In Letters to a Young Poet “Letter One” by Ranier Maria Rilke, a young poet sends his poetry to the published author in hopes to receive constructive criticism about his work. The young poet, who was directed to Rilke by the author’s former colleague, wrote an unseen letter asking for advice about his work. Rilke, who stated that he was not accustomed to criticize other works, provides an effective instructive response using specific command words to promote confidence in the young poet. At first glance of the letter, the reader can see that Rilke had spent a few days pondering over his reply: “Your letter arrived just a few days ago” (p 5). This explains how careful Rilke wanted to be when he responded to the young poet. He discussed his
