More attic discoveries … this time an article I wrote for a 4th grade school class assignment.
The tightly rolled bundle of papers were not in very good shape after some silverfish had made a meal.
One sheet of paper was my original hand-written version in ink (I assume that I would have re-written this from a penciled draft as it is too neat for anything I would have done on first attempt, lol). It was on the typical flimsy ruled paper used in school along with two typed versions (one in mixed case and one in all caps).
My Daddy had gone to the trouble of having the article typed by his secretary, I think, as my Mom did not have one of those typewriters with the fancy cursive letters at that time. Daddy was very proud of what I had written … no one had helped me and he did not know of it until after the fact when, I think, the teacher might have told him about it. At the time I was ecstatic to gain such favor with him (in later life, I finally came to terms with how much my early life was ruled by the attempts to please him).
Decades later when I now come across this and read it, I think to myself that it was not all that outstanding after all. Youth has a way of seeing things through rose-colored glasses.
Anyway, I invite you to see what you think and reflect on what you were doing in 4th grade …
What Happened to the “K” ?
My first encounter with my problem was in the fourth grade. In our history class, we were studying the early explorers and their voyages. I learned that Leif Ericson, a Viking, is generally assumed to have been the discoverer of North America. This is an interesting fact in American history. I have always remembered this little bit of information.
Perhaps I had better explain what all this has to do with a little letter of the alphabet. My name is Jackie Erickson. You will notice my last name is spelled with a “k” while Leif’s name does not have a “k”.
The Vikings are said to have come from Norway. It is also stated that the names of Norwegians end in “son”. This was an easy way to designate whose son they were. Since my ends in “son”, this shows that I am Norwegian, also. Since Leif and I are related in this respect, and I have a roving spirit just as he must have had, might he be one of my ancestors?
If I assume that he is an ancestor, there is still the problem: what happened to the “k” ? First we must analyze some solutions in order to view this question.
There might have been a bad speller somewhere between then and the present. Perhaps a letter was misplaced in the records or in the printing. Maybe Leif was lzy or didn’t feel like being complex. Suppose that as our civilization and way of living because more complicated the name of Erickson also did. There might have been somebody who decided to be a bit fancy and add a letter.
Although I have given some solutions which may be unlikely, they are possibilities and should be considered. This sounds very simple, but I haven’t been able to arrive at a satisfactory answer.
I have stated the possibility of being descended from Leif, but he could very possibly be of another family. Perhaps I am worrying over nothing. Nevertheless, I am still wondering about the missing “k”.
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