John Smith Letter Analysis
Pocahontas, a well known figure in history, was the main topic of John Smith’s letter to Queen Anne of Great Britain in 1616. John Smith was incredibly fond of her and believed that she should be welcomed and respected in England. John Smith speaks highly of Pocahontas, as well as Queen Anne in this letter. John has had many encounters (both good and bad) with Pocahontas, and he mentions these instances in a positive and respectful way. John Smith creates emphasis and uses different techniques to convey his message to Queen Anne. He uses hyperboles as well as personification to enhance his main idea. While this letter is meant to be about Pocahontas, he also speaks about Queen Anne herself in order to help persuade her. John Smith uses
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John Smith tends to use personification to represent his feelings regarding the Queen and Pocahontas. He starts off the letter including personification, “The love I bear my God, my King and country, hath so oft emboldened me in the worst of extreme dangers, that now honest doth constrain me to presume this far beyond myself.” He writes to examples of personification right at the beginning, with love and honesty being given human traits and actions. This further helps convey his message because it gives a feeling of emotion and the idea that it is more than just his mind that is trying to express these ideas, that emotions are playing a part in his ideas. It is almost like it is more than just his human self expressing these ideas, that there is something bigger than him that is causing him to persuade Queen Anne into respecting and welcoming Pocahontas into England. Smith also uses personification when he mentions Pocahontas being a “spy” for them and bringing them items. He starts off the third paragraph with “Notwithstanding all these passages, when inconstant fortune turned our peace to war.” This example of personification makes it seem like it wasn’t their fault that they ended up where they were, but the fact that Pocahontas still visited them and helped them paints a picture of the kind, caring person Pocahontas was. Hyperboles were used more often than personification was throughout his letter, but the two working in harmony really emphasized his idea and helped convey his message to Queen
John Smith tends to use personification to represent his feelings regarding the Queen and Pocahontas. He starts off the letter including personification, “The love I bear my God, my King and country, hath so oft emboldened me in the worst of extreme dangers, that now honest doth constrain me to presume this far beyond myself.” He writes to examples of personification right at the beginning, with love and honesty being given human traits and actions. This further helps convey his message because it gives a feeling of emotion and the idea that it is more than just his mind that is trying to express these ideas, that emotions are playing a part in his ideas. It is almost like it is more than just his human self expressing these ideas, that there is something bigger than him that is causing him to persuade Queen Anne into respecting and welcoming Pocahontas into England. Smith also uses personification when he mentions Pocahontas being a “spy” for them and bringing them items. He starts off the third paragraph with “Notwithstanding all these passages, when inconstant fortune turned our peace to war.” This example of personification makes it seem like it wasn’t their fault that they ended up where they were, but the fact that Pocahontas still visited them and helped them paints a picture of the kind, caring person Pocahontas was. Hyperboles were used more often than personification was throughout his letter, but the two working in harmony really emphasized his idea and helped convey his message to Queen