essay on role of postman in our life

Essay on Postman for Students and Children

500+ words essay on postman.

When we say the word postman, an image of a male comes to our mind wearing the khaki uniform who rides a bicycle. However, has anyone ever thought about how important he is for us. Almost everyone is familiar with who a postman is and what he does. He works for the public and is assigned at the post office .

A postman has to basically deliver important documents from one place to another. He is a carrier of letters, money orders, greeting cards, parcels and many more. He goes from door to door and street to street to make this happen. A postman is a well-known person. He is a public servant. He works in the post office. He delivers letters, money orders, parcels, greeting cards, etc. from door to door and street to street. His services are very important as they help in the smooth distribution of important documents.

Importance of a Postman

A postman is extremely important for a society. He is a carrier of very important information for both professional and personal reasons. This public servant operates all over the country. If it’s a village or a metro city, you will definitely find a postman there.

The postman always wears a uniform that makes him stand apart from the crowd. In India, he wears a uniform of khaki fabric and colour. A postman’s most prized possession is his bag which he carries the letters in. It contains all types of things from good news to bad news. They generally travel on a cycle while some also go on foot. A postman always has to get up early to start delivering the letters.

It is his duty to sort out the letters and posts so that it can get easy to deliver them in specific areas. He also stamps all the letters to verify them. A postman helps people keep assured that their important information is in the right hands. Furthermore, he is a very trusted person who works day and night to deliver people letters. However, this job is quite challenging and is not appreciated enough.

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Difficulties Faced by a Postman

Postman’s life is very difficult. He has to work continuously all day and search for the exact addresses in localities. He even works at night to deliver important telegrams for people. It does not matter if it’s raining or scorching hot, the postman will always be on duty.

Moreover, a postman also has to cover challenging terrains as well as uneven roads to reach the destination. In the rural areas, the postman goes through dangerous areas like forests and more where there are snakes and all. Postmen are mostly a hard-working lot who earn every penny they get. They are honest with their work and make people’s lives easier.

Despite this, a postman doesn’t get paid sufficiently. The tasks he performs does not do justice to the pain and hardships he has to go through. Moreover, he gets also limited holiday and works on days while the world rests.

Furthermore, at this post, there are little or no chances of promotion. The meager salary makes it hard for a postman to fulfill all the needs of his family. Thus, we should be sympathetic to them. In addition, the government must pay them right so they can have a better quality of life.

FAQ on Postman

Q.1 State the importance of a postman.

A.1 A postman is very important. He delivers important documents from lives place to another and makes our lives easier.

Q.2 What difficulties do a postman have to face?

A.2 A postman always works in all types of weather no matter how harsh. He gets a meager salary and limited holidays.

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• School Education /

Essay on Postman in 500 Words in English for School Students

• Updated on  
• Mar 30, 2024

Essay on Postman : In the pre-Internet and cell phone era, letters were the only way to communicate with distant people. We used to write letters to our friends, family members, relatives, or any person in position. But do you know who delivers our letter to the designated person? It’s the postman. A postman is a frontline warrior, always on his Atlas bicycle, peddling hard to reach his next destination.

Table of Contents

• 1 Who is a Postman?
• 2 Importance of a Postman in Our Lives
• 3 Postmen are Vulnerable 
• 4 Conclusion
• 5 Essay on Postman in 200 Words
• 6 10 Lines on Postman

Quick Read: Speech on Unemployment

Who is a Postman?

Postman serves as a lifeline for communication. Even today, when the entire world has become technologically advanced, with AI and nanotech in use, postmen still play an important role. In areas where access to digital technology is limited, a postman arrives once a day or week, bringing letters of love and hope with him. 

Quick Read: Speech on Introverts vs Extroverts

Importance of a Postman in Our Lives

Postmen and their services play an important role in our lives. A postman is like a bridge, connecting our emotions with our loved ones, living in a distant place. 

• Postman delivers our letters and parcels to our loved ones. A Postman ensures that our letter or package reaches its intended recipients on time and in perfect condition.
• A Postman is a government official, always wearing his Khaki -uniform to stand out from the crowd. 
• With his uniform, a Postman carries his bag, which contains all the letters and packages.
• The job of a postman is physically tough. He delivers our letter to its designated person using his cycle or any other public transport.
• Postmen play an important role in sustaining long-distance relationships, encouraging emotional bonds, and keeping loved ones connected across geographical boundaries.
• A postman performs his duty with the utmost dignity and passion. He ensures that the letter is delivered to the right person on time.

Postmen are Vulnerable 

Postmen are vulnerable to the internet. On one side they play an important role in our society, but on the other, several challenges are standing in their way. 

• Today, we use our cell phones to call or message our loved ones. We write an email to an official or a person in authority.
• Nobody is willing to write a letter and get it delivered via a post service. Because of this reason, Postmen experience job insecurity.
• It happens quite often that a postman has been physically injured due to an accident. Carrying heavy loads of mail and parcels can lead to strains, sprains, and other physical injuries.
• Safety concerns are another challenge for postmen. Unknown terrains, hazardous places, or hostile individuals make things more difficult for postmen. They are often at risk of theft or assault while carrying valuable parcels or cash-on-delivery items.

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We should respect and admire the work of a postman. They are not just doing their duties; they are connecting people, ideas, and emotions and encouraging relationships. Technological advancements have surely evolved our ways of writing letters and it may also take away their jobs, but their importance in facilitating meaningful connections and building a sustainable society will continue to live in our hearts.

Essay on Postman in 200 Words

10 Lines on Postman

Here are 10 lines on Postman. Feel free to add them to your essay on Postman.

• A postman delivers our letters and packages to its designated recipients.
• A postman is a hardworking and honest man, servicing us with his utmost dedication.
• A postman always wears his uniform to stand out from the crowd.
• A postman is respected by everyone in the society.
• In India, a postman wears his Khaki uniform and delivers letters on his cycle.
• In today’s modern society, postman still plays an important role as they deliver our letters to the remotest areas.
• A postman works in a post office, from where he collects our letters and takes them to their designated places.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of postmen as essential workers in maintaining communication networks.
• Postmen often face difficulties and challenges in their day-to-day job.
• The job of a postman is to deliver letters and build connections between people.

Quick Read: Holi Essay for Children

Ans: A postman plays an important role in our lives. Our written letters, packages and other kinds of parcels are delivered by postman to their designated places. They are our frontline warriors. We often see postmen on their Classic Indian bicycles, wearing Khaki-uniform and carrying their letter bags. Postmen are hardworking and honest men, who are determined to deliver our letters to the right person.

Ans: Postmen are vulnerable to the internet. On one side they play an important role in our society, but on the other, several challenges are standing in their way. It happens quite often that a postman has been physically injured due to an accident. Carrying heavy loads of mail and parcels can lead to strains, sprains, and other physical injuries.

Ans: A postman delivers our letters and packages to its designated recipients. A postman is a hardworking and honest man, servicing us with his utmost dedication. A postman works in a post office, from where he collects our letters and takes them to their designated places. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of postmen as essential workers in maintaining communication networks.

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With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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• Essay On Postman

Postman Essay

500+ words essay on postman.

Whenever the word ‘postman’ comes into our mind, a picture of a man wearing a khaki dress, riding a bicycle and carrying a bag is created in front of us. The postman delivers letters to our homes. When the communication system was not so strong, letters were the medium for communication. People kept in touch with their relatives and loved ones who lived far away in towns or villages through letters, and the postman was a medium to carry these letters. Nowadays, apart from bringing letters, a postman does other work as well. In this Postman Essay, students will get to know the importance of a postman and the duties performed by him. The “Essay on Postman” is a very common topic and is highly expected to be asked in the exam. So, students are advised to go through this essay and then try to write their own.

Postman and Their Duties

A postman is a government employee who delivers the “post” or the mail. Their job also includes sorting and handing out mail letters and packages at post offices, selling postal products like stamps and specialised boxes, and taking in letters from customers. Postmen can be found in every part of the country, whether it is a village or a metro city. They go door to door to deliver parcels, couriers, letters, money orders, gifts, greeting cards etc. A postman is a familiar face in society.

Everyone waits for the postman to knock on the door. He is always welcome. The postman has a dress code. They wear a khaki uniform and carry a bag full of letters, documents, telegrams, parcels, etc. Some postmen move on bicycles, while many of them go on foot to deliver the letters. They also collect the letters from the letter boxes and assemble them at the post office. Then, these letters are sent through mail vans or trains from one post office to another. Subsequently, the letters are collected at the destination post office and sent to the respective addresses. A postman may bring joy to some, while for others, at times, he may have sad news.

A postman starts work early in the morning. Sometimes, it depends upon the mail receipt at his Post Office. A postman has to sort the mail, arrange them according to his beat, collect money orders with cash from the treasury, collect parcels and move outside the post office for delivery. He brings back the returned and undelivered/unpaid letters/money orders to the post office and hands them to the concerned person. So, a Postman not only performs outdoor duties but also assists in indoor jobs.

Importance of the Postman

India has the largest postal network in the world. More than 1.5 lakh post offices are spread across the country, and most of them are situated in rural areas. Post offices are the backbone of communication, and thus, the postman has a significant role to play. They have played a crucial role in the social and economic development of the country. People often send money orders, gifts and other important parcels via post. A telegram was sent in case an urgent message had to be conveyed.

Postal services are impacting the lives of Indian citizens in many ways, such as delivering mail and accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes. Nowadays, the services in post offices also provide life insurance coverage under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI). People can also avail of retail services like bill collection, sale of forms, etc. The post offices act as an agent for the Government of India in discharging other services for citizens, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), wage disbursement and old age pension payments.

The importance of the postman may have reduced with time due to the introduction of modern communication systems. However, they are still an essential part of our community. They still deliver many important posts, money orders and other government schemes. They reach remote places for their work, whether it is mountains and valleys, hilly areas, or deserts. Postmen carry out their duties in all seasons, no matter how cold or hot the day is. Whether it’s raining heavily or flooded with water, they do their work with full responsibility.

Essays Topics for Students’ Practice

After writing an essay on the postman, students must practise essays on more similar topics. To help them with this, we have provided a few essay topics as suggestions:

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Frequently Asked Questions on Postman

What is the importance of postmen in our life.

