Rhetorical Analysis Of Samuel Johnson's Letter

Words: 370
Pages: 2

In the nineteenth century, commoners were sent to prison if bills were not paid. For many, this dilemma was an unfair punishment for being poor. While spending his days in misery, prisoner Samuel Johnson could not stand the punishment any longer. Johnson thoroughly argues his points on the unfair imprisonment in a bold letter to the British Lawmakers. The rhetorical strategies used in Johnson’s letter proved the significance of what he wanted to say. Statistics were the first strategy to pull the reader in. To begin his letter, Johnson jumps right in with logos as he states, “It appears that more than twenty thousand are at the time prisoners for debt.” By saying this, Johnson hooks the reader with his breathtaking statistic. The placement