Rhetorical Analysis Of John Downe's Letter To His Wife

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John Downe emigrated from England to the United States in 1830. Then he wrote a letter back to his wife trying to convince her to join him. He utilized many different strategies to ensure his letter was compelling, many more than one might expect in a letter to a family member. The rhetorical strategies employed ranged from simple hyperboles and understatements to the formal concession and refutation. The letter starts off in a storytelling manner. Downe recounts a time when a farmer took him into the country, and though this may seem like a fond memory he simply wants to share with his wife, there is hidden intent. His story serves as a means to ease into the argument. It is also slyly painting the picture of Americans being full of hospitality, as he mentions the farmer who helped him “...would not have a farthing, and told me that I …show more content…

Downe writes, “It is a foolish idea that some people have, that there is too many people come here,” then goes on to explain there is plenty to go around. This is an unexpected strategy for a letter to one’s spouse. Concessions and refutations are more commonly used in scholarly argumentative essays, so it certainly helps express how important and serious this argument is to Downe. It also addresses a possible fear his wife might have straight away. Later on he downplays the difficulty of immigration by asserting, “You will find a few inconveniences in crossing the Atlantic.” Which is similar in that it is preventing his wife fretting over possible concerns by giving it immediate attention. John Downe used an abundance of rhetorical strategies in his letter. He had the advantage of knowing exactly what points would be strongest in convincing his wife, and he built from that. Due to the way he manipulated the piece, he was able to make an extremely compelling argument for his wife to follow him to the United

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