Letter Writing Assignment; Opinions?

Dear Jocelyn,

How have you been, cousin? By the time you get your hands on this letter, it would have been 1 year and 2 months since I had left. I can’t believe you wanted to stay behind in Ireland with the Potato Famine taking place. I wondered at first why you wanted to stay. After all the time, I can finally understand why. You knew the treatment that we would receive from the inhabitants of this new land.

With the few cents I had left in my pocket, I had to travel by myself to a new land that I can proclaim as my home; a lovely place with welcoming people who understand the struggles I had to endure throughout my life. Many Irish individuals and families traveled with me on the same ship. I explained to them that I was a solo passenger; a passenger by themselves. Most of them I never met before, but they are such amazing people with adoring personalities. You should of been there; I know how much you love to develop strong and healthy friendships with others.

To reveal the upsetting truth, a home I would describe as Heaven is too much of a fantasy. As us migrating Irish boarded off the ship that ported in a state called Massachusetts, we received some grim treatment. These people, who refer to themselves as Americans, despised newcomers. They were prejudice towards us, and were throwing stereotypes in our face. One American asked if I was an alcoholic and pressured me into taking a glass of beer. Can you believe that? I am only fourteen, and I don’t plan on drinking in the near future, if at all. The Americans also hate us for stealing their jobs. I took up a job at a factory in a thriving city. The employees worked for 5 dollars a week; I said I would work for 3 dollars a week. The head businessman went nuts, and was firing everyone left and right.

Of course, us Irish weren’t the only ones receiving unequal treatment. After saving up the money I earned for plenty of weeks, I bought some traveling necessities, and headed out for the South. During the few weeks it took for this trip to last, I encountered a group of Germans. Their unequal treatment wasn’t as terrible as ours, but they were still despised for the religion they practiced: Roman Catholic. I also encountered… African-Americans, who are referred to as slaves. They were running away from their unfair owners, begging to be free. I offered to lend them some assistance, by helping them reach Pennsylvania to continue their journey of reaching Canada.