The American Scholar Rhetorical Analysis

Often known as the Father of American Literature to many educated individuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson in his oration “The American Scholar” brilliantly provides a sublime example of how Emerson earned his title through the appliance of diction, syntax, allusions, and many other rhetorical devices and strategies. Indicated towards his highly educated audience, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Emerson introduces the idea that the common class and common concepts of everyday life are becoming the future of art and literature through purpose, credibility, and tone. As many great writers, Emerson does not simply tell about his idea, but instead uses rhetorical strategies to help show his central point, one such strategy being purpose. Being focused on informing his audience of the coming days, the use of purpose can be

An example of this would be: “It is a great stride. It is a sign-is it not?” (Emerson, Pg. 393). Emerson influences the syntax of the first sentence in order to have its grasp his audience’s attention. It also provides sentence variety and compared to its long and wordy predecessors, such as the first sentence of that specific paragraph. The creation of a short sentence also creates a critical tone in which helps to capture the audience’s attention to the main idea. In the second sentence, Emerson includes a rhetorical sentence in order to create a more conversational piece of rhetoric to engage his audience. Another example of Emerson’s use of tone is contained in the sentence, “… let me see every trifle bristling with the polarity that ranges it instantly on an eternal law…” (Emerson, Pg. 393). In this statement, Emerson uses adjectives, such as “bristling” and also used advanced terminology, such as “polarity” to create an erudite tone, and would help support his central idea. The use of those terms would also help his overall