Tone In Letter To Napoleon III By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In her letter to Napoleon III, Elizabeth Barrett Browning repeatedly expresses her femininity, uses an educated but pensive tone, and feeds into Napoleon’s ego to convince the Emperor to forgive Victor Hugo. The very first sentence of this letter sets the mood for the entire petition. Browning opens her letter by stating that “I am only a woman.” (1). These five words immediately employ the idea that Browning understands her position in society. Even though she lived a “studious and thoughtful life” (8), being a female poet in 1857 makes her opinion and her words unimportant and lesser. The reason that Browning explicitly states her gender is so that Napoleon also understands that even if stripped away from his title of Emperor, he would still

Along with expressing her sex, Browning also uses a pensive tone that would likely have been expected of women at the time. However, it’s important to note that her quiet tone masks an educated and strong tone. In her first paragraph, Browning tells Napoleon that she is not “skilled in the way of addressing kings” (7). This makes readers almost sympathetic to Browning as she states that she has never done anything of this magnitude before. Throughout the letter, she carries an appreciative tone that worships the Emperor yet it is very easy to tell, even without knowing who Browning is, that she is educated and understands what she is talking about. She pieces her sentences together flawlessly and gives Napoleon III concrete reason to call back Victor Hugo from his exile. While giving Napoleon III phenomenal reasons to pardon Hugo, Browning also feeds into the Emperor's ego. Elizabeth begins her petition by saying that Hugo should be forgiven because “he cannot be excused”