Ralph Emerson Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Analyzing Emerson’s Rhetoric and Style 1) Identify examples of the following rhetorical strategies in paragraph 13, and explain their effect: rhetorical questions, sentence variety and pacing, analogy, allusion, and imperative sentences a. In paragraph 13 of Ralph Emerson’s essay “Education”, Emerson uses many different kinds of rhetorical strategies. i. Emerson uses rhetorical questions when he writes, “Do you know how the naturalist learns all the secrets of the forest, of plants, of birds, of beasts, of reptiles, of fishes, of the rivers and the sea... Can you not baffle the impatience and passion of the child by your tranquility? Can you not wait for him, as Nature and Providence do? Can you not keep for his mind and ways, for his…show more content…
Sentence variety and pacing is another rhetorical strategy Emerson uses in his essay. Emerson uses sentence variety and pacing when he says, “He sits still; if they approach, he remains passive as the stone he sits upon. They lose their fear. They have curiosity too about him. By and by the curiosity masters the fear, and they come swimming, creeping and flying towards him; and as he is still immovable, they not only resume their haunts and their ordinary labors and manners, show themselves to him in their work-day trim, but also volunteer some degree of advances towards fellowship and good understanding with a biped who behaves so civilly and well. These sentences have a variety of words in them, making the writing less boring, and it puts more emphasis on the short sentences and…show more content…
Another rhetorical strategy Emerson uses is allusions. Emerson uses allusions when he says, “Do you know how the naturalist learns all the secrets of the forest, of plants, of birds, of beasts, of reptiles, of fishes, of the rivers and the sea? When he goes into the woods the birds fly before him and be finds none; when he goes to the river bank, the fish and the reptile swim away and leave him alone… By dint of obstinate sitting still, reptile, fish, bird and beast, which all wish to return to their haunts, begin to return… By and by the curiosity masters the fear, and they come swimming, creeping and flying towards him; and as he is still immovable, they not only resume their haunts and their ordinary labors and manners, show themselves to him in their work-day trim, but also volunteer some degree of advances towards fellowship and good understanding with a biped who behaves so civilly and well”. When Emerson says these things, he is implying that he knows a lot about
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