Indentured servant, Richard Frethorne, in a loaded letter to his parents (1623), exploits the hardships and deprivations of the new place he calls home, the Jamestown Colony in America. Frethorne’s purpose is to plead for the simple necessities that could save his life. He writes in a humble, yet pitiful manner, making a plea to his parents to have mercy on him. Frethorne cleverly utilizes the emotional appeal of pathos, melancholy diction, and syntactic features to persuade his audience. Throughout the letter, Frethorne connects to the audience, his parents, through the use of pathos. This is clearly demonstrated from beginning to end to evoke the feelings of agony and grief in Frethorne’s parent’s hearts. When writing he consistently rephrases the idea that he is miserable and in distress. The talk of a disease ridden town and his lack of possessions all while saying “I…show more content… The strategy of his written request for desperately needed items was particularly impactful with his crafty and clever word choice. In order to persuade his parents and request the necessities, he opts to use clear and concise words about how he is feeling- a contrast to the rambling sentences about his situation. Additionally, repetition of the words “miserable” and “pity” perpetuates the idea of how discouraged he is. Frethorne’s informal language to his parents is noted in various sentence structures where he uses parenthesis to complete his thoughts. All together, this confirms his chaotic and pathetic state of mind.
Using an emotional appeal, syntactic features, and sorrowful diction, Richard Frethorne writes a heavy and heartfelt letter to his audience with hopes to move them to action. He addresses the difficulties, disease, and deterioration of Jamestown, Virginia using strategies to elicit their sympathy and compassion. Unfortunately it is unknown if his plea for survival was
