Christine (book) - First Letter-May 28th ,1914

First Letter-May 28th ,1914

Christine explains that she has made it to Berlin safely. She explains that even before she unpacks she is writing her mother to tell her how she is doing. Christine compares herself to a "young man starting his career" (Chomondeley 1). She goes on to say that it will only be a year or less before she comes back home. Christine explains that she knows her mother and that she will have to be brave. Christine then expresses her wishes that her mother could come to Berlin with her, but because of financial reasons they are limited. Her intentions of taking care of her mother are clear, and explains that it is now her turn to provide for the two of them. Christine asks that her mother gardens because it will help pass the time, and it will make her happy. She also goes on to say that they will have the "little house they dreamed about in London" (Chomondeley 2-3). This is the first time that we learn that Christine's mother is a widow. This is also the first time that we meet Frau Berg. The letter indicates that the house where she will be living is even cleaner than her house back in London. Thanks to the German that she learned in her youth, she understands much of what is being spoken to her, but still has limited vocabulary that she uses herself. In Christine the Germanic words she uses are as follows: • Nicht Wahr- not really (Chomondeley 5) • Wundervoll- wonderful (Chomondeley 5) • Natürlich-naturally (Chomondeley 5) • Herrlich-respectable (Chomondeley 5) • Ich gratuliere- I congratulate(Chomondeley 5) • Doch- surely, yes (Chomondeley 5) She closes the letter explaining how excited and happy she is to be in Germany. She also intends to write her mother later on in the evening.

According to U.S. Senator Hiram Warren Johnson, "The first casualty when war comes is truth" (Ferri, 1987). Since the beginning of World War I, propaganda has played an important role in exploiting the opposition. The credibility of propaganda can be determined by analyzing the source and comparing it with documents that are factual. In particular, British propaganda in World War I used Christine, a series of letters written by Elizabeth Von Arnim, pen name Alice Cholmondeley, to promote Anti-German sentiment propaganda. When comparing the Christine letters to authentic war time letters, they were found to be fabricated.