Upon suggestion of Mr. Yost via twitter,
I found an interesting letter to analyze on Letters of Note for this week. This
particular letter was written by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) in Florence, Italy
in 1904. Mr. Clemens penned this letter to his fans in response to an
outpouring of support following the death of his wife. In the letter, Clemens
emphasizes his immense gratitude for all well- wishes received during a very
difficult time. Clemens’ purpose in writing this letter is very simple and
clear. The author is demonstrating his gratitude for the support of his loyal
fans not only during his time of difficulty, but in general. As a
well-respected author, Clemens is obviously a credible source on nearly any
text he might produce. In the case of a letter pertaining to the death of his
wife, Clemens is virtually the only possible source.
Although this letter is very brief, many
rhetorical strategies are evident. The shortness of the letter further
emphasized the already notable word choice. Throughout the letter Clemens uses
deeply emotional words to describe his feelings toward his fans. The most
powerful example of this is when he characterizes his gratitude as “unexpressed
and inexpressible”. This description is very effective in enabling the reader
to feel the author’s sentiments of appreciation. The individual word choices
made by the author also establish the persona of Mr. Clemens. When reading his
letter, the reader does not interpret the author as being the immortal,
legendary writer that he is known as. The persona expressed is that of a
vulnerable man dealing with a difficult situation, and simply hoping to express
his pure gratitude.
The vulnerable persona that Clemens
created as well as the emotionally loaded words he incorporated in this piece
definitely accomplished his goal of showing his fans and well- wishers his
overwhelming gratefulness for their support in his time of need.
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