The correspondence of letters between the philosophical Voltaire and the noble Frederick the Great showcases their discussion of subjects ranging from religious to political matters. Through their exchanges, the theme of respect and appreciation is manifested. This is done using multiple literary devices, specifically tone and hyperbole. For starters, there is a strong presence of a certain tone, one that demonstrates a strong bond between Frederick towards Voltaire and vice-versa. A first example would be when Frederick writes "I can assure you that I consider myself honored by esteeming you and by doing homage to your genius" (Frederick 12). Here, the future King explicitly states how "honored" he is to be speaking to an intellectual like Voltaire, even though the philosopher finds himself in an inferior social class. Fred's choice of words such as "honored" and "doing homage to your genius" allows us to understand Fred's tone of great admiration for the philosopher. Similarly, Voltaire also uses tone to show his great respect for Frederick: "If your 'lot is changed', your noble soul is not" (Voltaire 16). The philosopher - …show more content…
In fact, on February 8th Frederick calls Voltaire "the greatest man of France" (Frederick 13). Naturally, the King of France would certainly not agree with that statement, hence making Frederick's comment a hyperbole, such a big declaration proves just how much Frederick admires and respects Voltaire. Equally, Equally, Voltaire states in one of his letters that “there is no man on the earth who should not return thanks for the care you take in cultivating by sane philosophy a soul born to command.” This is clearly an exaggeration, as not everyone expresses gratitude, and the philosopher is simply attempting to highlight his recognition towards Frederick. Such big statements prove just how much Voltaire and Frederick admire and respect one