Postmen play an important people in our lives. They facilitate communication among people from various parts of the world. They deliver letters, parcels, money orders and telegrams to our doorsteps.

Is the work of a postman hard?

Postmen are hard-working people. They are honest with their work and make people’s lives easier. Sometimes they have to travel a long distance to deliver the parcel. The tasks they perform do not do justice to the pain and hardships they have to go through.

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Essay on Postman | For Students

In our fast-paced digital age, where emails and text messages have become the norm, it’s easy to forget about the dedicated individuals who play a vital role in our daily lives – the postmen. Postmen, often referred to as mail carriers or postal workers, are the unsung heroes who ensure that letters, packages, and parcels reach their intended destinations. In this essay, I will argue why postmen are essential members of our community. By examining their role in society, the value they bring to our lives, and the challenges they face, I hope to convince you that postmen deserve our appreciation and recognition.

The Role of Postmen

Postmen have been a part of our communities for many decades, dating back to the establishment of postal services. Their primary role is to deliver mail and packages to homes, businesses, and post office boxes. They serve as a bridge between people, enabling communication and the exchange of goods. Postmen are responsible for ensuring that important documents, letters from loved ones, and packages containing essential items reach their recipients in a timely and secure manner. Without their diligent efforts, our society would not function as smoothly.

The Value They Bring

Postmen bring immense value to our lives and communities. They provide a reliable and convenient way for us to send and receive physical mail and packages. For example, when grandparents send birthday cards or when we order online purchases, it’s the postman who delivers these items to our doorstep. Postmen also play a crucial role in connecting people in remote areas or those who may not have access to modern technology. They ensure that everyone, regardless of their location, can send and receive mail.

The Human Touch

In an era dominated by digital communication, postmen offer a valuable human touch to the process of sending and receiving mail. Unlike emails and text messages, physical mail carries a personal and emotional connection. Handwritten letters and cards convey heartfelt sentiments, and postmen become the bearers of these emotions. They often develop relationships with the people on their routes, offering a friendly smile and a familiar face. This human interaction fosters a sense of community and belonging.

Facing Challenges

Being a postman is not without its challenges. They work in various weather conditions, from scorching heat to freezing cold, to ensure mail delivery is uninterrupted. They also encounter dogs and other hazards while on their routes. Moreover, the rise of online shopping has led to an increase in package deliveries, adding to their workload. Despite these challenges, postmen remain dedicated to their duties, ensuring that mail reaches its destination safely.

Adaptation in the Digital Age

In recent years, the role of postmen has evolved to adapt to the digital age. They now play a crucial role in delivering important documents, such as legal notices and government correspondence. Additionally, postmen are essential for delivering prescription medications and other critical supplies, especially during emergencies like natural disasters. Their adaptability and willingness to embrace new responsibilities highlight their importance in a changing world.

Conclusion of Essay on Postman

In conclusion, postmen are the unsung heroes of our communities. They play a crucial role in ensuring that mail and packages reach their intended recipients, bridging the gap in communication and connection. Their value goes beyond just delivering physical items; they bring a human touch to our lives in an increasingly digital world. Despite facing numerous challenges, postmen remain dedicated to their duties. As we send and receive mail, let us not forget to appreciate and recognize the essential role that postmen play in our society. They truly deserve our respect and gratitude for their unwavering commitment to serving our communities.

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Essay On The Postman – 10 Lines, Short and Long Essay for Kids

Key Points To Note: Essay On The Postman For Lower Primary Classes

10 lines on the postman for kids, a paragraph on the postman for children, short essay on ‘the postman’ in english for kids, long essay on ‘the postman’ in english for children, what will your child learn from this essay on the postman.

The task of writing an informal and formal essay in primary classes, both as a homework assignment or test assignment, aims at increasing understanding and accelerating the process of learning. An essay on the Postman can prepare you for various competitions and speeches for events in school. An essay on the postman for classes 1, 2 and 3 can enlighten kids on the usefulness of this job as a public servant and how postmen deserve our sympathy and regard for their great work. It highlights the life and work of a postman and how they serve our society. Here are some key points to remember while writing an essay on the postman for lower primary classes.

Good essay writing needs more than just inspiration. Here are some key points to remember when writing an essay for lower primary classes:

• Read and understand the topic.
• Plan and organise your ideas well.
• Make a draft without any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.
• Structure your essay into an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Essay for classes 1 and 2 need to contain short and simple sentences. Here are ten lines on postman for kids that can catch a child’s interest quickly.

• A Postman is a government employee.
• The postman is a simple, hard-working, and honest man.
• The postman works in a post office.
• He wears khaki-coloured clothes.
• He wears a khaki turban/cap on his head.
• He delivers letters, money orders, parcels and posts to residences and businesses.
• He brings news of both joy and sorrow.
• He is known to carry a leather satchel.
• A postman generally travels on a cycle while others go on foot.
• The postman is our community friend.

Essays are a specific form of creative expression. Here is a paragraph that can throw light on the role of a postman who faces many challenges yet succeeds in doing his job well.

A postman plays an important role in society, as he carries crucial professional and personal information to the general public. These public servants operate both in a village or a metro city. The postman is clad in a uniform of Khaki fabric and colour, which makes him stand out from the crowd. A postman carries letters, money orders, and other postal articles in his bag to distribute to people. Despite the modernisation of the postal system, he generally travels in a cycle or walks on foot to do his job. Thus, we need to respect his hardships and value his contribution to society.

Essay writing helps students improve their creativity, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills. Here is an essay for classes 1, 2 and 3 that would help get a general idea of a postman’s life.

A postman is a government servant, also known as ‘Dak Peon.’ He is a familiar figure primarily seen in rural or urban areas. Be it rain or sun; he ensures on-time delivery of mails so that we receive our letters or parcels on time. He is a government employee who reports every morning to the post office. From sorting out the letters and posts to delivering them in specific areas and stamping all the letters to verify them, a postman ensures that valuable information or important messages reach the right hands. A postman has to cover challenging terrains, uneven roads, and rural areas or go through dangerous areas like the forests to fulfill his duties. Despite all the pain and hardships, the postman usually doesn’t get adequately paid. But, he is a trustworthy person who works round the clock to deliver letters and make people’s lives easier.

A well-crafted essay helps to inform and entertain its readers. Here is an essay for class 3, which will indeed develop a kids’ understanding of a postman’s life and improve their child’s writing expressions.

The post office has always contributed to the social and economic development of the country. In ancient times, people relied on pigeons or messengers to send messages to each other. However, as times changed, the postal system, a more reliable communication medium, replaced it.

A postman is a familiar face in the neighbourhood. A postman wears a khaki uniform and a matching cap and carries a bag full of letters, gifts, parcels, and other items like cards and money orders. He is a community assistant who works like doctors, teachers, police officers, and shopkeepers. A postman helps to connect people by conveying messages, collecting letters from the post office, and distributing them to the public. He finds the designated addresses where he needs to travel and accomplishes the work till the evening. The honesty of his work makes him an important member of society. He has a challenging job that is not appreciated most time. Sometimes he travels long distances to ensure that every letter reaches its rightful owner at the correct address and on time.

Additionally, a village postman also takes the responsibility of reading out the letter patiently to some villagers who aren’t able to read. Apart from delivering personal letters, he also provides people with magazines, newspapers, and professional documents. A postman performs indoor jobs as well. From collecting money orders with cash from the treasury, collecting parcels, and going out for distribution outside the Post Office to bringing back the returned and undelivered/unpaid letters/money orders to the post office, he handles everything. He does his work with great honesty and dedication, which needs to be recognised by the government and us. The importance of the postman may have significantly reduced with the advent of technology. However, he is still an essential part of our community and brings all kinds of news to our doorstep.

Importance of a Postman in Society

India has the world’s largest network of postal systems, with more than 1.5 lakh post offices widely spread across the country. From delivering mails and collecting signatures from recipients, they perform other support tasks related to organisations like operations, administration, and management duties. Postal employees get trained by postmasters to handle customer transactions like selling postage, money orders, or collecting post office box rent, supervise mail processing, and address post office regulations-related queries to customers.

Challenges Faced by a Postman

The job of a Postman is full of challenges and responsibilities. He delivers letters to the general public, whether it’s raining, scorching hot, or cold. He even has to find the best possible routes based on the addresses to ensure that people receive their parcels on time. The salary of a postman is generally not very high as most postmen are not qualified enough. He reports to the post office every morning, collects all the letters, and distributes them to different addresses. In case of any delivery gets misplaced, reaches the destination late, or the letter reaches the wrong address, a postman can be questioned by the postmaster. He may even face punishment in such cases, lose his job or suffer a pay cut from his salary in such a situation.

A postman composition teaches the value of hard work, determination, and honesty in one’s profession. It is an excellent way to teach kids about such occupations and how people fulfil their duties by overcoming all their problems and hurdles.

City people might have got advanced and don’t avail many postal services. But in rural areas, you will see people waiting for the postman to know the news from their loved ones. Take your kids out to spot a postman on the street, distributing happiness all around.

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Essay on Postman

The postman is a very integral part of our daily life. Though this the age of computes and all that goes with it, the postman still delivers letters, books, magazines, parcels and money orders which cannot b done by computers.

The postman, being a government servant has to be identified as such, so he dons a khaki uniform, a matching cap and carries a bag on his shoulder in which he packs all the post that needs to be delivered.

The work of a postman is not easy. He starts his day by reporting at the office by 9 o’clock sharp. He signs the register and gets down to the business of the day. A gunny bag full of letters is sorted out for delivering in different zones of the city.

The letters and other postal articles of one zone are taken to the respective counter and thee they are sorted street-wise and number-wise, so that the postman does not waste the time while delivering his quota of the post. Then begins the tedious part of the job, that is going from house to house to make the deliveries. The letters are easy because he just drops them into the letterboxes or slips them under the doors in case there are no boxes.

Rain, hail, sunshine or storm you will never fail to see the postman on his rounds. He has no choice as his work is a very important and risky one at the same time, as he can be identified and held responsible for the loss of any postal articles. But unfortunately, the postman gets a very meager salary.

In villages the postman’s work is more or less the same but his job is made easier as he goes on his rounds on a cycle, because the villages are far apart. But sometimes the postman has to move on unmetalled roads and has to cross muddy fields.

