Creative Response

Dear Therese Carter,

There is no one that knows what you are going through more than me. You hate having to put a big fake smile on your face whenever you see your neighbors. I hate that whenever I go outside, my neighbors turn their sight away from one another in order to prevent conversation. I understand how lonesome life could be without having at least one true friend/neighbor around you to talk to.

I love that you are so eager to learn, and no matter how much you learn you will never stop reading because you know that their are always two sides to every story. Many people have different takes on the presidency of Roosevelt and because of your willingness to learn, you are able to point out some of his flaws.

I respect that you are a very good housewife and that you keep busy all day in order to keep your family happy. My mom is a housewife and she is always there for her children and I have grown to enjoy helping her around the house.

There are just two things that bother me. One is how scared you are to confront your neighbors of their unhappy materialistic life, even though they prevent you from being happy. I feel like an outsider in my own neighborhood as I am sure you do. There is no reason why we should have to feel this way in our own communities and I believe it is about time we do something. I know it is intimidating since, you don’t want to make enemies, which is why we have to do it in an orderly manner. We should send a letter to our neighbors just like this one, explaining to them why we cannot stand them and what should be changed. By sending out a letter you will be able to avoid face to face confrontation and you will give your reasons without interruptions. I know that you can not be the only one in your neighborhood who feels this way. What if half your neighborhood wishes to overcome being materialistic and just be happy with who they are, but because everyone else is busy buying new cars, they feel it is a necessity. If you do not let them know what they are missing out on, your neighbors will continue this disconnected cycle and you will suffer with unhappiness for as long as you live near them. You can not possibly be the only one who feels this way, this is why I ask you to do as I do and write your neighbors letters.

The second thing that outrages me, is the fact that you do not feel a necessity for overcoming the stereotypes women like you face everyday. Why is it that you are the only one who works the entire day while your husband gets home from work at a certain time and awaits his dinner? I do not think it should be considered ridiculous for you to go back to school and become a teacher. I think that education is the best thing you could do for yourself and your family. You should not be ashamed or hide this from your neighbors, you should let them have their laugh and then let them feel stupid when you prove them wrong. Why should you go through the trouble of sneaking around just to avoid being gossiped about. If you let them know what your capable of accomplishing they could talk their smack, but when it comes down to it you will overcome a stereotype and that is bigger than gossip. You will prove to everyone that a person does not have to be a young single male to become successful, you can become whoever you want to become by taking advantage of the opportunities given to us by this country.

Sincerely, Evelyn Casares