Rhetorical Analysis Of Eliza Stacey

Maci Rader

Mrs. Curry-Minuni

AP Lang & Composition

23 February 2023

Rhetorical Analysis Do you have a child? Did you ever struggle with finances or relationships? Well, Eliza Stacey is a wife and mother who is currently facing a tough winter, relationship problems, and struggling to be an alone, poor mother. While trying to lead her father-in-law to help her during these times, Eliza Stacey employs an abundance of emotional appeals and multiple rhetorical questions to efficiently persuade Edward Stacey. Towards the middle of her letter, Eliza Stacey pivots on using rhetorical questions to allow her father-in-law to feel sorry for her, and feel he needs to help her. Eliza Stacey writes in her letter, “I now never lay my weary body full of

With an emotional appeal, you are trying to manipulate, or persuade someone by getting an emotional response from them. In the letter Eliza Stacey writes to her father-in-law, she uses a handful of emotional appeals. Near the closing of her letter, Eliza Stacey communicates, “I have always received so much kindness from you, it relieves my over-burdened mind to pour out my troubles to you. I cannot do so to Papa, particularly in his present weak state.” Eliza Stacey is trying to get her father-in-law to feel sorry for her by recalling their relationship and past struggles. She speaks about the kindness he gave her, to show that she’s grateful for this and makes her father-in-law feel like he needs to help her. If he does not help her again, she will not see him the same. Eliza Stacey then goes on to note that talking to her father-in-law makes her feel better. With Edward Stacey knowing this, he cannot ignore her because he will not want her to think anything bad about him. Furthermore, she manipulates the sickness of her papa to help remind her father-in-law that he cannot help her during these times. Eliza Stacey’s father-in-law has no choice but to help her, since he is the only man left in her

In the second to last paragraph, Eliza Stacey concludes, “I dare not dwell longer on our serious situation for fear of distressing you too much, and causing myself an upset just at this time when I can least sustain it. I must keep calm for the babe’s sake.” Eliza Stacey refers back to her child that she is bearing to spawn Edward Stacey to recall she is expecting. As he has had experience with childbirth, he knows she cannot do a lot at the moment as to protect her and her child. She also utilizes the power of making herself seem like she is bothering him and his needs to persuade her father-in-law. By doing this, she understands that he will see that she is considerate of him, and will want to help her and her family to show the same respect. Eliza Stacey also infers that if she uses the emotional appeal of feeling bad for bothering her father-in-law, he will feel terrible that she feels that way and will decide to help her in the