I’ve been working on putting together a mini-website for the letters I got from my aunt. I’m conflicted about them. On the one hand, they’re an amazing little time capsule from World War II, but on the other, there’s a lot of racist language in them that I’m not comfortable with perpetuating. I think, though, that the letters’ historical value outweighs the racism (and other -isms I’m sure I’ll encounter as I work on transcribing them).
I also have trouble with the glorification of killing and the military industrial complex, so it’s difficult for me to warm up to “characters” who inhabit that world. I believe deeply in the importance of pacifism; war is never the answer. And so, the whole project is problematic for me for a whole lot of reasons. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s worthwhile, though.
At this point, my plan is to just transcribe the letters. I don’t think I’ll scan them and put the images online, though I do want to include any items contained in the envelopes (photos, newspaper clippings, etc.).
red paper boat 