Letters delivered 50 years after they were posted

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Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. prank / præŋk / (v.) – a childish trick done to someone as a joke
    Example:

    I pranked my sister by putting a plastic spider toy in her bag.


  2. ventilation / ˌvɛn tlˈeɪ ʃən / (n.) – the act or process that allows fresh air to enter and move around an area
    Example:

    The big windows in our office provide good ventilation.


  3. crumble / ˈkrʌm bəl / (v.) – to fall apart or break into very small pieces
    Example:

    The cookie easily crumbled when we tried to eat it.


  4. unscrupulous / ʌnˈskru pyə ləs / (adj.) – not fair or honest
    Example:

    The unscrupulous businessman paid his workers almost nothing for their hard work.


  5. emigrant / ˈɛm ɪ grənt / (adj.) – relating to someone who left his/her own country to live in another
    Example:

    A lot of emigrant families from Asia come to the US or Europe.


Article

Read the text below.

A letter written to a 12-year-old girl in Lithuania was delivered in December, almost 51 years after it was sent by a pen pal in Poland.


“I thought that someone was pranking me,” said Genovefa Klonovska after being handed the letter, which included a handmade colored rose and two paper dolls.


The letter, together with 17 others, fell out of a ventilation hole last summer, dirty and crumbled, as a wall was demolished in a former post office on the outskirts of Vilnius.


“The workers suggested we throw the old letters away, but I called the post office instead,” said Jurgis Vilutis, the owner of the building. “I’m so happy they got interested.”


The letters, from the late 1960s and early 1970s, were likely hidden by an unscrupulous postal worker after he searched them for cash or valuables, Vilutis said.


Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union then, and the senders were emigrant relatives or pen pals from places such as Australia, Poland or Russia.


Only five recipients were found. In several cases, the lost letters were handed to children of deceased recipients. (Reuters)


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The letters were delivered 50 years after they were posted. If you were the recipient of one of the letters, how would you feel (ex. surprised, indifferent)? What would you have done after receiving it (ex. find the sender, ignore it)? Discuss.
  • Jurgis Vilutis, the owner of the building, suggested for the letters to be sent to the recipients instead of throwing them away. If you were Vilutis, would you have done the same? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The 51-year-old letter was sent by Klonovska’s pen pal when she was 12 years old. Would you be willing to exchange letters with someone you’ve never met? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Given that most messages are now exchanged electronically (ex. via email, online messaging), would you still appreciate receiving handwritten letters? Would you still write one? Why or why not? Discuss.