Then the postman has to return to the post office, make his report to the postmaster, and then if any odd jobs need to be completed, he does so and calls it a day. He returns home a truly tired man.

Category: English , English Essay , Essay , Long Essay (more than 100 words)

Tags: 300 words essay , Essays for Kids

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Essay on Postman in English for Children and Students

Table of Contents

A postman has always been an important part of our society. His job duties involve reporting to the post office on time every day, sorting the letters according to the addresses, placing them carefully in his bag, delivering them to the correct address and reporting back to the post office in the evening. He reports to the postmaster and follows his instructions. His job is tough but he carries out all his duties with a smile. He also brings a smile on the face of people who receive letters, presents and money orders delivered by him.

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Long and Short Essay on Postman in English

Here are essay on Postman of varying lengths to help you with the topic in your exam. You can find here variety of Postman Essay written under various words limit in order to fulfil your requirement.

We have covered all the points related to the postman such as importance of postman, postman in our village, postman: a tough profession, postman in our neighbourhood, etc.

We hope, you will enjoy reading these essays because they are written in easy and very simple language to make it user friendly.

Short Essay on Postman (200 words) – Essay 1

A postman is a community helper. He is as important to the society as other community helpers such as a doctor, a teacher, a policeman, and a vegetable-seller. He helps in connecting people by conveying their messages to each other.

A postman wears a khaki uniform and holds a bag full of letters on his shoulder. He rides a bicycle and roams around on streets to deliver letters to different addresses. He needs to make sure that every letter reaches the correct address. He also needs to ensure that the letters are delivered timely. Many people subscribe to magazines and newsletters. These are also delivered by the postman. He is reprimanded in case he doesn’t perform his duty well.

Postman’s profession is quite tough. He faces many hardships such as riding the cycle all day long irrespective of the weather outside. Whether it is rainy, windy or sunny, a postman cannot take a leave. He needs to be out on his cycle to distribute the letters so that people do not miss any important message. This can be quite strenuous physically. However, he does his job with dedication. By evening he needs to report to the post office. He is allowed to go home only after the postmaster’s approval.

Despite the hard work, a postman is not paid well. I wish the government increases the allowance of the postmen.

Essay on Postman (300 words) – Essay 2

‘Importance of Postman’

Introduction

In ancient times, people relied on pigeons to convey messages to their loved ones living in faraway lands. However, as things changed these were replaced by a more reliable medium. Post offices came into being and postmen were hired to deliver important letters, parcels, and documents.

The Importance of Postman in the Earlier Times

A postman was one of the most important community helpers in the times when there were no phones. People communicated with their relatives and friends living in distant lands by way of handwritten letters that were delivered by postmen.

Since banks were not easily accessible and there were no ATMs, people often sent money orders. Gifts and other important parcels were also sent via post. A telegram was sent in case an urgent message had to be conveyed. The role of the postman was thus that of great responsibility in the past.

People relied upon him for receiving money and important messages and things. They keenly waited for postman each day.

The Importance of Postman in the Modern Times

It would not be wrong to say that the importance of postman has lowered to some extent due to the introduction of phones and emails. Instead of writing long letters to each other, people send quick messages or emails to convey the message. They no longer have to wait for days to hear from each other.

They can simply make a call or text their loved ones as well as business associates and connect with them instantly. All the banking transactions including the transfer of money and receiving of documents is also done online. People hardly send money orders these days.

However, receiving handwritten letters is still a great feeling. The importance of postman may have reduced with time but he is still an essential part of our community. He still delivers many important posts such as university results, admission cards, weekly/ monthly magazines, and the likes.

Though we have now shifted to the electronic mediums of communication, however, the role of a postman is still important. It is good to see that most postmen carry out their duties with honesty and dedication.

Essay on Postman (400 words) – Essay 3

‘The Postman in Our Village’

We live in a residential society in a metropolitan city. The sight of a postman is very rare here. The postman usually delivers the letters at the society gate and that is where we pick them from. I only get to see a postman when I visit my grandparents during my summer vacation. They live in a beautiful village in North India. Postman is one of the few people who are awaited eagerly by the people of the village. We also look forward to his arrival each day.

The Joy of Receiving Letters

The atmosphere of villages is quite different from that of the cities. Children are seen playing together in the neighborhood all day long. Elderly people also gather to chit chat during the afternoon and evening hours. I and my siblings also play and run around the village area. The joy of the kids playing around increases particularly when they see the postman coming. They run after him chasing his bicycle, greeting him and giggling away to glory.

Everyone is eager to know if they have received any letter or another postal article. It is like receiving a precious gift. The postman seems as glad as the people around. He stops by at the addresses where the letters are to be delivered. People living in villages are quite courteous. They offer him water. Some of them even offer him sweets on special occasions.

There is no bank or ATM in our village. The nearest one is around 10 km away. It is difficult to withdraw money transferred to the bank. This is the reason why money orders are quite common here. People prefer receiving their payments through money orders. Many children also send money orders to their parents living in the village so that they can purchase things with ease. The postman understands the importance of money orders. He carefully delivers them to the respective recipients.

The Postman Reads the Letters

Many people in the village do not know how to read. So, in addition to distributing letters, the postman also takes it as his responsibility to read the letters to villagers. He does this job with joy. He sits down and patiently conveys the message written in the letter to the people. In case, there is some good news, people reward the postman to express and share their happiness.

The bond between the villagers and the postman is really strong. It is a treat to watch the postman riding through the village. We miss this in the city.

Essay on Postman (500 words) – Essay 4

‘Postman: A Tough Profession’

A postman is a government servant. He is employed to distribute letters, money orders, and other postal articles to people. He roams around on a bicycle all day to complete the work assigned to him. The profession of a postman is not easy. He needs to face many challenges.

The khaki Uniform

A postman wears a khaki uniform. He wears a matching cap and carries a bag full of letters on his shoulder. The bag also contains certain other stuff such as cards, money orders and magazines that need to be delivered at different addresses. The uniform of a postman sets him apart from the rest of the public. A postman’s uniform helps us recognize him from a distance.

The Old Bicycle

A postman rides a bicycle even in today’s times. People have upgraded from cycles to scooters to cars. However, postmen are still assigned bicycles. They roam around on this eco-friendly vehicle the entire day to distribute letters and other important documents to people.

Many people argue that their vehicles should also be upgraded. However, others support this old way of commuting. It may take time for the postmen to reach from one place to another via cycle. However, there are many advantages attached to it too. One of the main advantages is that a postman does not have to worry about traffic jams.

The role of a postman is that of great responsibility. He needs to ensure timely delivery of letters. Driving a car, scooter or tempo can hinder his work as it will make it difficult for him to escape the traffic. Besides, cycles are good for the environment. They do not cause pollution, unlike cars and bikes. Also, riding a bicycle keeps the postman healthy and fit.

Postmen are usually seen riding an old bicycle which has become an integral part of their identity.

A Tough Job

The job of a postman is not easy. He requires reporting to the post office early every morning. He collects all the letters from the post office and then sets out to distribute them in the area assigned to him. The letters need to be distributed at different addresses. He needs to look for the best possible route based on the addresses he needs to visit in order to complete his job by evening.

He needs to ensure that the letters reach people on time so that they do not miss out on any important message. A postman cannot afford to miss any delivery or misplace any letter as he can be questioned for loss or delayed delivery. He can be punished in such cases. He can lose his job or a part of his salary in the event.

In the evening, the postman requires reporting to the post office again. In case, any job is left incomplete he requires completing it before heading home.

It is sad, that even though a postman works hard all day long, he is not paid well by the government.

The service provided by a postman is essential for society. We should be thankful to these professionals for carrying out their tasks with dedication.

Essay on Postman (600 words) – Essay 5

‘Postman in Our Neighbourhood’

Since my early childhood years, I remember one person who visits us regularly. He comes to our house many times a week and has become a part of our family. He is our postman, Naresh. While many postmen are transferred to a different area every few years, Naresh has been delivering letters in our vicinity for quite a long time. It has been for several years.

My Grandparents Await Postman Eagerly

While most of us have switched from writing letters to sending a quick email or message, my grandmother still prefers the good old way of writing letters. She and her siblings exchange handwritten letters regularly to keep in touch with each other. I often go with her to the post office to purchase inland letters, envelop and stamps. She also assigns me the task of putting letters in the nearby letterbox. We then await their reply. My grandmother eagerly waits for our postman, Naresh each day and so do I.

Apart from the letters from my grandmother’s siblings, we often receive letters from banks and some other institutions. Naresh knows that my grandmother keenly awaits letters from her loved ones. He rings the cycle bell joyfully as he approaches our place on the days he brings letters for my grandmother.

Just as my grandmother is overjoyed to receive these letters, Naresh is glad to deliver them. Sometimes, her brother sends her gift. No matter how small the gift is, the joy of receiving a surprise parcel is simply unmatched. Naresh makes sure the parcel is carefully kept in his bag to avoid any kind of breakage. He joyfully hands it over to my grandmother who is thrilled at receiving it.

My grandfather, on the other hand, waits for letters from the stock market and bank. While my father carries out all the banking transactions online and receives notifications on his mobile or email, my grandfather still prefers the old way of dealing with such institutions. So, he too awaits Naresh every day. He trusts Naresh completely and thus instead of visiting the bank he often opts for receiving even the most important and confidential documents via post.

My Pen Friend

I love this old way of keeping in touch. To experience the joy of receiving letters, I recently made a pen friend. In this era of mobile phones and chatting apps, this seems quite old fashioned and mundane. But I really wanted to experience this and it is really awesome. I write regularly to this friend and it is exciting to receive letters from her. She even sent me a beautiful birthday card which came as a pleasant surprise.

Our Postman; Our Friend

We are lucky that Naresh has been assigned our area as he is a very sincere professional. He carries out his tasks with honesty and dedication. Many of our relatives complain of missing out on letters and gifts. It is all due to the negligence of the postman in their area. They visit the post office to register complain regarding the same.

However, the lost/ misplaced parcels and letters are seldom found. Thankfully, we have never faced any such problem. This is because Naresh is a thorough professional. He understands the importance of timely delivery of letters and other postal articles and makes sure no one misses out on an important message.

