g. me) have trouble parsing it. It took me several tries to see it's not full of errors, and several hours later I'm still not sure about "believed to consider". ...
18
The beauty of fiction is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It's your story, your world, you characters, however you want to write them. You can use as much or as little of the real world as you want. You can move cultures across time, invent impossible technologies and turn entire belief systems inside out.
I don't see anything wrong with ...
16
"I am horrified to find..." whatever you are horrified to have discovered
"I am most disappointed..." or maybe "I am shocked" or if the event you are writing about is worse you can say "I am appalled to discover..." or "I am disgusted to find that..."
Or you can readily swap to a past tense by "I was..."
English has many ways to express dislike of ...
15
Angels have had a whole bunch of different portrayals in fiction, many of them not entirely pure and good. Often, they tend towards "well-intentioned extremist" or "lawful stupid paladin" types, because it lets them be used as foils for protagonists without being completely evil.
Even if you limit yourself to the Biblical canon, however, there's a reason ...
14
Thanos is a master of rhetoric.
Some of the earlier answers hint at this but nobody is really getting to the crux of the issue: Thanos is a powerful and persuasive speaker because he carefully uses rhetoric. This is the art of effective or persuasive writing/speaking, the basic principles of which were identified and defined by Plato and expanded upon by ...
10
I find that in the course of angry letter writing, you are walking a balancing act in which you have an action taken that could be motivated by bad faith or by incompetence or an incomplete picture of the situation, so it's best to approach the subject in a clinical manner and lay down the factual merits for your case, rather than your emotional merits. ...
9
Not only is it acceptable, I’d say it’s encouraged. Original ideas and interesting stories often come from “what if” tweaks.
There are several successful examples of angels that do not conform to the “goody two-shoes” or “humanoid with wings” molds:
Satan.
Aziraphale, from Good Omens.
Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Angels.
The one thing you need to keep in ...
9
I have found that the approach varies, depending on your intent.
If you believe that the person will listen to you, then you want a friendly approach.
"Dear stack exchange, I have been engaged in this community for a number of years and have always enjoyed my time here, but recent events have left me disappointed."
or, if you feel that a stronger tone is ...
8
I think there are two important aspects that you should make clear:
That you indeed do care about the issue. Your letter is not just a rant, you sincerely are concerned about the damage the issue does or may do to what you consider important.
Why the addressed should care. The issue is not just something you personally disagree with, but something that may ...
8
You're on the right track with the guesses in your subject line.
It is a sort of antithesis, by the definition:
Juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas (often, although not
always, in parallel structure).
I'd say it's more precisely an example of enantiosis:
Using opposing or contrary descriptions together, typically in a
somewhat ...
8
The effect playing 'of course' at the beginning or end of a sentence is often dependent on the previous and subsequent sentences.
At the end of a sentence 'of course' affirms a positive statement.
"Everything was rainbow and roses, of course."
At the beginning of a sentence it is often as conjunction to introduce a previous or pending contrast.
7
What you are looking for are resources on rhetorical analysis and/or rhetorical criticism. These are critical works that study a work of writing (written or orally delivered) not for its content but its structure, in order to elucidate how the author makes their argument compelling.
Rhetorical criticism is an ancient art, and the modern practices trace ...
6
The method of laying out ideas in the form of a dialogue where both speakers are written by one author is called dialectic. It has its roots in philosophy and has wide application.
What you're describing sounds like a very poor example of this technique. It uses the form of the dialectic method, but the content is more akin to the FAQ on a commercial ...
4
It is not only what he says, but how he says it. And who he is as a character.
Why do you like Thanos? Because he appeals to your fantasy of an alpha male, an ideal father figure: he is big and strong, but also a gentleman. He can be very soft and caring without seeming unmanly, and he can unleash righteous fury if needed. He regrets having to be cruel, but ...
4
The ordering of your words, phrases, and sentences changes the rhythm of the work. When you read your piece aloud you might notice that "of course" sounds better in one place or another, or deleted altogether.
(I'll confess to moving a phrase back and forth in a sentence from revision to revision depending on mood.)
3
You asked "What is the effect of placing of course ..." When writing, I ask myself, "Is this word or phrase nessary?" "Does [fill in the blank] enhance or clarify or help a reader to picture in his mind what I'm trying to convey?" "If I took that word or phrase out of the sentence, would it make any difference?" "Is adding [fill in the blank] superfluous?" "...
3
The original Spoonerisms were accidental slips of the tongue and became a source of ridicule. Deliberate ones are either humorous or offensive - as the second example you cite is intended to anger the fans of the other team.
Most spoonerisms take two words and turn then accidentally into two other words. If I were reading something and found elvitating ...
3
When you begin a letter with a rant, especially if it is rude or bossy, it is unlikely to be taken on board, by the reader, or get the results you want.
The best opener in my view, establishes your credentials, mentions common ground, and creates a relationship with the reader, something like this:
As a member of Stack Exchange with n years experience ...
2
As you say, they are philosophical; and they seem powerful because they seem true and momentous.
I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same.
He is explaining the futility of fearing failure; at least from somebody that firmly believes in destiny. Do what you must, if you fail you fail.
"Going to bed hungry? Scrounging ...
answered Aug 3 at 12:00
Amadeus-Reinstate-Monica
81.8k7 gold badges111 silver badges266 bronze badges
2
Have a look on this.
Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature (ABC-CLIO Literary Companion)
Author: David Adams Leeming; Kathleen Morgan Drowne
Publisher: Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, ©1996.
Series: ABC-CLIO literary companion.
Edition/Format: Print book : English
Summary: "In the Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature, readers will find more ...
2
Writers do this often, so clearly it can be done. And fiction is neither non-fiction, with its implicit commitment to accuracy and facts, nor a religious document, intended to shape people's beliefs, nor yet a course in moral improvement and uplift. Therefore, the blanket judgment that this is "wrong" seems questionable. With that said, I can see several ...
2
Deviating from reality or conventional understanding can make a story more interesting ... or it can make it confusing. Or even offensive.
A lot depends on what the purpose is for your deviations. If any.
If you wrote a story in which you portrayed the Red Cross as a major corporation that sells cars, with no explanation, readers would just be confused. ...
1
I'd point out to your partner that their conception of "angelhood" is contrary to the Bible itself, at least in that they aren't merely Pure Glowing Goody Two-Shoes.
2 Samuel 25: 15-17:
So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to
the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to
Beersheba seventy thousand men.
...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
