Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Lord Chesterfield

Parents tend to have a set of morals they wish to pass on to their children, but getting them to actually adopt said morals can be a challenge. In Lord Chesterfield’s letter, he instructs his son to uphold important values, such as integrity, generosity, and excellence, making his argument more convincing by utilizing key rhetorical strategies. Chesterfield incorporates winding paralipsis, flowing periphrasis, and strong didactic language to create a piece that effectively presents his view on how a young man should behave. One way to subtly get a point across is to suggest it rather than state it outright. This allows the reader to still feel like they are in control of their own opinions, when in reality the author’s perspective is being imposed. Chesterfield uses paralipsis in his letter in order to do this. At one point, he asserts, “I do not, therefore, so much as hint to you, how absolutely dependent you are on me.” He continues these paralipsical tactics throughout, repeating things like “I do not hint” and “I do not mention” before going on to address the exact thing he claims to avoid. It is a strategy rich in persuasion, and Chesterfield applies it brilliantly. However, paralipsis alone is no way to form a convincing argument, so Chesterfield
The true motive of the entire piece is to instruct Chesterfield’s son to uphold valuable morals, and so little portions of advice are sprinkled throughout. For instance, Chesterfield tells the boy, “I am convinced that you will act right, upon more noble and generous principles: I mean, for the sake of doing right...can there be a greater pleasure than to be universally allowed to excel…?” He then appends that statement by saying, “In my mind, one may not know a thing at all, as to know it imperfectly.” Aside from these instances of instruction, there are numerous more, all focused on the ethical discipline of his