It would not be wrong to call Naresh a true friend. On festivals and other special occasions such as birthdays, we offer sweets and juice to Naresh as he visits our house. My mother also gives him some cash and a pack of sweets for his family. We have been following this ritual for years.

Our postman, Naresh is always on time despite the weather outside. He works tirelessly and always has a smile on his face. His sincerity and dedication inspire me to work hard.

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Essay on Postman

Students are often asked to write an essay on Postman in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Postman

The role of the postman.

A postman is a public servant who works in the postal department. He plays a vital role in our society as he delivers letters, parcels, and money orders from one place to another.

Postman’s Daily Life

The postman’s day begins early. He sorts out the letters and parcels to be delivered and then starts his journey on foot or by bicycle. He braves all weather conditions to fulfill his duties.

Importance of a Postman

Despite the advent of technology, the postman’s job remains crucial, especially in rural areas. He is a symbol of communication, connecting people across distances.

Also check:

• 10 Lines on Postman
• Paragraph on Postman

250 Words Essay on Postman

The postman, a seemingly ordinary figure, plays a crucial role in the infrastructure of our society. They act as a bridge between people, connecting them through the exchange of letters, parcels, and important documents.

The Art of Communication

In the digital age, postmen still stand as a testament to the traditional form of communication. They remind us of the human touch involved in delivering a handwritten letter or parcel, a sentiment that electronic communication often lacks. This personal touch adds an emotional dimension to their service, making it more than just a job.

The Postman and Society

The postman is an integral part of the community, interacting with people from all walks of life. Their work goes beyond mere delivery; they also serve as a social link, often being the only point of contact for those living in remote areas. Their role is especially crucial in rural and remote regions where digital communication is still a challenge.

Challenges Faced by Postmen

Despite their crucial role, postmen face numerous challenges. These include adverse weather conditions, long working hours, and the physical strain of carrying heavy loads. Moreover, the advent of digital communication has threatened their profession, with many fearing redundancy.

In conclusion, the postman’s role is far more than just delivering letters. They are the custodians of personal communication, a social link, and a symbol of a time when communication had a more personal touch. As we move further into the digital age, it’s important to appreciate and respect their contribution to society.

500 Words Essay on Postman

The quintessential postman: an unsung hero.

The postman, a seemingly ordinary figure, is an integral part of our society. Despite the rapid digitization of communication, the role of the postman remains significant, particularly in rural and remote areas. They serve as lifelines, connecting people and facilitating the exchange of thoughts, emotions, and official communications.

The Role and Responsibilities of a Postman

The postman’s primary responsibility is to deliver mail and parcels to the designated addresses. However, their role extends beyond mere delivery. They are often the bearers of news, both joyous and sorrowful. They deliver acceptance letters from universities, job appointment letters, wedding invitations, and even condolence messages. In rural areas, they often read out letters to those who are illiterate, thereby acting as a bridge between the literate and the illiterate.

Moreover, postmen also play a crucial role in financial inclusion. In several developing countries, postmen deliver money orders, pension payments, and other government benefits to people who do not have access to formal banking systems.

The Challenges Faced by a Postman

Despite the essential role they play, postmen often face numerous challenges. They work in all weather conditions, traversing long distances, sometimes on foot, to deliver mail. They have to navigate difficult terrains, face aggressive pets, and even deal with irate customers at times. Despite these hardships, they persist in their duties with dedication and resilience.

The Impact of Digitalization on the Postman’s Role

The advent of digital communication has significantly impacted the role of the postman. Emails, instant messaging, and social media platforms have reduced the volume of traditional mail. However, the postman’s role has evolved rather than diminished. They now deliver more parcels due to the growth of e-commerce. Moreover, in many areas, they have transitioned into multi-tasking agents, providing banking services, selling insurance, and collecting data for government surveys.

The Postman: A Symbol of Community Connection

The postman is more than just a mail carrier; they are a symbol of community connection. In many places, they are the only regular contact for elderly or isolated individuals, offering a friendly face and a brief conversation. This human connection is something that digital communication cannot replicate.

Conclusion: The Future of the Postman

While the role of the postman is evolving, they remain an essential part of our society. As we move towards a more digital world, it is crucial to remember the human connection that a postman brings and the vital services they provide to the most vulnerable sections of society. The postman, often overlooked, truly is an unsung hero of our communities.

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The Postman Essay For Students and Children in 1000 Words

In this article read ‘the postman essay’ for students and children in 1000 words. Meaning, importance, difficulties, work, my village postman, 10 lines and more about postman in this essay.

Lets start the postman essay…

Table of Contents

The Postman Essay (1000 Words)

In India, there are a number of government departments that work to provide services in various sectors. It is a noble profession to work as a government servant. You get an opportunity to serve your country and more importantly, the people in your locality. 

The Postman is one such noble person who does his duty to the general public. Once upon a time, when there were no mobile phones and internet connections everywhere, people used to connect with one another by means of letters, and these letters were delivered by the postman.

Who is called The Postman?

Whenever we think about Postman, we create the image of a person wearing a khaki dress, holding a bag and riding a bicycle in our mind. This is the simplest thought that people have about The Postman. 

A postman is a person who works as a government servant in a post office, and his job is to deliver letters. He travels door to door to deliver letters, parcels, couriers, money orders, and other items. Postmen can be found in every part of the world, as India has the largest postal network in the country.

Apart from delivering parcels and letters, the work of a postman is also to sort the documents at the post office, hand out mail letters to the post office, sell postage stamps, and collect letters from the customers.

The job of a postman starts early in the morning. He collects letters from the mail receipt of the Post Office, sorts the mail, and then he collects money orders from the treasury, before going on his way to deliver the products.

Importance of The Postman

There are over 140 crores of people living in India, spread throughout the country. To make communication faster and easier, the postal department has spread throughout each and every corner of the nation. 

This makes the work of the postman extremely important for society. They are the carriers of useful and essential information and products for professional and personal purposes. 

Furthermore, he plays an important role in the social and economic development of the country. He must make sure that the letters and parcels of the people are in safe and secure hands. 

Difficulties in The Postman Jobs

The job of a postman and his overall work-life is very difficult. He has to work continuously for the whole day, starting from the beginning of office hours. In the morning, he waits for the mail order to release the mail, and from there, he collects all the letters, parcels, and other items. 

He then goes to the treasury to collect the money orders. After collecting all the items, he begins his journey to deliver the products. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining , chilly winter , or scorching summer; the postman has to do his duty no matter what. 

Apart from this, the postman has to go long distances and travel through challenging terrains and rough rural areas , and sometimes they also need to pass through dense forests to deliver things. This journey, the postman either covers by walking or by bicycle.

Postmen really work hard to earn money and make people’s lives easier. Despite the Postmen working hard to accomplish difficult tasks, they don’t get paid sufficiently. Apart from it, they also get fewer holidays, and there are little to no chances of their promotion.

How does a postman help us?

A postman serves as a crucial connecting link between two individuals. He brings news from our family , relatives, friends , business deals, office letters, marriage invitations , and other things as well. 

Money orders are also an important thing that is delivered by the postman. Postman travels from door to door to deliver important documents from one place to another place.

Nowadays, we are able to make contact with anyone through social media apps , internet connections, or direct phone calls. 

However, for people who live in interior areas, where the means of communication is limited, postmen are the only people who act as a means of communication for them. 

My Village Postman

The Postman of our village is a humble man, and everyone likes him. He is a well-known person in our village and all other nearby villages. The Postman always wears a khaki uniform that makes him stand apart from that crowd. 

Anyone can recognize him from a distance just because of his uniform. He always carries a bag with him, where he keeps all the letters, parcels, and money orders. Most of the time, he travels on his bicycle.

However, he prefers to walk when he needs to visit any interior destination. He always delivers the packages on time, and he is never late. 

The Postman also knows us well, and whenever any member of our village gets a letter, the Postman directly goes to his house. He knows everyone’s house properly, along with their names.

This makes the work of our local Postman a little bit easier. He also greets people with a smile and handles the parcel for them.

10 lines on The Postman

• The Postman is a government servant who works at a post office, and his primary work is to deliver letters, parcels, and money orders to the people.
• Working as a postman is a noble job as you will get an opportunity to serve the people in your locality with valuable letters.
• Before there were any means of electronic communication in the world, postmen served as the only means of comm unication through letters.
• The work of a postman starts early in the morning when he receives all the letters, parcels, and money orders from the office, and by the time he delivers all the things, it turns into night.
• The work of a postman is extremely difficult as he has to deliver products in all types of weather conditions.
• Apart from delivering letters, parcels, and money orders, he also collects letters from people’s houses to be sent anywhere else.
• The postman delivers the parcels and sorts the items and all other documents in the post office.
• Postmen had to tra vel long distances either by walking or by bicycle to deliver the packages door to door.
• He had to travel through interior ritual roads, dense forests, and even muddy roads to reach his destination.
• The Postman is an important part of our society that makes our lives easier.

A postman is a person who delivers things to us within the required time. He makes our lives easier by working hard day and night. He travels a lot and even walks long distances to make sure the work is done. 

We should also make his work easier by writing the receiver’s exact name and location, and address. As such, the postman is an integral part of society and serves us with his work.

I hope you liked the postman essay for students and children in 1000 words.

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Essay on Postman for Students and Children | PDF Download

Long Essay on Postman

The individual who works for the people. A public servant who is employed to deliver and collect letters and parcels from one place to another.

A Person wearing a khaki uniform, carrying a bag on his shoulder, riding the bicycle all around the streets to deliver the letters door by door. He is consigned to the post office and works for the public. Postman is the imperative individual in everybody’s life. He carries and collects documents, letters, parcels, money orders, greeting cards, and many more.

The proverbial person and well-known to the people. Either in villages or cities, people wait for him in some of the other situations. During the earlier days, people used to propel letters through pigeons. Or their mediators for personal or professional information. This would take several days to reach far destinations. Over the period, Post Office came into existence. A postman is a person assigned to the post office and works for the people.

The onset of Postman brought scores of changes in the lives of people. The means of communication among people started in the course of writing letters to, the far and the dear ones. The postman delivers the news of happiness and sorrows in the epoch of people’s life. Important documents, Pension’s to elders, Bank details and many other things are delivered by the Postman.

