Lord Chesterfield’s Letter to His Son

1197 Words5 Pages
Lord Chesterfield reveals, through his extensive use of litotes (understatement), anaphora (repetition), and various other rhetorical modes, his ill-conceived values of competition for its own sake as well as a haughty superiority complex. One of the first things that comes to mind upon reading this essay is the discounting of a statement followed by a subsequent qualification of that statement, referred to as litotes (understatement). Lord Chesterfield employs understatement skillfully, in a way such that he in essence molds his son’s thinking by telling him exactly what and what not to believe. From the onset, it is clear that Lord Chesterfield is in control. As a parental figure, the Lord knows “how unwelcome advice generally is,”but reassuredly consoles his son “that I can have no interest but yours.” This qualification is subtle but important, establishing Lord Chesterfield as a beneficent presence, not as an intrusive force. The clearest examples of Lord Chesterfield’s use of understatement lie in the imperatives handed down to the son, as if to say “don not think…do not apprehend…” Lord Chesterfield wishes to expunge all possible misconceptions held by his son about his parental philosophy. The Lord is “not the censor” & does not “hint” how absolutely dependent you are upon me.” What he does instead is “point them out to you as conducive…” The Lord reveals his dubious morality to his son in his appeals to the son’s education as grounds for a competitive spirit and an overall complex that would have made Feud shrink. All of the education conferred upon the son, we are told, was done so upon the expressed assumption that “I do not confine the application which I recommend, singly to the view and emulation of excelling others…” In essence, the Lord conveys to his son a sense of an inherited privilege meant to elevate him above all in every possible
Open Document