Anonymous Letter from One of Professor Swain’s Former Students

Professor Swain,
I wanted to write you to provide you with a brief update of my life. I took your class last year, as a junior, and I truly respected your worldview, your passionate beliefs, and especially your willingness to talk about them in the public sphere, regardless of the consequences. I am a fierce proponent for freedom of speech. Your class very much reminded me of these quotes from Robert Bolt’s “A Man For All Seasons,” a play written based on the life of St. Thomas More. I seriously consider naming my first son Thomas, after him. All of these quotes have to do with religion, state, and God.
I wanted to thank you for your openness and willingness to debate.

I found your frankness and candor especially refreshing. Especially in this trying time, I hope you find a way to balance your strong, well-founded beliefs with the idea that there are thousands if not millions of young people who may feel hopeless, or absolutely distraught right now. Theirs may be a very different worldview than yours, but here at Vanderbilt I have seen nothing but passionate young people trying their absolute hardest to do their absolute best.

I would love it if you published this post anonymously to your followers, whom I find both incredibly staunch and incredibly patriotic.