An open letter about the market-square clock

Text: an original contemporary open-letter-style practice extract.

To the councillors considering the market square, at 4.17 on Tuesday the clock stopped. One hand remained pointed towards the library; the other seemed to be reaching for an hour that would not arrive. Around it, people checked their phones and carried on. No chime followed.

It is easy to call a clock like this decoration. Yet for years its sound has divided the market day into small, shared moments: a stallholder closing a till, a child hurrying home, a meeting beginning beneath the arch. Repairing it will cost money, and no one should pretend otherwise. But a square that keeps its old markers does not have to choose between memory and ordinary use.

We could let the silence become permanent, then wonder why the centre feels a little less like a place that belongs to everyone. Or we could repair the mechanism and hear the hour return. Picture the square at four: conversations pause, heads turn, and the day moves on together.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to interest and engage the reader.

In your answer, consider:

• language features and techniques
• structural techniques
• the effect on the reader.

Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.