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Samuel Johnson's Letter Rhetorical Devices

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Upon receiving a mother’s plea for his intercession with the archbishop of Canterbury in order to send her son tho the University, British moralist and author Samuel Johnson replies with a painstakingly polite letter designed to let her down, leaving no doubt as to his response, but to still preserve her sense of hope. His reply, writ June eighth 1762, convinces the mother that Johnson empathizes with her investment in her son’s education even though he lacks the ability and motivation to secure the patronage of the Archbishop for the woman’s son. Through the use of a variety of rhetorical devices, Johnson crafts a denial that leaves the mother with no delusions of receiving his aid. Johnson begins jos passage with a respectful tone, which he continues throughout. His first word, “madam,” indicates that …show more content…
He repeats “whom I never” and “which I had no means” in parallel structure to link the absurdity of a request for Johnson’s inquiry of a man he never met, to the absurdity of aiding of a man he never met, to the absurdity of speaking on the grounds of a mere “supposition” he received in the mother’s letter! This lays bare the foolishness of the mother in writing to Johnson and encourages her to end her quest for the his support, yet still preventing her from becoming angry. Here, Johnson shifts to a direct use of logos. He states that there is neither a reason for him to “supplicate the Archbishop” nor is there a reason why “the Archbishop should chuse your son.” The mother does not want to stop seeking the best education for her son, but, when faced with fact and logic, she faces reality and comes to terms with the impossibility of her request. Johnson persuades that argument and denial are futile because the request for his aid is illogical, leaving no room for his refusal to be

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