Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses an array of rhetorical devices to aid her in persuading of Emperor Napoleon III of France to let the controversial poet, Victor Hugo, back from exile. Browning writes to Napoleon to persuade him to “make an exception of him as God made an exception of him when He gave him genius, and call him back without condition to his county and his daughter’s grave.”
The first strategy used by Browning is to feed into Napoleon’s ego. She does this by first addressing him as “sire” before getting to the point of her letter. As the final few words to the letter, she leaves him with a last thought. The poet claims, “I have trusted you for doing greatly. I will trust you besides for pardoning nobly.” This acknowledges the greater status that Napoleon holds compared to Browning’s status of a lowly female poet, which she repeatedly reminds him of.
Browning gives herself authority by expressing her position as a poet and the wife of one, but humbles herself to Napoleon by restating multiple times
…show more content…
Browning makes it a point to the emperor that no historian shall ever say “While Napoleon the Third reigned Victor Hugo lived in exile,” or ask “But where is our poet?” if he allows Hugo to return. The woman persuades Napoleon by urging him to visualize his son reading the poems and that “he may exult to recall that his imperial father was great enough to overcome this great poet with magnanimity,” Napoleon is advised to “disprove him [Hugo] by your generosity,” and as a finale to the letter, she says “you will be Napoleon in this also.”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses rhetorical strategies in a letter with the purpose of persuasion. The subject of this persuasion is Napoleon III, Emperor of France. The intended goal was to convince the ruler to let Victor Hugo back from exile, though this letter was never
The narrator (Duke) who is of an upper-class is having a conversation with an envoy when he mentions ‘Will’t please you sit and look at her?’. This shows the Duke’s commanding nature as he almost forces the envoy to look at his painting although he uses a question it is rhetorical (envoys do not reply) and it shows how the Duke has power. Also, the Duke’s power is emphasized as he chooses who can see the painting ‘since none puts by the curtain I have drawn’. This gives him a sense of importance. Browning also writes ‘she ranked my gift…with anybody’s gift’. This shows that the Duke believes that names and status hold importance, power even and he expects the ‘name’ of Duchess will be enough for her but she treats everyone the same, this angers him. Throughout the poem the Duke says that he does not have ‘skill in speech’ which from the poem we can see is false. When discussing his lack of skill he says ‘which I have not’, This shows the power in words and ultimately how he couldn’t stop her with his words because he would have ‘to stoop’ he used a different way to fix his problem. Also, he says ‘I choose never to stoop’. The ‘I choose’ shows hierarchy as he has the choice. The use of the verb ‘stoop’ is interesting as it means to directly to bend one’s head, associating with the lower class or submitting yourself. This also shows the Duke’s commanding nature as he refuses to ‘stoop’ he
Persuasion is used throughout writings in this period by many revolutionary writers in styles such as parallelism, pathos, and rhetorical questions so that they could show colonists how the king was mistreating them and
Browning has used extensively rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions are questions that are posted in a literary work that does not need an answer: the strategic aims of rhetorical questions are for emphasizing an issue or creating an object. Duke indicates the aspect of misogyny through stating “Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said.” (5) This is not a suggestion but indicates an aspect of command especially when he completes the state with “I said.” Reading the poem shows that the Duke never appreciated women or had a negative perspective of women, which may have contributed to the death of Duchess. The approach taken is a form of objectification of women, which may have been right at the time but the current society frown about it. In addition, the Duke wants the reader to sympathize with him and he states “A heart—how shall I say? — too soon made glad,” (22) indicating that he lacks the wording for his comments. Even though he may have contributed
In this letter written to Napoleon III, emperor of France, the author, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, attempts to persuade Napoleon III to pardon Hugo for his writings that were deemed critical of the government. Browning attempts to persuade the emperor of France through the use of exaggeration, juxtaposition, and tone.
One of the most important and game-changing rhetorical strategies Browning uses in her letter is pathos. Browning really tries to glorify Napoleon. Throughout her
Right off the bat, Barrett begins the letter by means of pronouncing “I am only a woman and have no claim on your Majesty’s attention except that of the weakest on the strongest.” She writes this to inform how she recognizes that he is more effective than her however even she will be able to see wherein Napoleon went incorrect. She also pointed out how her being an English poet maximum possibly has 0 value in the direction of the Emperor of France. however, Browning branched off to speak about how she has had a couple men in her life and that she does no longer experience at a loss talking to Napoleon. due to her beyond of growing used to brilliant men she has the strength to speak up to the Emperor and tell him that she has examine a e-book written about a man who had
In her book Recollections, Browning describes what poetry means to herself. She explained that it “became a distinct object with me; an object to read, think, and live for” (Preston xii). Browning was described as a strong woman-poet who had little to no training. She came from the “Italian hills into a prim English feminine household, and inevitably assuming there that attitude of superiority to
Browning attempts to appeal to the fact that Napoleon is a man by being very self demeaning. The first line of the letter is “I am only a women and have no claim on your Majesty’s attention except that of the weakest on the strongest.”(1-2) By using the words “I am only a women” She is
In April of 1857, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a letter to address to Napoleon the III. The letter was about the banishing of a French writer, named Victor Hugo, whose writings were bashing the government. Even though this letter was never sent, Elizabeth was trying to get Napoleon to pardon Victor. Elizabeth used rhetorical strategies to make her letter seem more appealing to Napoleon.
In "My Last Duchess", by Robert Browning, the character of Duke is portrayed as having controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits. These traits are not all mentioned verbally, but mainly through his actions. In the beginning of the poem the painting of the Dukes wife is introduced to us: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/ looking as of she were still alive" (1-2). These lines leave us with the suspicion that the Duchess is no longer alive, but at this point were are not totally sure. In this essay I will discuss the Dukes controlling, jealous and arrogant traits he possesses through out the poem.
Victor Hugo was an astonishing poet that many people looked up to. When he got banished for his critical writing, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a letter to the emperor of France not in favor of the banishment. Her intentions were to have Napolean III forgive Hugo and let him back into the empire. Browning convinces Napoleon with emotional diction, biblical references, and repetition.
Elizabeth imagines that Napoleon would excuse Hugo ignorance “I am driven by an irresistible impulse to your majesty’s feet to ask this grace.” Elizabeth is on her knees asking Napoleon to overlook Hugo’s has done. Something id driving her to beg your pardon and forgive him.
The two Browning poems, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ were written to convey to the reader how women were treated in that era; as possession, as assets. Both of these poems can be read from different points of view and they also both are what is
Both of these works contain the unique ability, as portrayed by Browning, to create a deep fictional psyche that displays the strange relationship between man and woman. This relationship is displayed as one full of pain, jealousy, rejection and happiness, the majority of these emotion are contained in love and marriage. From this the reader can infer the nature of love being the conquering of class distinction and marriage involves sexist male inhibitions. Insecurities are seen in both poems and are evident in the perspective voices of the male protagonists, who are seen as incapable to handle their aggressive and possessive natures when it comes to love and marriage. Browning seems to be demonstrating the side of relationships avoided previously by Romantics and in doing so shows the negative implication on seemingly unruly
The dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” was penned down by Robert Browning. In this poem, the narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, and the listener is the count’s agent, through whom the Duke is arranging the proposed marriage to a second duchess. The poem is ironical and reveals its rhetorical sense, gradually. In the later part of the poem, the Duke claims that he does not have a skill in speech, but his monologue is a masterpiece of subtle rhetoric. While supposedly entertaining the listener by showing his wife’s portrait, he clearly reveals his character. Through his formalized tone of rhyme, he reveals his egoistic and jealous attitude.