This letter is intended to serve
as a college recommendation for Ezra Edlarruti. I have been acquainted with
Ezra for four years but came to know him well last year, as he was in the one
class that I taught, a thirteen-student junior English class.
Last spring, while he was singing the lead in "The Marriage of Figaro, " Ezra
became especially interested in a short story that we read as a class, Albert
Camus's "The Guest." It is a challenging story for any reader, and Ezra became
interested in the subtleties of interpreting it, especially in the difficulties
inherent in the translation of such a story. What did Camus really mean to say
and how might his intentions have been compromised by its English translation?
Ezra read the original, French, version of the story and then wrote a superb
analysis of the compromises inherent in its English translation. His essay was
flawless -- his wording apt, and his analysis insightful, logical and
comprehensive. Some of our English faculty can't write so well.
Students and faculty often remark that Ezra is blessed with considerable
talent. What many of them overlook is how hard Ezra works to cultivate his
talent, whether it be the development of his beautiful voice for an operatic
performance or of his writing skills as he works through an essay. I know of
the effort that he put into book reviews of _1984_ and _Animal Farm_ because he
shared early drafts with me. I also appreciate the time that he put into his
analysis of "The Guest" because he stopped by periodically to share his
enthusiasm for the project and his progress with it.
In over twenty-five years of teaching, I have known other students with talent
equivalent to Ezra's. Many of them lacked his good nature and humility, and few
demonstrated the genuine intellectual curiosity that Ezra has exhibited over
and over -- a curiosity that is often accompanied by his excitement or
enthusiasm for an idea, an author, a literary work or the lead role in a
challenging operatic performance.
When I decided to set up a debate on Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience,
" regarding the role of government in our lives today, in an effort to have the
class appreciate more fully the contemporary implications of Thoreau's
sophisticated essay, it was Ezra who was most helpful in creating a resolution
that would lead to that appreciation. Ezra, to no one's surprise, then agreed
to argue on any side of the debate.
Ezra is a motivated young man of numerous talents and considerable
self-discipline. He is fun-loving, likable, enthusiastic, trusting and
trustworthy.
Gary Youstis
