The following letters were written for Ms. McCarthy’s Global 10 Honors class:

Dear Shakespeare,

I read your Sonnet 1, “Beautiful.” It was very elegant, although you are wrong in a way. These people who you see as beautiful, as the world sees as beautiful, who we praise as beautiful – they are nothing but fools and tricks. We praise and see the wealthy as superior to us for reasons like they can afford to have us arrested if we try to expose their wrong doings. They could use their money and wealth to cover up their wrong doings IN WHICH that makes them look flawless, or “beautiful.” Then, your idea that we need more beautiful people to make even more beautiful people is the sly coming together with a fool to make an even more slick and tricking population. This world is full of foolish people sir, and they come together to make more foolish people to keep foolishness alive and although they grow old and ugly they still have the thought of foolishness which gives it life.

Your Dearest,

Erasmus
(By London Claxton)

Dear Machiavelli,

Good day, Prince!  I, Erasmus, greet thou.  I have read thy book, The Prince, and it has captivated my attention.  Your perspective on life and humanitarianism is quite different from my own.  I strongly disagree with your saying: “Princes who have set little store by their word, but have known to overreach men by their cunning, have accomplished great things, and in the end got their better of those who trusted honest dealing.”  That is mediocre and foolish.

It is not morally right to deceive someone who has trusted in thine own word.  With all respect, Prince, there is no logical excuse to fool another person. It is inhumane.  Sir Niccolo, you are exactly everything I hat in a person: Lying, cheating, and falsifying who you are is worse conduct than that of an animal.  You twist the easy way out of everything and suggest others should take it, too.

If a prince is born a prince, it will be easier.  Let me reveal something to you, dear Prince. Not everyone is privileged.  Destroying a whole people for convenience is atrocious and I hope that someone destroys you as you have destroyed them.  The fear you want to make others feel is the same you will one day feel…not far from now.

Sincerely,

Erasmus
(Ebany Tapia)

Dear Mr. Shakespeare,

Why art thou so extra?  Thou need’st to write more clearly.  It is very crucial that thy do so, so that others may understand thy writings.  Thy writing, ‘tis not beautiful, but rather, ‘tis confusing. For I understandeth, and thou art right.  We do need’st more beauty, but don’t forget true beauty is from within.

One can be beautiful from the exterior but what of one’s interior?  Can one have external beauty if there is ugliness beneath the surface?  No! For in us, dwelleth corruption, greed and power. For instance, consider the merchants, theologians, the religious monks.  They call themselves true followers, but in truth, they are far from true spirituality.

So, William, I charge you to seeth the true beauty of humanity and compare it to what thou hast thought.  Thou may have new words to write. And prithee, thou shoulds’t write with clarity to show what really lies beneath the surface.

Sincerely,

Erasmus
(Dante Juvino)

Dear Shakespeare,

Humans are a disagree. They lie, they steal, and have dirty forms of making money. Everyone tells stories to avoid their flaws. Your saying does not show the beauty that  is not existent in the of the world. Everyone has flaws that they hide with their appearance. There are horrors that come along with beautiful people in the world.

Sincerely,

Eramus
(Aston Evans)

If you had to choose to write a letter to a historical figure or literary character, who would you write to and what would you say? Bring your submissions to Room 228 on Monday at 3 p.m.