Lord Chesterfield Diction and Syntax

Lord Chesterfield’s adequate insight reveals his own values from his past. By reminiscing his mistakes, he strives to establish an understanding with his son and his own independent life: while also hoping to befriend and sway his son to exercise good judgment.

Lord Chesterfield uses strong diction when his sagacious nature implements his son to not follow in his father’s footsteps. This happens especially when a father’s advice can be taken as “moroseness,” “imperiousness,” or as a “garrulity of old age.” He tells his son that he once was that age, that he had many experiences in the “progress of youth, of those thorns and briars which scratched and disfigured [him] in the course of [his life],” and to not take this counsel as a motion to “censor” his mind, but as a guidance in his future. Lord Chesterfield also “hints” to his son that he had better take this advice for his own caution too, for without his father, he would be nothing, with no money, home, or maybe even no education. By affirming that his son is “absolutely dependent” on his father and that he “neither have, nor can have a shilling in the world but from [him],” he makes a statement in hopes to penetrate the youth mind and prevent history from repeating itself. However, he is “convinced that [his son] will act right, upon more noble and generous principles: for the sake of doing right, and out of affection and gratitude” for his father. Lord Chesterfield expects his son to turn his “attention and application to whatever [he] learns” and especially now that he is self-regulated and able to make decisions for himself. Lord Chesterfield points out that it is “absolutely necessary” to take in this consideration “because everybody knows the uncommon care which has been taken of [his son's] education, and the opportunities [he] has had of knowing more than others of [his] age [did].” He tells his son that by pushing himself, there can be a great pleasure in “[excelling] those of one’s own age and manner of life,” but consequently, being excelled by them can be even more mortifying, something his son may or may not have to witness.

In Lord Chesterfield’s letter, his syntax shifts from elongated sentences to alternately switching from colon to semi-colon and finally to using only complex sentences with semi-colons. In the beginning, he is unsure of himself as he writes, molding a foundation for what he is about to say in long sentences. He uses these long sentences to state the many reasons why his son would not take his advice into consideration and that he often has “doubts whether it is to any purpose” to even write the letter. He incessantly says “I flatter myself” claiming it as an anaphora, and meaning he impresses even himself for not being so shallow about his son’s situation. As his letter continues, Lord Chesterfield uses a series of colons and semi-colons, to enhance and contrast the second part of the sentence with the first. He says he means to not “dictate as a parent; [but] only mean to advise as a friend,” trying to convince his son that if he will not listen to his father, than at least listen to him as a friend. He says “I have no interests but yours in the advice I give you; and that consequently, you will at least weigh and consider it well: in which case, some of it will, I hope, have its effect,” knowing that he was once young, and that he understands how easy it is to reject parental advice. The last part uses semi-colons to compare his thoughts. He lectures that he only “point them out to [his son] as conducive, nay, absolutely necessary to [his] pleasure;” insinuating that his son’s duties can be very beneficial to him, and that it will prevent any embarrassment or shame to the family name. He also says, “Can there be a greater pleasure than to be universally allowed to excel those of one’s own age and manner of life? And, consequently, can there be anything more mortifying than to be excelled by them?” which are rhetorical questions that is suppose to boost his son’s motivation to succeed in school. By using semi-colons, he expresses his thoughts on his son’s pleasures and education.

In conclusion, Lord Chesterfield’s adequate insight reveals that while his son might be carelessly forgetting his “duties”, it is better for him to “not know a thing at all, as know it but imperfectly. To know a little of anything, gives neither satisfaction nor credit; but often brings disgrace or ridicule.” He writes in hopes that this intervention would help his son make good choices that he, in his past, did not do very well.

Style Analysis of Professions for Women

Virginia Woolf’s extroverted dignity shows she is a figure for many other women to look at. She stresses her dexterity to fight against what society has in mind for women like her, encouraging women to be who they want to be. In doing so, she hopes to have cracked the glass ceiling that holds women from their natural rights. 

 

The author uses clear diction when she depicts three unique metaphors: the Angel in the House, the fisherman, and the empty rooms. While telling the story of the Angel of the House, she showed extreme disgust for the woman who “bothered” and “wasted” her time, and “tormented” her to ignore her calling. Although the Angel was “pure,” Woolf recalls that if the Angel were not rid of, she would have “plucked the heart out of [her] writing,” so instead, Woolf killed her. The author then describes the metaphor of the fisherman in the form of a girl. In the girl’s dream, she let her “imagination sweep unchecked round every rock and cranny of the world” able to explore and think what she wanted to without a second thought. Then before the fisherman knew it, her “line” was lost, her imagination “dashed” into “something hard,” and the girl was “roused from her dream.” By telling about the fisherman, she was able to show how censored woman’s minds were because they were always “impeded by the extreme conventionality of the other sex.” Woolf then speaks of the empty rooms that women were able to possess, “though not without great labour and effort to pay the rent.” She challenges women to “decorate” and “furnish” the room with their accomplishments and beliefs and were they to “share” it, to do so with caution and to an extent. She affirms this to explain that when one has achieved so much independently, not to let a man come to take one’s achievement away.The author’s syntax moves from parallelism to short sentences to anaphora’s. In the beginning, Woolf uses parallelism. She says many women had been before her, “making the path smooth,” and “regulating [her] steps. The use of the same verb tense gives a smooth rhythm or flow just as women before her gave her a smooth path. Woolf establishes her ethos by crediting these female authors, reminding her audience that these women overcame many of the “obstacles” to widen the barrier for a future generation of women. As her speech continues, Woolf includes the use of short, simple sentences to describe the “Angel in the House.” She does this to mirror women as being simplistic and not thinking broad, complex thoughts. Due to the Angel being adamant about woman’s intuition, Woolf indicates that she despises the idea of even being the “Angel in the House” through her brusque descriptions. To conclude her speech, Woolf uses anaphora’s. By repeating the word “you,” she puts weight on the women in her audience. She indicates that only they can make change for themselves, that they can only one day find equality with men, and they they can only be the ones “to decide for [themselves] what the answers should be.”

 

In conclusion, Woolf’s extroverted dignity reveals that while women of her time did not question the authority of society, she did. She inspired many women to think beyond their imagination into deep depths, to not let man’s judgment taint their thoughts. By doing so, she became a role model for many bright women, beginning the crack on the glass. 

Woolf’s use of detail gives off an understatement when viewing her own accomplishments. She said her profession was literature, but that the “road was cut many years ago” making her “path smooth, and regulating [her] steps,” which helped her career build. In doing so she created a sense of serenity among humble women too tentative to start a profession. Along with this, she names a list of very famous classical authors before her time. When Woolf did this, she was actually comparing and including herself with these adept women. She also felt that “the reason why women have succeeded as writers before” was because of “the cheapness of writing paper,” which did not “demand” any money from the “family purse.” Woolf’s logic was to emphasize on how anybody could write, just as long as “one has a mind that way.” Surprisingly, men also played a small part in women writer’s success. They viewed women as harmless and having only thoughts of socializing and “housework.” This stereotype made women work harder and step out of man’s shadow to “[succeed] in other professions.”