Nicholas Wong Mrs. Smith AP English Language & Composition April 14th, 2020 Lord Chesterfield Rhetorical Analysis Essay Lord Chesterfield’s letter to his son is the channel for good-intentioned or simple advice Chesterfield would pretend it is. Surrounded in its brief paragraphs are constant reminders to his son of his obligations & responsibilities (i.e. as through to his education). But within even these subtle reminders, one can clearly see Chesterfield’s own morals & values; through strategies of contradiction, rhetorical questions, understatement, & even simply guilt, Chesterfield left no doubt in his son’s mind what this letter was really about. The 1st paragraph of the letter is riddled with not many subtle understatements. Chesterfield, if taken literally, spent the 1st 17 lines discrediting his opinion & the value of his morals. He used this 1st paragraph to set up the later strategies of harmless rhetorical questions. As he faked insignificance as in lines 5-7, where he acknowledged the common belief parental advice is nothing more than the “moroseness...of old age.” Chesterfield used “harmless” syntax in this paragraph by framing his sentences in a friendly way & by complimenting his son at every turn - as in lines 8-12, where he seemed to idly state his faith in his son’s ability to recognize good advice, while clearly meaning his advice is the best to recieve. In this sense, Chesterfield also used a diction of constant contradiction. The contradiction doesn’t stop once Chesterfield stopped the false compliments. He clearly threatened in lines 25-34 his son would have no means in life, were he to disregard his father’s opinion. “I don’t, therefore, so much as hint to you, how absolutely dependent you are upon me…” (Lines 25-26), Chesterfield wrote, although one can imagine it said through a false smile. This opened the way for him to introduce the beliefs his son is obviously obligated to follow, beliefs his father pretended to only vaguely believe. Having set up his son to pay attention, through these threats & false pleasantries, Chesterfield revealed the true purpose of his letter in the 2nd paragraph. Here there are no more contradictions hiding intimidation, but rhetorical questions with obviously implied answers; he wrote in lines 39-41 there’s no “greater pleasure than to be universally allowed to excel those of one’s own age & manner of life?” A simple translation of this is easily inferred from its context: You better not waste your opportunities, son. Chesterfield simplified further in lines 44-47 where he says straightforwardly his son had been given more opportunities than most, & he better make use of them. This semi-intimidation can be used to identify 1 of Chesterfield’s own values: don’t waste what others have provided you. In the 2nd paragraph he also similarly revealed whenever possible one should excel others - again by understating its importance & nearly brushing it aside - &, even more importantly, one shouldn’t make only half attempts on anything one strives to learn. He says quite clearly in lines 52-53 “one may as well not know a thing at all, as know it but imperfectly.” In this seemingly simple letter, Chesterfield conveyed not only the fate of his son, should he ignore the letter, but also those morals Chesterfield held most valuable. By contradicting himself with politeness & asking provoking questions, & even using sarcastic syntax, Chesterfield left no doubt as to what he felt.