Role of Postman

Early days:.

Postman was an important means of communication to the people in the early days. People did not have the developed technology like the internet, mobile phones, messengers, and other modes of contact. They were dependent only on letters.

• The letters reach them only through the postman and can send their respective letter to their dear and near people.
• Money orders, gifts, greetings, invitations for weddings, and important ceremonies were sent only through the post.
• So, people use to wait for the postman.
• Postman also read letters for the uneducated.
• Postman will always be remembered and appreciated.

Modern Days:

• In recent times, we barely found a postman. On no account do we hear a man coming to our door and yelling post.
• Progress in technology has shown the way to the circumstance where, we don’t even commit to memory that, there exists a post office and a postman.
• Advanced phones and communicative mediums have made life easy, we can send instant messages on our concerns. Immediate response can be received even miles apart.
• All the money and transaction happen online. Invitations and gifts are sent online.
• This has led to a decline in writing letters and waiting for many days.
• Anyways, many changes may come and go, but the written letter feeling is always wonderful.
• We still receive some letters from the postman like college admission letters, sometimes magazine results from the universities, job offer letters, etc.,

Disadvantages of being a Postman

• If there is a mistake in the address of the letter to be delivered encounter, the postman will have to search hard the complete day for address.
• If important telegrams to be delivered are hectic, they are invented to work during the night too.
• Rainy season or Summer season, the postman has to get wet under the rain nor by the scorching sun.
• Salaries are less.

Conclusion: Postman is the person for the people. Progress in technology has made them have unusual visits. But the character of the postman is always remembered and his hard work is always appreciated.

Dear Students and Children, you can download the Postman Essay in the Hand Written Format by Clicking the Below Click Here Link.

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Postman Essay | Essay on Postman for Students and Children in English

Postman Essay: The postman is an important public servant. He works for the postal department. His job is to deliver letters, parcels and money orders to the people they are addressed to.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Short Essay on Postman 200 Words for Kids and Students in English

Below we have given a short essay on Postman is for Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This short essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 6 and below.

Each postman is given a specific area, in which he has to deliver mail. In almost all the big cities, towns and villages, the postman can be seen making his rounds on his bicycle. But in many remote areas of the country, he has to deliver letters on foot.

For many people, writing and receiving letters is the only way to keep in touch with one’s family, relatives and friends in spite of the widespread network of telecommunication like mobiles, phones, fax, and e-mail. As a result, the arrival of the postman is eagerly awaited in such homes. This is especially true in rural areas. Since a large segment of our population is still illiterate, the postman has to read and write their letters for them. Although this is not a part of his job, he does this to help people.

A postman is a hard-working person. He has to work in the open, through extreme weather conditions, including rain. He does not enjoy too many holidays in a year.

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Importance Of Postman In Our Life (Essay Sample)

Importance of postman in our life.

Postmen are familiar figures in many localities, be it within the busy metropolitan areas or in the rural parts of the country. Postmen move round in all parts of the country. You will find them in suburbs and villages.  A postman is an important person in our community. He can easily be recognized by his heavy bag containing letters to be delivered every day. Postmen are important people in our lives because they facilitate communication among people from various parts of the world. They not only deliver letters, they also bring parcels at our doorsteps, instead of traveling long distances to pick it at the general office.

Every day people wait patiently for the postman to deliver good news, hence the postman acts as an important link between different people.  Many people wait patiently for good news from a postman; these include confirmation of business deals, college invitation, or a selection to attend an event.  It is not surprising to see children and adults sitting by the doorway in the afternoon to receive their letters. Like all other public servants, the postman is a familiar figure who can easily be recognized by his uniform from a distance. He is known to carry a heavy bag across his left shoulder moving door-to-door supplying mails, parcel or telegrams.  As a child, I used to think that the postman did not have an office that is why he used to walk door to door to deliver letters. However, I learned that he did have an office but did not have time to sit in the office because he works outside serving people. Being a postman requires self-discipline.

One needs to be time conscious and be honest in his duties. The fact that part of his duty is to deliver sensitive information he needs to be very responsible and arduous despite the volume of work he needs to complete each day. A postman is a diligent worker, and he is true to his work.  I can vividly remember our postman John as one of the most dedicated and cheerful people I ever saw when growing up.   He could greet people and smile to everyone he met. He did not have a holiday; he used to work from Monday to Sunday come rain or shine be it winter or summer and even on Christmas Eve. John arrival was always awaited with anxiety; he used to tell us how he had to wake up in the morning to the general office to sort out letters and arraign them according to different areas before embarking on his daily routine of  distribution.

During special occasions like thanksgiving or Easter holidays, his bag was full and heavy. We rewarded him with drinks and food to make his journey less tiresome.  We would always cheer him up because he needed it at times. He used to carry a heavy bag on his shoulders and could move around the neighborhood until the bag was empty. John was a hardworking person who carried out his duty with a lot of diligence. He deserved an honor because he never complained.  Being a postman is not an easy job, one need to serve many households every day without mixing up the letters or parcels.  A postman brings smiles to many people. In summary, a postman is a noble person who makes sacrifices. Like John, all postmen deserve to be treated much better than we did because he ensures everyone receives his package in time without  traveling to town to pick their letters.

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Essay on Postman | 10 Lines, Short Essay & Paragraph for Students

A comprehensive essay on Postman, his life, duties & responsibilities, short & long essay for children & students. The essay is written in simple easy words, outline, heading, introduction & conclusion and covers detailed areas; 100,200,500 words essay for class 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10th level students in English.

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Essay on Postman | Duties, Role & Responsibilities, Short & Long Essay For Students

A postman is a government worker who is responsible for delivering letters, money orders and parcels from door to door. All bags containing letters and parcels arrive at a post office after which they are arranged and handed over to a postman who is responsible for delivering these parcels at his designated location.

Life of a Postman

The job of a postman is very tough. He has to report to his office early in the morning where an area is assigned to him to deliver letters. It is his responsibility to deliver all letters to his designated location no matter how bad the weather is.

He has to work in scorching heat of summers and harsh chills of winters just to fulfill his duty with honesty. Sometimes, he has to pass through muddy areas or rough roads just to serve us.

He works from day to evening and even late if all the letters have not been delivered. He remains punctual in his duty by delivering letters and money orders at our door step. Sometimes, he has to work late at night too just to deliver us telegrams.

His duty gets overburdened on festivals or special occasions where he has to work even after his official hours just to deliver us our special parcels.

Unfortunately, some people are not nice to a postman. They behave rudely with him which is not a good thing. He is held responsible in case of any missing money orders.

As a result of this, he often loses his job or a part of money is deducted from his salary. Moreover, government does not pay these people well. Even after fulfilling duty with punctuality and discipline, a postman does not get an increase in his salary. When a postman does not get paid enough, it gets difficult for him to fulfill the needs of his family.

Even after all these miseries, a postman always carries a smile on his face. He behaves well with everyone. He does not get offended because of working for hours. No matter what time of the day it is or how tired he is, we will always find him smiling whenever we open our door for him to receive our parcels.

Importance of a Postman

There was a time when people used to send messages through pigeons. However, with the passage of time, this thing was replaced by a postman. A postman wears a khaki uniform and a khaki hat. He carries a bag with him which is full of letters and parcels.

A postman is as important to this society as any other important member like a doctor , a lawyer, a teacher or a policeman. He helps people to stay in touch by delivering their letters or documents to each other.

He makes sure that a parcel reaches the right person without any delay or damage. In this world of modern technology, a postman is still considered as the most trustworthy person to send personal and professional information.

What we can do help Postman?

We should understand that a postman tries his best to deliver us our parcels on time. He performs his duty with full devotion.

If he gets late and does not deliver us our parcels on time then instead of scolding him, we should understand his condition and stay nice to him. We can also help him by giving him tips that will help him to get some essential things for his family.

A postman deserves all praise and love because of his hard work . We should be nice and thankful to him for working so hard for us.

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Postman Essay, Paragraph & Composition

The postman plays a very important role in our society. Communicating between relatives and friends who live far away from each other is the work of a postman. This is why students are often asked to write a postman essay or postman paragraph in school classes or exams. The job of a postman is very laborious indeed, but not very profitable. Despite the modernization of the postal system, the standard of living of those involved in the profession has not improved as expected. Here is a bunch of essays, compositions & paragraphs on a postman in 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 words for students, highlighting the life & work of a postman.

Table of Contents

The Postman Essay in English, 250 Words

By: Haque | For Class 6-7 | 26-06-’22

Hints: (i) Introduction, (ii) His dress, (iii) His duty, (iv) His popularity, (v) His monetary condition, (vi) Conclusion.

Introduction: A postman is known to all. He is a small government servant. He is a familiar figure in villages and towns. He is known as “Dak Peon”.

His Duty: A postman has many works to do. He attends the office first. He sorts the letters, money orders, and parcels. Then he goes from house to house with letters, parcels, and money orders, and delivers them to the owners. He walks in the street under the hot midday sun. In the village post office, he also sells postcards and envelopes. He has to walk a long distance to finish his duties in time.

In a town, a postman hardly mixes with the people. He drops the letters in the private letterboxes in the gates.

His Popularity: He is dutiful and sincere. He is regular, honest, and conscious of his duties. He knows that if fails in his duty, it will be a great loss or harm to people. The postman has a cheerful face. He serves everyone smilingly. He brings both good and bad news. So, everyone likes him.

Monetary Condition: The postman gets a low salary. He lives from hand to mouth. He should be given a higher salary.

Conclusion: A postman is an important person in society. He is a great friend of people. He carries news for all but nobody cares for his news.

A Postman Composition, 300 Words

By: Haque | For Class 7-8 | 26-06-’22

Write a composition about the postman by using the following hints. Hints: (i) Introduction, (ii) Who is a postman, (iii) His life, (iv) His qualification, (v) His duties, (vi) Importance of a postman, (vii) Conclusion.

The postman is a very familiar person in both cities and villages . He generally works in the post office. He performs the duty of delivering postal things such as letters, money orders, parcels, etc. to the concerned people. He is a familiar fellow.

The postman is one who is employed by the postal department to deliver postal matters like parcels, letters, money orders, etc. according to their addresses.

