Rhetorical Appeals In Jane Austen's Marriage Proposal

Through both passages the use of rhetorical appeals are used differently to persuade each woman to accept the proposal. While the speaker in Jane Austin’s proposal uses logos and lists the logical reasons on why the woman should marry Mr. Collins, the speaker in Charles Dickens’ uses pathos to win over his woman by using emotions and passionate words. The woman hearing the proposal from Austen would probably feel resentment toward the man, the woman hearing Dickens’ would feel a strong attraction towards the man proposing. In Austen’s passage Mr. Collins is giving his marriage proposal almost as if it’s a business agreement than a marriage. He starts off by saying that clergymen need to set an example for the parish by getting married, and

While Austen’s speaker might not win over his woman with logos, Dickens’ speaker uses pathos and goes for the audience's emotional side. He states that his woman could make him to anything because that's how much of an influence she has on him. The speaker talks about how she could “draw me to any death,” “draw me to fire,” and “draw me to any exposure or disgrace.” The powerful use of diction such as “tremendous attraction”, and “you could draw me to any good”, show how passionate and powerful her love affects him. He talks about how he could give her protection through his own reputation and how she could hopefully take a pride in him one day. While Dickens doesn’t use logical reasons he uses something much more powerful; the power of love. The outcome of this proposal would be a positive one because he uses pathos to win over her emotional side, and doesn’t try to force her into thinking she has to marry him so he could benefit. Marriage should not be proposed as a business deal, but as a passionate relationship where both sides will benefit emotionally and physically. Any woman who was confronted by these two proposals would most likely be repulsed by Austen’s but won over by Dickens’. The use of rhetorical strategies is present in both, but the more effective use of them was used by