Rhetorical Analysis Of John Downe's Letter To His Wife

In John Downe’s letter to his wife about emigrating to the United States, he uses personal anecdotes to appeal to ethos and logos, subjective diction to appeal to pathos, and comparative devices to contrast the United States and England. In his letter, Downe refers to his personal experiences in America to add credibility to his attempts to convince his wife. “... they had on the table pudding, pyes, and fruit of all kind that was in season, and preserves, pickles, vegetables, meat, and everything that a person could wish…,” using a personal anecdote, he tries to sway his wife into believing that every family in America is this fortunate. It’s established that he was poor prior to moving to America, so he speaks of trips to the American markets like, “I can have 100 lbs. Of Beef for 10s. English money. Lamb is about five farthings the pound… have as much brandy as I like to drink for three half-pence….” to show his wife how prosperous they can be if they emigrated. He ends his letter with one final anecdote explaining how even women for out in the country dress as nice as those in the city do, and ends the letter with a personal observation of “You see no beggars,” expecting his wife to take it as

His mentioning of the children causes his wife to imagine what fulfilling an upbringing they could have. Downe states that “I would rather cross the Atlantic ten times than hear my children cry for victuals once,” to convince his wife that his motivations for moving to America were for the children. It could be argued that there was a hint of guilt used to make his wife ponder if she is being cruel for keeping the family there. His choice of words serve him by reminding his wife of his love for their family and causing a sense of longing in