Identify Purpose, Audience and Context in Two Contrasting Texts

Read the following two texts and try to deduce what their purposes, audiences, and contexts are.

 

Text A: 

An 18th-century letter was written by a homesick schoolboy asking his mother if he could come home.

 

My Dearest Mother,

I trust this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. It is with a heavy heart and a mind burdened with longing that I take up my quill to write to you. The days here at the boarding school stretch long and tiresome, and my thoughts invariably turn to the sanctuary of our home.

 

The rigours of academic pursuits aside, the absence of your nurturing presence renders this place a desolate one. The camaraderie of our family hearth, the gentle wisdom of your counsel, and the laughter of siblings echo in my dreams, making the separation almost unbearable.

 

I beseech you, dear Mother, to consider my plea. The education I receive here is undoubtedly valuable, yet the ache of homesickness overshadows all else. I promise to redouble my efforts in my studies and to make you proud. A brief respite at home would not only rejuvenate my spirits but also fortify my resolve for the challenges that lie ahead.

 

With profound affection and an earnest heart, I implore you to grant me the solace of our home. Your consent would mean the world to me and alleviate the ache of this prolonged separation.

 

Ever your devoted and loving son,

Benjamin

 

 Text B:

This is taken from the beginning of a novel about a girl who has had her phone confiscated at the school she attends.

 

In the heart of Oakridge Academy, a prestigious boarding school nestled amongst towering oaks and ivy-covered brick walls, lived a teenager named Emma. She was known for her spirited laugh and her magnetic presence on social media, where her life seemed a whirlwind of perfectly filtered photos and witty captions. But the serenity of Oakridge was disrupted when a strict new policy was enforced, decreeing that students must surrender their phones and disconnect from social media during their stay.

 

For Emma, this edict was like a curtain falling on her vibrant, online existence. Frustration welled up within her as she handed over her cherished smartphone. The once-bustling corridors of her digital world now echoed with the silence of real life.

 

As days turned to weeks, Emma's longing for connection deepened. The whispers of her online friends, the memes she used to share, and the heart emojis that once filled her days had vanished. In this disconnected reality, she felt a growing sense of isolation. Emma was not alone in her frustration; many students yearned for the comfort of their digital lives. She couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to challenge the rules, bridging the gap between her two worlds and ultimately discovering the true meaning of connection in the process.

 

 

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