Handwritten Letters Versus Email

To keep up with the rapidly changing times, email seems to be the preferred method of communication. There is a vast difference in email and handwritten messages, yet they are very similar. In the Victorian era, where tea time and social events were popular, handwritten invitations and letters were cherished. Today, email has replaced the old-fashioned art of letter writing. While there are many advantages to email, the handwritten letter is still an excellent practice for special occasions.

Consider for a moment a loved one overseas sends a message via email. The message can be viewed instantly across the globe, but a handwritten letter takes days, sometimes weeks to reach the intended destination. With so many soldiers in Iraq, fighting for America, email can be a wonderful tool of communication between husband and wife, father and son, or mother and daughter. On the other hand, a letter written in a loved one's own handwriting would be cherished if death should befall them.

In the same way that a handwritten letter could generate positive emotions, an email with comical smiley faces and purposefully misspelled words can brighten a dismal day. Email makes it possible to duplicate the intended message and forward the same message to many friends at one time. By way of contrast, a handwritten letter takes meticulous time to duplicate. Email is an easier method of duplicating and passing on when in a rush.

Handwritten letters are incredibly personal. When apologizing or affirming love, the effort put forth in a handwritten message proves the writer's desire; however, an email is extremely impersonal. There seems to be no effort in typing and emailing someone. To say "I love you" in an email would take away all romance from the recipient. A handwritten letter would most certainly be the best option for a personal message of love or forgiveness.

Business as usual would be very hard in the society today without email. When the need arises to confirm or reject an associate's proposal, email is the fastest way to send a letter of confirmation or rejection. An impersonal email is an extraordinary way of communication for business partners and acquaintances. A handwritten letter would not be appropriate when addressing a firm or corporation. When needing to ask a simple question and needing an immediate answer, email is the method of choice. The answer could return within minutes, whereas handwritten messages would take too much time.

Email has many advantages, but the handwritten letter, although tremendously time consuming, can be a very important practice. The art of letter writing has almost faded with the Victorian era. Email has been a growing trend that has diminished the beautiful handwriting process. Handwritten letters are still cherished today in the same way as a silly email that has been forwarded a dozen times. The times are changing and the methods of communication are changing but the art of handwriting a letter still may be used today.