The postman begins his daily work in the post office at 9 o’clock in the morning . He works till the afternoon. He leads a busy life.

The postman is a fourth-class government employee. He is a low-paid government servant. He is not so qualified. Though ill paid the necessity of his service to society is great.

Formerly, every postman had to put on a Khaki dress and carry a bag across his shoulder. Hanging bag in his shoulder, a postman goes from house to house on foot over great distances in sun and rain to deliver postal matters. In delivering money orders and registered matters etc. he has to take the addresses, signature on the acknowledgment forms. His sense of duty is very great. During the rainy season , he gets a raincoat of waterproof from the government to perform his duties perfectly and smoothly.

In old days people mostly lived at home with their families . But with the spread of civilization men now live far from their families and friends . So, it is natural for them to be anxious for news from one another. Post and telegraph offices have come into existence to supply this need. Though he brings both good and bad news for us, yet every time he is welcomed by us. We always wait for him. He is more welcomed when he comes with a money order or some good news.

A postman is an important person in society. He has to perform highly responsible duties. The reputation of the department entirely depends on his service but he is ill-paid.

The Postman Essay, 350 Words

By: Haque , For class 8-9, 04-01-’21

Introduction: Every day at a particular time he is seen passing through the streets. A postman delivers letters, parcels, and money orders to us. He is a man of duty in the field of communication. He is a familiar figure in the country because of his duty. We all expect him greatly.

Description: The postman wears a ‘Khaki’ uniform and carries a bag on his shoulders. It contains letters and others. Many of them have to walk to deliver letters but some postmen have bicycles. Nowadays they are seen with motorcycles for speedy disposal.

His Functions / Responsibilities: A postman is a man of hard work. When he is on duty, he remains busy doing his job. He begins his work in the morning . He sorts out letters and stamps them with receiving date. Then he sets out to deliver them to the addresses. His daily round at duty covers a wide area, and he has to walk a long distance laboriously to finish his duty without complaint.

Quality: The qualities of a postman are very great. He maintains time table to do anything. He gets a poor salary, but he is sincere with his work. Really his role in our society is very great.

The Hardship of the Postman: The hardship of a postman knows no bounds. Every day he is to abide by his duty. Even in the rough weather, he is bound to do his duty. On hot days, he sweats heavily. He cannot take any rest. He cannot expose his hardship to anybody walking on the road. He thinks that he has no time to take a rest. He knows that there are valuable letters, parcels, money orders in his bag. He must reach those things to the proper addresses. Because the addresses are waiting for him eagerly. Although the postman does a lot for society, he is a law salaried servant. So, the government should give him just right to his hard work.

Conclusion: A postman is a symbol of duty, sincerity, and honesty . He helps our society in the field of postal communication. Indeed, he is expected by all of us for getting the news.

The Postman Paragraph, 150 Words

By: Haque | For Class 5-6 | 26-06-’22

Write down a paragraph on the importance of A Postman. Mention his daily routine work. You are required to include the service procedure of a postman.

The postman is a very familiar figure in the cities and in the villages . He is a long-awaited person especially to those who expect letters from their dear and near ones. He carries letters, parcels, and money orders from door to door. He has no time to waste because he knows a delay may cause a great loss to the people. He links the world through letters. He is the courier of happy and sad news. He gets a poor salary but his responsibility is great. Although he does an important job, he is not given as much privileges as he requires. As a result, sometimes he becomes corrupt. However, the postal system has now been digitized. That is why there has been a fundamental change in its management. If we want to get the desired service from the modern postal system now, we have to increase the salaries and other benefits of the employees associated with it.

The Postman Paragraph for Class 6-7

By: Haque | Words: 160 | 26-06-’22

Write a paragraph on ‘The Postman’. Write about his uniform, his duties and the importance of his work.

A postman is one of the most well-known government employees. We eagerly await his arrival every day. He wears a khaki uniform. He has to do a lot of duties. He attends his post office first early in the morning and starts his work. He sorts out the letters, parcels, money orders, and other valuable things. After collecting them, he goes out and moves from house to house and office to office. He carefully delivers the letters to the recipients. For this, he often has to walk a long way. He is not highly educated but carries a great responsibility. He is very punctual, dutiful, sincere, honest, and hard-working. In spite of getting a poor salary, he does his duties sincerely. His duty is very useful and important. He brings important news both happy and sad from our friends and relatives. We can’t think of a civilized society without his services. So, we should look upon him with great love and sympathy.

Check also: Life of a Farmer Essay & Paragraph

The Postman Paragraph, 100 Words

By: Haque | For Class-5 | 26-06-’22

The postman is a very familiar figure. He is known for his dress. He puts on a khaki dress with a bag across his shoulder. He carries letters and goods from our friends and relatives living at home and abroad. So, everybody waits for him and welcomes him. He delivers letters, money orders, parcels to the proper addresses. He is always busy with his job. Everybody knows him. He works hard but his small pay is not enough for his livelihood. Nowadays the usage of paper letters is falling off. So, the postman is also losing importance day by day.

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Neil Postman on Education, Technology, and Purpose

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For more than a half-century, mainstream American education has lacked a clear, transcendent purpose. We have abandoned the telos of education and reduced education to a technical method. In his book “The End of Education,” twentieth-century media ecologist Neil Postman argues that there is no surer way to bring education to an ignominious end than for it to have no end. In other words, if we don’t understand the purpose of education, we won’t be able to appropriately and responsibly use the techniques and the technology we have at our disposal to facilitate a worthwhile education.

Postman’s critique of education is framed within his ideas about technology. Both as a professor at New York University and throughout his writings, he argues that even the smallest change in human culture affects the whole system — especially when related to technology. The technology gradually introduced into culture and education has changed how people communicate and relate in profound ways. Unfortunately, Postman argues, the changes have largely been negative, mostly taking away from the fullness of human experience.

Writing in the late 20th century, Postman pinpoints the computer as an example of how technology has changed education. As information passes through a computer, the computer itself doesn’t change — the hardware and operating system stay the same, and it remains only the receptor or transmitter of data. Postman suggests we have begun to regard students in the same way, as mere receptors and transmitters of information, meant to passively receive data and then transfer or reproduce it. (Standardized tests are a great example of this mentality.)

In the classical tradition, however, education has been understood to change people fundamentally. Plato called education “a conversion of the soul,” a turning toward wisdom and truth. For thousands of years, education has been concerned with forming human beings. As such, the metaphor of a computer is structurally flawed. Education doesn’t work this way, nor should it.

Postman reminds us, furthermore, that the medium truly is the message. We convey things to students not only in what we teach but how we teach. If all one does is simply stand in front of students, talking at them while they write down notes, they are tacitly taught that learning fundamentally involves a passive receptivity to information.

On the other hand, if students are engaged in a discussion through Socratic dialogue — asking deep, important questions and then working collaboratively to find answers — they are taught that the nature of learning is dynamic and requires attention, conversation, and friendship.

Despite his critiques, Postman doesn’t propose we do away with technology altogether. Technology isn’t bad in itself. The problem is that we have too readily and uncritically accepted it. We have created something that we don’t fully understand and can’t sufficiently control — its effects and changes to our world are at once deep, problematic, and unexplored. In response, Postman urges us to consider where technology properly belongs and to ponder how it can be appropriately channeled to serve a higher purpose.

According to Postman, we must recognize our current situation and then work to articulate the purpose of education so that it has a narrative and a goal. In our post-progressive world, we focus almost exclusively on the technical questions: how to improve graduation rates, raise test scores, or transmit information more efficiently. Meanwhile, the transcendent metaphysical questions — Why are we doing this? What is the purpose? — too often are abandoned.

Today, our lives are saturated with information, a stark reality Postman also counts as one of the most negative effects of technology on education. Advances in computers have led to an information glut. We are so awash in information that we don’t know what to do with it or how to organize it. More critically, we don’t know how to discern what is useful or important from what is not.

If education is about the formation of a certain kind of human being, about providing a guide for how to live virtuously and wisely, or even about how to solve complicated societal or political problems, the answer is not always more information. Is it a lack of information about how to grow food that keeps millions of humans across the globe hungry? Is it a lack of information that brings physical decay to our cities? Is it a lack of information that leads to an ever-growing presence of mental illness? The fact is, there are few political, social, and especially personal problems that arise because of insufficient information.

By abandoning a transcendent purpose for education, a narrative that explains its final goal, we threaten to end education altogether. The purpose we articulate must be higher than skills or job training or self-actualization. Education is about teaching young people to know and love the highest things — truth, goodness, and beauty. It is about cultivating them into virtuous and wise human beings. Although Postman died in 2003, his ideas and warnings remain relevant and prophetic. We would be wise to heed them now — before it is too late.  

David Diener is Headmaster of Hillsdale Academy and Lecturing Professor of Education at Hillsdale College. This overview of Neil Postman is based on his in-depth interview with Hillsdale College’s K-12 program.

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Special Issue: Propaganda

This essay was published as part of the Special Issue “Propaganda Analysis Revisited”, guest-edited by Dr. A. J. Bauer (Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama) and Dr. Anthony Nadler (Associate Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Ursinus College).

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“A most mischievous word”: Neil Postman’s approach to propaganda education

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Before there was a term called media literacy education, there was an interdisciplinary group of writers and thinkers who taught people to guard themselves against the manipulative power of language. One of the leaders of this group was Neil Postman, known for his best-selling book published in 1985, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Early in his career, Postman promoted a pedagogy of teaching and learning about language, media, and culture. In defining propaganda as “a most mischievous word,” Postman aimed to heighten learners’ attention on the abstracting function of language and its capacity to reshape attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge. 

Harrington School of Communication and Media, University of Rhode Island, USA

Research Questions

• What concepts and instructional practices did Neil Postman use to help people learn to critically analyze contemporary propaganda? 
• How does Postman’s exploration of language and meaning fit into the larger history of media literacy education? 

