One of the most common forms of communication between people on different sides of the Berlin Wall was letter writing. Read the short translation from a letter that an East German boy wrote to his penpal in 1989.
‘Someday the Wall will fall’ – Letter from an East German Penpal
A week ago we had a very nice yet sad farewell party. Two couples whom I know well have fi nally received their permit to emigrate to West Germany, after three years of waiting. Such a farewell was defi nitely sad, but we’re all agreed that someday the walls will fall and we’ll all see each other again. I’m so looking forward to that.
Understand
1. Why was the farewell party described as ‘sad’? 2. How would you describe the writer’s tone in this letter?
3. What evidence from the letter suggests that it was not easy to cross between East and West Germany?
Create
1. Imagine your family and friends have been divided by a wall or barrier and you are forbidden from crossing over to see them. Write a letter to a loved one describing your feelings.
2. Write a speech to be delivered to your class based on your own experience of barriers or walls.
