Abstract

Letters, a form of mediated interpersonal communication, provide readers and writers the opportunity to transcend space and time. Letters can also serve as a permanent record of communicated information. The present study compares themes of selected letters written by soldiers from two wars: World War II and Vietnam. Two research questions are posed: What are the themes expressed in soldiers` letters? Is there a difference in themes that relate to the particular war fought? This study analyzed 202 letters written by military personnel from both World War II and the Vietnam War. After content analysis of the 10 most prevalent themes, no significant differences were noted between the themes of either war.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Soldiers--United States--Correspondence; Letter writing--Social aspects--United States; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American

Publication Date

11-11-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

Department of Communication (CLA)

Advisor

Pugliese, Rudy

Advisor/Committee Member

Barry, Brian

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: E181 .Y36 2011

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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