Essay Summary

• Postman defines propaganda as intentionally designed communication that invites people to respond emotionally, immediately, and in an either-or manner, emphasizing its capacity to undo more reasoned habits of mind. By defining propaganda in relation to its form, context, and impact on audiences, Postman acknowledges that propaganda is present in many forms of contemporary media, including entertainment, information, and persuasion. 
• Postman’s pedagogy builds upon literary close reading practices, and he uses comparison contrast to examine an example of emotion-laden propaganda and compare it with another form of expression that purports to be more informational. Transparent and emotionally evocative propaganda is not to be feared, Postman explains. But when propaganda is not transparent about its aims, when it uses language in ways that distort reality, it can be harmful, even when its intentions are well-meaning and designed to support a worthy cause. 
• Through the strategic selection of propaganda artifacts, educators may provoke learners in ways that enable dialogue and discussion to contribute towards the building of a community of inquiry. From this, learners gain awareness of the value of encountering multiple, diverse, and conflicting interpretations of media messages. As a result, pedagogies rooted in discussion and dialogue contribute to civic education. 
• Although Postman advocated for dialogue and discussion as a primary pedagogy, he acknowledged the importance of students learning to use the power of information and communication to make a difference in the world. By creating propaganda, students learn about the social responsibilities of digital authorship. 

Implications 

As an effort to help learners of all ages navigate increasingly complex media and information ecosystems, the pedagogy of media literacy has a long intellectual history. Although the term “media literacy” only became widely used during the 1990s, ideas underpinning its practice were germinating during the early part of the 20 th  century, when many philosophers, writers, critics, and academics were exploring the difficulties of living in a symbolic world replete with mass media and communication. Scholars including Kenneth Burke, Aldous Huxley, Alfred North Whitehead, Ludwig Wittgenstein, C. S. Peirce, John Dewey, Ernest Cassirer, Edward Sapir, and I. A. Richards all offered ideas about the relationship between expression, media, education, and democracy that influenced the work of later educators and scholars who developed and used the term media literacy (Hobbs, 2016). 

In the 1930s, as fascism grew in Europe and around the world, scholars noted that although humans’ use of language enabled vast innovation, it also put people at tremendous risk from the harmful propaganda of demagogues and dictators. Educators were fascinated with the challenge of teaching about contemporary propaganda in the years leading up to World War II, as film and radio offered new ways to combine entertainment, information, and persuasion. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA) offered monthly publications to educators who were urged to help people recognize the rhetorical strategies used by propagandists (Miller & Edwards, 1936). Based in New York City, the organization had active correspondence with high school teachers from across the region and across the nation. More than 1 million students participated in IPA learning activities on the topic of propaganda. Although the IPA folded at the onset of American involvement in the war, many teachers continued to teach students how to recognize “glittering generalities,” “card stacking,” and “bandwagon” and other rhetorical appeals (Hobbs & McGee, 2014). Although we don’t know for certain, Neil Postman himself may have learned to identify propaganda techniques as a high school student in New York City public schools. 

Neil Postman, known for his best-selling book published in 1985,  Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business,  influenced a generation of media literacy educators with his insights on inquiry learning in and out of schools, the role of technology in shaping culture and values, and the narratives that underpin the aims of education. Early in his career, Postman promoted a pedagogy of teaching and learning about language, media, and culture that focused on the systematic analysis and exploration of modes of communication (Postman, 1974a), which he termed media ecology (Postman, 1974b). But how does Postman’s work on propaganda fit into the history of media literacy and propaganda education? 

Actually, Postman’s interest in propaganda was incidental to a much larger narrative, situated at the blurry intersections of the humanities, media studies, and education. Well before he became a media scholar, Postman was a teacher and teacher educator (Postman, 1958; 1961). Postman’s work demonstrates the central practice of the critical analysis of language (Postman, 1976), using specific media texts or artifacts of popular culture. In examining Postman’s approach to teaching propaganda in the 1970s in the years leading up to his formulation of the scholarly practice of media ecology, there are some themes in his work that have implications for how propaganda education is currently conceptualized within contemporary dialogues about media literacy education. When media artifacts are strategically chosen by the instructor, they may provoke learners into genuine thinking (Postman, 1979). The resulting dialogue, discussion, and creative expression in the classroom enable students to recognize the active process of meaning-making and interpretation. Such pedagogies may cultivate communities of inquiry that embody the collaborative practices of engaged citizenship (Kahne & Bowyer, 2019). For these reasons, Postman’s close analysis of 20 th -century propaganda offers some value for today’s educators seeking to help learners thrive in a culture saturated with new forms of digital propaganda.

The pedagogy of media literacy education is rooted in the practices of critical reading and creative media production, where a focus on media and popular culture enables rich connections between classroom and contemporary culture (Hobbs, 2010). These practices were foundational to Neil Postman’s pedagogy and stemmed from his background in English education (Thaler, 2003). Following in the footsteps of Marshall McLuhan (1960), Postman emphasized the value of using topics, issues, and materials that were relevant to children and young people (Postman, 1995). Like McLuhan, Postman included examples from advertising, news, music, and even fashion, conflating city and classroom (Mason, 2016). By emphasizing the   interconnectedness of technology, communication, art, and symbolic forms, both Postman and McLuhan wanted to help people better “understand the past, make sense out of the present, and provide us with the best hope of anticipating and planning for the future” (Strate, 2017, p. 245). 

Because propaganda comes in many diverse genres and forms (including public service announcements, political campaigns, news media, movies, memes, and social media, just to name a few) it provides a rich array of opportunities for learners to engage in sense-making using strategies of reasoning and interpretation. Sadly, the scholarly literature on literacy education still makes little acknowledgement of the fact that advertising and propaganda are persuasive genres that demand different types of critical reading practices than texts whose purpose is primarily informational (Hobbs, 2020a). To interpret persuasive genres, learners must be attentive to the emotional dimensions of messages as they make inferences about audience interpretation and authorial intent. They must imagine the potential impact and consequences of messages upon different viewers, readers, or listeners. By identifying the target audience and rhetorical appeals used to construct a message, learners come to appreciate how propaganda engages the active participation of audiences, whose hopes, fears, and dreams are addressed through symbolic expression. 

Long before terms such as implicit bias and confirmation bias were formulated, Postman articulated how dialogue and discussion activities increase learners’ awareness of how their own beliefs and prior knowledge might lead them to differentially interpret the meaning, quality, utility, and value of propaganda that can be found in information, entertainment, and persuasion. Moreover, as learners interpret and analyze propaganda, conversations inevitably get into deeper terrain, opening up ethical issues including the changing nature of knowledge, the limits of human freedom, and the role of propaganda in gaining and maintaining social and institutional power (Hobbs, 2020b). 

Postman understood that the motives of the propagandist were inherently unknowable and that even propaganda that is designed to support or advance a worthy cause can be harmful when it distorts people’s understanding of social reality. Building on the work of Jacques Ellul (1979), Postman recognized that moral and ethical judgments about the relative benefits and potential harms of propaganda are baked into the interpretation process. For this reason, people need advanced skills of interpretation and analysis because of the linguistic and epistemic mischief caused by propaganda, which can create “a thicket of unreality” (Boorstin, 1961, p. 3). 

Writing at a time before email and the Internet were becoming ubiquitous, Postman recognized that information technologies were creating a culture “without moral foundation” by altering our understanding of what is real (Postman, 1994). He noted that every tool has an ideological bias, a predisposition to construct the world as one thing rather than another. For today’s learners, understanding the propaganda function of algorithmic personalization may lead to a deeper consideration of texts that tap into audience values for aesthetic, commercial, and political purposes (Hobbs, 2020a). But these competencies and skills cannot merely be transmitted through a teacher’s lecture. They must be cultivated through active participation in a discourse community. 

Recently, there has been a call for media literacy education to focus less on knowledge and skills and more on “connecting humans, embracing differences” through relational activities, where the process matters as much as the outcome (Mihailidis & Viotty, 2017, p. 451). As my analysis of Postman’s lesson reveals, media literacy education has long been conceptualized as a dimension of civic education; indeed, much of Postman’s writing about education emphasizes its role in the construction of community, where the critical analysis of media messages is explicitly presented as a collaborative practice of citizenship, designed to advance the exercise of democratic rights and civil responsibilities. For example, in a brilliantly titled book,  Teaching as a Subversive Activity  (1969), Postman and Weingartner explain how inquiry-learning pedagogies advance learner confidence and autonomy by empowering students to take responsibility for their own interpretations of the symbolic environment. In their formulation of inquiry learning, the teacher rarely tells students a personal opinion about a particular social or political issue and does not accept a single statement as an answer to a question. The teacher encourages student-to-student interaction as opposed to student-to-teacher interaction and the teacher generally avoids acting as a mediator or judge. Lessons develop from the interests and responses of students and not from a predetermined curriculum. 

Such discourse alters the nature of the authority relationship between teacher and students, putting students in the driver’s seat. When students have more control over their own learning, motivation and engagement improve. Postman knew that these ideas about the value of activating critical questions in the classroom would appeal to students at a time when they were increasingly questioning the “establishment.” He also knew that this way of teaching would be off-putting to traditionalists who cling to the power hierarchies embedded in teaching. He also knew it would be off-putting to protectionists who see media culture as the enemy of education. He gently provoked English teachers by noting, “If these questions strike you as politically dangerous, I would remind you that there is nothing more dangerous to the future of our country than curriculums which keep students playing with sentence diagrams while the languages of reality go swirling, uncomprehended, around their ears” (Postman, 1967, p. 1165). 

This type of admonishment continues into the present era, as in the position statement developed by the National Council of Teachers of English (2019), which advocates for a new vision of English education. It urges English teachers to promote pedagogy and scholarly curricula in English and related subjects that instruct students in civic and critical literacy, helping students to “analyze and evaluate sophisticated persuasive techniques in all texts, genres, and types of media, current and yet to be imagined.” Teachers are also encouraged to “model civic literacy and conversation” where students can have an informed discussion and engage with current events and civic issues “while staying mindful and critical of the difference between the intent and impact of their language” (NCTE, 2019, p. 1).

Postman wanted teachers to feel deeply responsible for educating students who would be capable of democratic self-governance (Ross, 2009). Like Ellul (1973), he recognized that there is a moral and ethical dimension in resisting the technologies and the forms of propaganda that perpetuate illusions. But even more important than building people’s resistance to propaganda is the practice of restoring the public sphere “by reclaiming participation in political debate and action” (Cunningham, 2002, p. 190). Media literacy activities function as civic education because they increase learners’ awareness of the epistemic value of encountering multiple, diverse, and even conflicting perspectives  ( Kahne et al., 2015).

