Rhetorical Analysis of
Tone, Audience, Purpose, and Style

Purpose
 Expository – Chief Joseph speaks to inform General
Howard and all the officials present that he and his
people are surrendering to the US Army
 “I will fight no more forever” (490).
 Emotional – More than a simple declaration, this
solemn pronounce is also design to evoke pity and
sorrow for the dead and dying Nez Perce tribe.
 “I want to have time to look for my children… Maybe I
shall find them among the dead… my heart is sick and sad”
(490).
Audience

 Specifically, the original audience
was General Howard and his
army.
 “Tell General Howard I know his
heart.” (490)
 However, we can also infer that Chief Joseph meant
this pronouncement to be a lasting proclamation to
future generations. His final lines emphasize this
broader audience.
 “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more
forever.” (490)
Tone

 Chief Joseph’s tone is legendary:




Solemn
Greif-stricken
Noble
“Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad.
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more
forever.” (490)
Style

 Much of the power of Chief Joseph’s tone stems from his
style, especially his word choice and sentence structure.
 Word choice – he sticks to simply, everyday words, but
ones which contain great emotional value:







Killed
Dead
Cold
Freezing
Sick
Sad
Forever
Style, continued

 In addition to simple words, Chief Joseph also relies
on brief, declarative, poignant statements




“I am tired of fighting.” (490)
“The old men are all dead.” (490)
“It is the young men who say yes and no.” (490)
“It is cold and we have no blankets.” (490)
Style, continued

 Two poetic devices also distinguish Chief Joseph’s style:
 Parallelism
 “Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are
all dead” (490).
 “I know his heart. What he told me before, I have in my heart”
(490).
 Imagery
 “the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of
them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food”
(490)
 “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever”
(490).
Conclusion

 Chief Joseph, in such a brief space, creates a text that
has survived for well over a century.
 Tone – solemn, grief-stricken
 Audience – not only the present gerenals, but future
people as well
 Purpose – to inform and to move emotions
 Style – short, tough words, and terse, declarative
sentences, often using parallelism and imagery to
augment his style.