Rhetorical Analysis Of John Downe Letter To America

In 1830, a weaver, John Downe, wrote a letter to his wife from America. Downe accepted a job offer he received in America due to his family's struggle with finances in England. Downe soon realized that America was a better country, in comparison to England. Downe explains America as a land of opportunity and freedom. Downe's letter uses rhetorical devices such as pathos, imagery, and compare/contrast, in an attempt to persuade his wife to move to the United States. Downe downplays the difficulty of crossing the Atlantic and emigration to disregard the difficulties she could face.

Downe uses pathos to evoke pity for his children. For example, “-and to see you and the dear children want was what I could not bear, I would rather cross the Atlantic

By doing this, Downe can state the apparent differences between America and England, which ultimately makes America seem favorable. In lines 52-53, Downe says, “America is not like England, for here no man thinks himself you're superior.” In England, the government system is known as a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy refers to a government that uses kings and queens as heads of state. It is unlike a democracy, in which the people have power. America continues to use a democratic government system, which benefits every citizen living in the United States. No individual is controlled by anybody else, and nobody “is your superior.” Everybody receives the same human and civil rights. In lines 52-56, Downe says, “There is no improper or disgusting equality, for Character has its weight and influence, and the man which is really your superior does not plume himself on being so.” Tying back to lines 52-53, Americans have qualities and characteristics that make them unique to themselves. It's not as plain and restricted as England. As stated above, nobody is your superior. In lines 56-62, Downe says, “An American, however low his station, never feels himself abashed when entering the presence of the highest. This is a country where a man can stand as a man, and where he can enjoy the fruits of his own exertions, with rational liberty to its fullest extent.” Contrasting with England, America is a place where nobody