Contemporary media literacy education emphasizes composing media, not just analyzing it. While he did not use the term media literacy, Postman did use the term multimedia literacy, referring specifically to a broadened conceptualization of the expressive function of literacy. According to Postman, students should express what they know through a wide range of communication skills beyond merely reading and writing. Educators should place equal importance on “speaking, listening, filming, audio-taping, video-taping, painting, and other possibilities” (Postman, 1974, p. 61). When students create propaganda for social causes that matter to them, they recognize that propaganda can be beneficial. Young people crave opportunities to develop civic identities as change agents (Hobbs, 2020b). Through the study of propaganda, learners inevitably reflect on the ethical obligations of the people who create media, those who provide digital platforms to distribute content, and those who not only make choices and interpret messages, but respond, remix, and share content.

To better understand how Postman’s ideas about propaganda embodied some fundamental practices of what would later be called media literacy education, I first consider Postman’s unique definition of propaganda, presented as part of a “lesson plan” in his 1979 essay entitled “Propaganda.” This work was excerpted from his 1976 book,  Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk.  In this work, Postman’s identity as a teacher is quite evident. His exploration of propaganda focuses on both the dangers of either–or framing to short-circuit critical thinking and the many ways in which language (and other symbol systems) shape reality. These two ideas form a bedrock foundation for the later arguments he developed concerning the biases of technologies and their impact on culture and values. In analyzing propaganda, Postman shows how language limits critical thinking about the true complexity of the world and he offers a deceptively simple instructional practice that promotes engaged dialogue and discussion with the goal of fostering critical autonomy and civic participation in learners of all ages.

Postman’s definition of propaganda

In his 1979 essay, Postman defines propaganda in a unique way, as “language that invites us to respond emotionally, emphatically, more or less immediately, and in an either-or manner” (p. 130). Postman’s definition centers on the form and context of propaganda and its impact on readers, viewers, or listeners. This is a definition whose purpose seems aligned with the goals of an educator who wants people to be able to recognize and resist propaganda. As a definition, it also offers strategic insights for those who wish to create propaganda as a means to accomplish their activist goals. 

Other definitions of propaganda of the time period seem to have different goals. For example, consider Ellul’s definition, where propaganda is distinguished by its reliance on technology, widespread dissemination, and embeddedness in institutions of power (Ellul, 1973). Writing at about the same time as Postman, Altheide and Johnson (1980, p. 23) offer a definition of propaganda as a communication strategy that uses truth to maintain an organization’s apparent legitimacy. Definitions of propaganda evolve and change over time because those who write definitions are responsive to the context and situation of a particular era (Cunningham, 2002). Today, new terms like computational propaganda have emerged to explain how power/knowledge structures are embodied in technologies, platforms, algorithms, and code (Woolley & Howard, 2018). 

It is noteworthy that in his definition, Postman refuses to demonize or use metaphorical language that conceptualizes propaganda as a dangerous weapon. By including the memorable phrase about cultivating either-or thinking, he aims to foreground how language simplifies the natural complexity of the world. He is concerned that dichotomies like good/bad and true/false may activate tribal loyalties and identities that may lead people to bypass critical thinking. Postman resists the easy tendency to use propaganda as a “smear word” (McKenzie, 1942) because doing so would interfere with the principal insight that he aims to convey: the inevitable ways that language constructs and shapes social reality.

Language is not merely a set of rhetorical strategies, but a way that we humans interact with our environment. Through languages, art forms, symbol systems, technologies, and platforms, people relate to the environment as interdependent parts of an ecosystem. Propaganda simplifies complex information through abstracting, which is an active cognitive process where we take into ourselves something from the outside environment, using perception, information, and ideas “which provide us with a necessarily incomplete and selective summary, or map of our environment” (Strate, 2010, p. 35). Through abstracting, we collaboratively create and accumulate knowledge. But in this process, a lot is left out, because every choice must be a particular choice. Every word, graphic display, or numerical symbol is a particular, limited, and partial one. 

Postman points out that because all language is essentially persuasive, “the distinction between persuasion and other types of talking does not seem to be very useful” (1979, p. 132). One of his first graduate students, Terence Moran, recalls that one of the first axioms Postman presented to the class was that “words themselves have no meanings, that only people have meanings which they try to express through words” (Moran, 2004, p. 26). For Postman, language does much more than merely describe events and things in the world; language also tells us what we should notice, who we should ignore, and what we should treasure or despise. Because the words people use have embedded ideologies, Postman appreciated Alfred Korzybski’s point that “Whatever we say something is, it is not” (Postman, 2003, p. 358). 

Comparison–contrast pedagogy 

Postman’s short essay offers a comparison–contrast activity designed to illustrate some key ideas about how the language of propaganda may short-circuit or hijack critical thinking. Postman describes an activity that is designed to promote dialogue and discussion. While he does not explicitly identify it as a lesson plan, his didactic use of language makes it evident throughout that the presentation of examples is designed as a learning activity. Using content about both the Vietnam War and the Black Power movement, Postman intentionally chooses topics certain to appeal to adolescents and young adult learners of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In modeling the use of contemporary news media in the English classroom, he shares two quite different forms of news propaganda that offer ideologically distinctive stances that support both causes. 

The first artifact that Postman analyzes is a letter to the editor published in the  Indianapolis Star  in 1968, with the headline, “A Letter from a War Veteran.” The letter takes on the fictionalized first-person voice of a dead soldier who died in the Vietnam War, referencing the loss of family members, and pulling out all the emotional stops to arouse patriotic feelings and support for the war effort. Postman notes that this work was “constructed to evoke Indianapolis passions in favor of the war” (Postman, 1979, p. 130). Letters to the editor may function as propaganda. They are transparent in their persuasive purpose and designed to unify a group of people and build social consensus.

Then he presents a brief, close analysis of an informative paragraph on the life of George Jackson, the founder of an African American Marxist–Leninist revolutionary prison activist group called the Black Guerilla Family. Postman’s voice simply drips with sarcasm as he explains that the propaganda about George Jackson circulated among intellectuals in New York City “when it was the fashion to elevate revolutionaries to sainthood” (p. 131). In analyzing how the passage presents a hagiographic version of Jackson’s criminal history, making a violent man seem like a choirboy, Postman’s tone is alternatively incredulous, lighthearted, and playful. He calls the reader’s attention to the way narrative structure and language choices seem to minimize the scope of Jackson’s criminal behavior. By representing Jackson in a heroic way, the author of the passage misleads readers, distorting reality. Postman does take pains to point out that he has no complaints about the man whose story is being told. What’s arouses his ire is propaganda “that attempts to conceal itself as information” (p. 133). Postman also fears that people will become habituated to the emotional pull of propaganda, building on the work of Gustave LeBon in noting that propaganda can turn groups into intoxicated, mindless crowds.

Omitted from the short essay is any reflection on how learners may encounter such a lesson. We can easily imagine how students’ engaged dialogue would revolve around their different allegiances towards the content of the two artifacts. Students who hate the Vietnam War might disagree with Postman’s appreciation of the honest transparency of the pro-war letter writer, resenting the author’s strategy for activating strong emotion and the depiction of sympathy for veterans. Students who see themselves as stakeholders in the fight against racism might be offended when Postman problematizes the warm-and-fuzzy depiction of the life history of an African-American prison activist. It’s easy to imagine the lively response of learners to such an exercise as they find themselves with increased awareness of how their own beliefs, allegiances, values, and prior knowledge might lead them to differentially interpret the utility and validity of these two different forms of propaganda. 

In selecting and analyzing these two examples of propaganda in news, Postman’s goal here seems to provoke: he is challenging learners out of their quick and easy assumptions about good/bad and true/false. This instructional practice also enables Postman to show the value of comparison contrast in helping students recognize how authors can use language in ways that transparently reveal or strategically disguise their purposes, intentions, and goals. 

In calling propaganda a most mischievous word, Postman heightens learners’ attention on the abstracting function of language and its capacity to reshape attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge. Postman refuses to demonize sentimental, patriotic propaganda and he examines the potential harms of propaganda that misrepresents reality in order to promote a worthy cause. In doing so, Postman points out the power of language to activate strong emotions while simultaneously elucidating how well-meaning individuals can produce compelling unrealities in support of their causes.

Methods 

Historical research methods were implemented in this study to examine Neil Postman’s conceptualization of propaganda in relation to media literacy education. To help readers comprehend the textured complexities of the past, I provide a close analysis of a single comparison–contrast activity published in 1979 that demonstrates one lesson in the pedagogy of propaganda analysis. This work is explicated through document analysis, a qualitative research method used for contextualizing research within a subject or field (Bowen, 2009). 

I focused my attention on understanding the context of Neil Postman’s early work in education (published before 1980) to better understand significant influences on his pedagogical approach to the study of propaganda. Primary source materials include Postman’s published books, journal articles, book reviews, magazine pieces for educational publications, and interviews. Postman’s works that examined general semantics were included, but I did not focus on the body of work on media ecology which has been extensively reviewed by communication scholars. Secondary source materials included published works about Neil Postman by Lance Strate (2006), Terence Moran (2017, 2004) Thom Gencarelli (2000), and Peter Thaler (2003) who wrote about Postman’s identity as a teacher and human being. 

Of course, I also draw upon my own relationship with Postman and our occasional professional conversations about media literacy education. Document analysis has limitations: It does not provide all of the necessary information required to answer research questions. But this method helped me identify certain concepts and instructional practices that Postman used to help people learn to critically analyze contemporary propaganda well before the term “media literacy” was in wide circulation. Through my close reading of texts from the past, this paper shows how Postman’s work on language and meaning fits into the larger history of media literacy and propaganda education.

• / Media Literacy
• / Propaganda

Cite this Essay

Hobbs, R. (2021). “A most mischievous word”: Neil Postman’s approach to propaganda education. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review . https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-65

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The author did not receive any funding for this paper.

Competing Interests

The author has no conflict of interests to disclose.

This research did not involve human subjects and thus was not subject to approval from an institutional review board. The use and copyright restrictions of all archived and published materials were followed.

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