Leif A.
Letters About Literature '99
Finalist
Level I
Sunday, December 13, 1998
Dear Marlo Morgan,
Mutant Message Down Under really touched me. Before I read this I never really gave any
thought about Aborigines and had thought they were just like any other wiped out tribe.
I let out so much sorrow. My interest kept me reading on and on. The cliff hangers hooked
me more than anything else I've ever ready before.
How you told about your journey in the outback of Australia with only the help of the
Aboriginal tribe, at first it seemed like a wonder that you survived. I was surprised
that you could endure the pain in your bleeding feet as you walked through the prickly
grass. I would never willingly place myself in your position at dinnertime. I prefer
American cheeseburgers to barbecued insects. It was amazing that this actually happened
to you. I wish I could accomplish something as great as this.
Now I know about the oneness and spirituality of these people who could almost accomplish
anything with the help of nature and god. Could these people really create the illusion
of duplicating and making themselves disappear? I liked the way you compared the experience
of telepathy with our modern-age phone system. The events which happened beforehand made
later events seem more believable.
I feel partially responsible for the Aborigines' feeling that they have to leave the Earth
because we are polluting the water, wiping out a lot of food, and we are destroying the
atmosphere. Even though I'm on the other side of the world, we're doing the same things
over here.
After I finished the book I finally realized why the Aborigines considered us Mutants.
Even after we have done so much harm to this tribe they have still sent you as a message
to warn us about what our advanced technology is doing to the earth. The worst thing
about it is that I don't think anybody is listening.
You can't even imagine how your book has deeply effected me.
Sincerely,
Leif A.
7th grade
Colony Middle School, Palmer
Teacher: Mr. Nolting
A Little about Leif:
March 8, 1999
I am 13 years old. I am a student at Colony Middle School in Palmer, Alaska.
I've lived in Alaska all my life except when I went to Arizona for two weeks.
I made a treasure hunt there for my sister, but I guess I got a little too close
to a cactus. You probably know what happened after that. She never forgave me
for that one. I usually do pretty well with my homework except when I have,
as my teacher calls it "a scheduled appointment with my Nintendo." I competed
in a state-wide economics challenge and got to go to UAA. There I got to meet
the famous television personality, Kitty Fox from Channel 4's Saturday morning
cartoon show. I never miss that show for the world. This past summer I went
on a climb up Eklutna Glacier which is located just outside Anchorage. Boy did
I want to have a TV on that trip. I didn't get to see Kitty Fox for a whole
week. My dad kept us entertained though, when he fell and cracked a couple
of ribs while climbing up a scree slope. We had to help him get out of the
tent each morning after that. This trip reminded me a little of the one Marlo
Morgan took in the outback of Australia. Perhaps, some day I will write
about my adventures trekking across the "wilds" of the Alaskan wilderness
while watching Kitty Fox on my portable TV.
Sincerely,
Leif A.