Rhetorical Strategies In Pride And Prejudice

In both the Pride and Prejudice excerpt written by Jane Austen and Dickens’ Our Mutual Friends passage, several rhetorical strategies, including assumption, tone, diction, and arguments, are strategically used in order to affect the women that the speakers are addressing in positive ways. However, the probable effects on the receiving end of these statements are not quite the same as the intended effects. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, logos, inaccurate assumptions, an arrogant tone, and diction are all in place to convince the woman to see that there is no logical reason not o marry the unnamed speaker. The speaker mentions that he is told by his smart, successful patroness that “[marriage] is [her] particular advice and recommendation” (Austen, 5). He uses

The speaker also has a very arrogant tone, as is showcased when he refers to himself as a “clergyman in easy circumstances” (Austen, 2). He speaks as if his position in society is an extremely important part of the marriage, almost bragging to the woman. This, in addition to his condescending use of diction definitely contributes to the likely effect on the woman. The probable response form the woman would reflect an unsettled emotion due to the speaker’s lack of passion as well as his excessive arrogance. Charles Dickens’ piece, Our Mutual Friends, shows an entirely different intended effect while still using rhetorical devices including pathos, negative assumptions, an attitude of desperation, and diction. Pathos is the rhetorical device that is majorly in play within this piece. The speaker tells the woman being addressed that she “[can] draw [him] to anything [he] has most avoided,” showing his extreme love and dedication to her (Dickens, 6). In this quote, the speaker reveals not only his devotion but also his attitude of