A bulleted list of the essential ideas of "An Open Letter" using your own words would include;
Hard work is important
Only tenacity would yield success
What are the essential ideas?
In Patrick Sullivan's “An Open Letter to High School Students about Reading” he emphasizes that hard work is not just about achieving high marks, but about building valuable skills like perseverance, resilience, and problem-solving.
He highlights the satisfaction of the learning process itself, not just the result. He also showed how hard work and reading deeply can help students discover their talents and capabilities, leading to greater confidence and self-belief as they move to college.