A persuasive letter, written to a border guard who turned a family away, in our class reader ‘The Journey’ by Francesca Sana.                                                                                                     

Crawley Down Road

Felbridge

East Grinstead

West Sussex

RH19 2NT

Guard Post 29

Turkish Border Control

Turkey

Tuesday 11^th December 2018

 

Dear Sir,

I have recently been informed of a poor and destitute family being refused entry into your fair country. Surely you realise that the lives of this family will be in peril if they return to their desolate country? With nowhere else to go, they have no choice but to return. This is why I am writing to you. I hope that you will make the right decision.

 

First and foremost, the current situation in Syria is bitter and desolate. Many lives have perished; only a few are lucky to have survived. The local school has been destroyed and the children’s education with it. Surely you can’t force them to return to this hostile environment? I hope you will revoke your decision.

 

Furthermore, this family has endured terrible conditions. Many months on the road has left them: starving, exhausted and cold. They have had to beg for small morsels of food. All they now have are the clothes on their backs. They hid in countless vans; praying they would not be discovered. If this were your family, wouldn’t you think differently?

 

In addition to this, the mother has tried desperately hard to bring her family to the border. Considering the danger – from constant shelling – it is remarkable that they even got this far! She has been resilient and courageous throughout the whole experience. The least she deserves is a safe passage across the border into Turkey.

 

In conclusion, this family deserve a better life. All they ask is to cross the border into Turkey. I sincerely hope that you will make the decision to help them.

 

Yours faithfully,

Anna Mosley.