Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Rhetorical Analysis
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Rhetorical Analysis In the essay written by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu to her daughter, Lady Montagu advocates her personal believes on her granddaughter should be educated. She discusses how knowledge affects a woman's life in their time period while explaining how she feels a woman should be educated. Because giving advice about parenting can often be taken offensively, Lady Montagu used a delicate balance of rhetorical strategies in order to be effective. These devices include contrasting, personal reference, and allusions. One of the rhetorical and stylistic devices Lady Montagu uses is contrast. Through out the entire letter she is contrasting traditional views with non-traditional views. The very first line is a very unconventional statement explaining, "True knowledge consists of knowing things, not words". Again she breaks conventional wisdom in her attitude towards reading. Reading books in the original language allowed a more accurate interpretation of the meaning but were a more non-traditional way compared to reading books that had been translated with distorted meaning, which was the traditional way. When she says, "English poetry is a more important part of a woman's education than it is generally supposed" she is also stating a more non-traditional view. She indirectly mentions that many women do not know poetry very well. By including these contrasts she is able to show that her views on knowledge and learning are more superior to traditional teachings. This is an effective strategy because these fresh insights provided naturally entice her daughter to subscribe to her wisdom. Directing this strategy to her daughter is particularly effective because she had been raised by these very principles. Another rhetorical device Lady Montagu uses is including a personal reference. She describes an experience when one of her friends had a lover who wrote her a very lengthy letter. The letter was full of thought and