Rhetorical Analysis Of Lord Chesterfield's Letter To His Son

The power to persuade is a valuable tool for everyone on the Earth. It is vital for every leaders, activists and even teachers to know how to sway and individual or audience. The ability to convince is the most important for a parent however, especially as their children grow older. Lord Chesterfield’s letter to his young son is a wonderful example of this. He is trying to tell his son to succeed and make good decisions without coming across as overbearing or domineering. Lord Chesterfield uses a variety to rhetorical strategies to persuade his son to excel abroad. One method Lord Chesterfield tries is to incense his son’s pride. He reminds him of the opportunities he was exposed to that give him an edge up in the world- “can there be a greater pleasure than to universally allowed to excel those of one’s own age and manner of life… can there be anything more mortifying than to be excelled by them”. He then goes on to talk about since the boy had better education, it would be the greatest shame to be beaten by a lower class individual. The writer, trying to

Lord Chesterfield, by writing in this method, peaks interest in the contents of the envelope. He explains he knows he is a parent and he is flattering himself to think that his son will listen, but he beseeches him to at least try- “I flatter myself that your own reason, young as it is, must tell you, that I can have no interest but yours in the advice I give you… and you will weigh it consequently… Do not think I mean to dictate as a parent… [but] advise as a friend.” He likens himself to friend of the youngster, rather than that of a parental nature. By doing this he hopes the ideas in the letter will not be discarded, but rather taken seriously and followed. This shows to the receiver he understands some of the workings of the young gentlemen’s brain. Appearing to understand the internal working of the reader is a method used in this