Rhetorical Techniques Used In Lamb's Return To London

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Lamb is a man willing to give up a friendship in order to avoid leaving his home city. In his response to Wordsworth’s invitation he uses rhetorical devices such as hyperboles, personification, and comparisons to blatantly deny Wordsworth. Lamb’s choice of wording and use of those words stresses how much he would rather stay in London than visit the countryside. Lamb in the one example of this is “---shall ever be able to afford so desperate a journey.” He used the words “afford” and “desperate” to emphasize how much of a burden the trip would be for him in both time and money. Also as he speaks about London he states that “the wonder of these sights impels [him]” giving the idea that the sights of London draw him in and make him want to stay. He also mentions “the impossibility of being dull in Fleet Street”. The part with “impossibility of being dull” is an exaggeration due to his use of “impossibility” with implying that it is difficult to become bored in the city. …show more content…

This use of personification drives Lamb’s message of strong dislike of the very land Wordsworth resides in. He also refers to his book case as “a faithful dog” that has “followed” him around. This suggested that he takes the bookcase with him to whatever homes he may have moved to and therefore is an important piece of his life. The previous observations make Lamb appear to prefer inanimate objects and the city over his friendship with

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