Rhetorical Analysis Of The Essay 'My Friend' By Banesh Hoffmann

The Other Side of Einstein Albert Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist and mathematician of all time, is mostly known for his prominent scientific discoveries and achievements. He is often perceived by the public as a scientist who lived his life in his laboratory studying, void of any social life. However, in the essay "My Friend, Albert Einstein" by Banesh Hoffmann, Einstein's long time friend attempts to depict Einstein as a humble and compassionate man, contrary to the mythological figure that people thought he was. He accomplishes this by using simple diction, to portray the human side of Einstein, and anecdotes, to show that Einstein is just an ordinary man. Throughout his essay, Hoffmann uses simplified diction to concentrate
the readers' attention on the human aspect of Einstein's life more than the scientific life. For example, when Hoffmann talks about Einstein's scientific achievements and the story of how his friend discovered the physics theory, Hoffmann chooses to write in a simple, avoiding details of the physics. He writes, "... and [Einstein] was right in both cases, though how he could have been is far too complex a story to tell here"(Para. 7). This shows that Hoffmann attempts to keep the explanations of Einstein's scientific accomplishments concise so that the focal point of his essay is on Einstein the man, not that of Einstein the scientist. Hoffmann decides to write in simple diction to ensure that his essay does not deviate from its main purpose, which is to show Einstein's human side. If he were to use technical terms to account Einstein's scientific achievements and go into detail, he would lose focus on Einstein's humane personality. Another example of Hoffmann's use of simple diction is when he writes, "One is the so-called principle of relativity, which means, roughly speaking, that we cannot tell whether we are at rest or moving smoothly"(Para. 14). Even though the theory of relativity in fact requires many equations and explanations to understand, Hoffmann simply provides an overview of what it is, rather than explaining the principles. By putting his fellow scientist's theories into simple and comprehensible words, Hoffmann is able to deliver the information about Einstein's scientific accomplishments to the readers without focusing too much on them. Because he does not go into details of the life of Einstein as a scientist, Hoffmann is able to focus on the humane side of Einstein. Hoffmann's focus on the human side of Einstein's life is also developed by his use of anecdotes, which demonstrate Einstein's humility and compassion.
In order to show the readers that Einstein is an ordinary man, Hoffmann describes a few incidents where Einstein's personalities are revealed. For instance, Hoffmann emphasizes that Einstein is very humble despite his extreme intelligence, as shown when he describes his walk with Einstein in Princeton. Even though all the people recognized Einstein and paused to show respect to him, Einstein went on with his discussions as if nothing happened. Hoffmann mentions this example to prove that the humble Einstein, unlike many others, is not concerned with fame. Even though he is widely recognized for his work, he refuses to pay any attention to or find joy in being famous, and instead concentrates on his work. Another anecdote that is used to show Einstein's personality is about Einstein's playing the violin with children on Christmas Eve. Einstein, just after hearing that children are collecting money to buy presents, joins them by playing the violin. Hoffmann describes this incident as proof that shows "there is something elusively whimsical about Einstein"(Para. 25). Even though Einstein himself is Jewish and does not celebrate Christmas, Einstein accompanied the children in their visits to their neighborhood. Hoffmann uses this incident to prove that Einstein is compassionate and has a heart not only for science, but for other persons as well. Hoffmann shows that Einstein cares about others and finds more joy in helping others than he can find in his fame. His eagerness to play violin for the children proves that he is an unselfish man that tried to understand others. These anecdotes provided by the Hoffmann help him reveal the true qualities of his old
friend. Throughout his essay, Hoffmann uses simple diction and anecdotes in order to convey his message to the readers that Einstein is an ordinary man. Simple diction enables Hoffmann to focus mainly on Einstein's human side of life, which is proven by the use of anecdotes. By choosing to use simplified diction, Hoffmann brings the readers' attention to the humane side of Einstein. Then, Hoffmann provides examples to prove to the readers that Einstein is not only a great scientist, but also a modest and caring man.