In the article, “Yes, Virginia,” by Dan Haley, a young 8 year old girl named Virginia O'Hanlon wrote letter to the New York Sun newspaper. Her letter asked if Santa Claus was real or not. She was expecting the Sun to give her the truth, and what they told her was what she was going to believe. Haley then continued to talk about how this topic hit him with his own personal life. The New Hampshire National Public Radio program called Haley and asked him how an editorial would approach this letter. His own 8 year old daughter questioned him about the truth of Santa Claus, "how can he make it to all those houses in one night? How does he get through the glass covering out fireplace". Haley continues with the editorial describing how his own daughter tried to find the truth about Santa Claus. She told Haley that she wants to place a motion-sensitive camera outside her parents bedroom to make sure they were not the putting out the presents. But, she then decided to just write a letter to Santa, asking if he liked the cookies she made him. If the handwriting matched her parents, then she would know the real truth. Haley's daughter frequently asks him if he is telling her the truth and he always replies, "of course". Haley describes how telling your daughter the truth about Santa Claus the magic of such an amazing man is gone. He then used to comparison of banks failing, jobs disappearing, and war arising; why not tell your daughter to realize there are more serious things going on in the world then worrying about the truth of Santa Claus. He went on to explain how he is going to make sure his daughters Christmas this year is just as innocent as it was back in 1897 when the children did not have the opportunity to search the internet or find out information easily. They had a greater imagination. Haley does believe in Santa as long as his last child does. Christmas is all about spirit and believing as well as how a child was born in Bethlehem. His daughter wants to see Santa Claus in his real live flesh in order to be sure that he is alive. Since technology of television and YouTube children are used to seeing everything with their own two eyes. This will make his daughter truly believe.
In the article, Dan Haley’s argument is very prominent. This article states his personal opinion and experiences to help build his opinion on the issue. The issue within the article is about an 8 year old girl named Virginia that wants to know if Santa Claus is in fact real. She writes a letter to the New York Sun and asks them to give her the answer. Haley presented a comical response to this issue by using his own personal experience as a father of a little girl, and how he would face the issue. Not only is his response witty and relatable to the audience, he relates to television such as CSI. He also makes light hearted and relaxed conversation by saying that miracles and believing is the fun part of life. All the readers have believed in Santa Claus before in their lives, so it is easy to relate to the curiosity of Virginia for the truth. The light hearted mood Haley sets in his article is appropriate for this topic and makes it a fun read.
In this editorial the author puts himself into the story by relating his own personal experiences with his own daughter and Santa Claus, to the issue at hand. The issue is that Virginia, the curious young girl that wrote a letter to the New York Sun, asking them to tell her the truth about Santa Claus. The author then takes this issue and presents his own issues he had with his daughter. He brings up this emotional topic by stating, "The question hit a nerve because I have my own 8-year-old "Virginia" at home who started questioning old St. Nick last year." This quotation quickly brings an emotional state to the editorial. It not only makes the reader feel attached to the author in a slight way, it also makes them feel a relation if they have had a similar experience in their own life. Not only does the author relate his life to editorial, he also presents examples of how his daughter searched to find the answer, just as Virginia is. The author’s daughter decided to become a detective in finding out the truth, “she's decided to leave a note for Santa, asking him if he likes the cookies. Then, she said, she'll compare his handwriting to ours.” This personal example of the author brings the editorial a sense of community. Since the author and the issue of the editorial have a relation in its stories, it brings a personal and emotional sense to the piece. Haley writes a strong editorial using examples and bringing personal messages to relate to the readers.
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