John Downe

John Downe In John Downe’s letter to his wife, he strategically establishes and develops ethos as well as pathos to convince her to join him in the United States with their children. Throughout the letter, Downe develops his credibility through his use of ethos which includes the repetition of “I.” “I have got a situation,” “I dined with him,” “I went into the market yesterday,” all progress towards the establishment of his plausibility in his wife’s eyes. He provides his wife with examples of the many positive situations he, himself has endured while being in the country of America. Downe hopes that his persuading words will convince her to emigrate with their children to America. “I know you will like America” is Downe’s primary hope and purpose for writing this persuasive letter. By describing all the things that he has been able to do in this country, “I can go into a store, and have as much brandy as I like to drink for three half-pence and all other spirits are in proportion,” Downe hopes that these credential words will be approved by his wife. His elaborations on the things he has managed to do in America are essentially used to provoke his wife’s interest in this country. These descriptions are used as reassurance for his wife to know of the great opportunities he has found in America but not back home in England. Downe believes this will strike his wife as another reason why she will enjoy her new life in America and compares their troublesome life in England to the great possibilities that can be accomplished in this new country. He explains, “this is a country where a man can stand as a man, and where he can enjoy the fruits of his own exertions, with rational liberty to its fullest extent”, hoping that his comparisons to the life in England and the life in America will evoke in his wife a sense of longing for this kind of living. Downe’s convincing words showing all of the achievements he has experienced in America lead his wife to want this same