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Chief Joseph’s Vow

Chief Joseph’s Vow. Rhetorical Analysis of Tone, Audience, Purpose, and Style. Purpose. Expository – Chief Joseph speaks to inform General Howard and all the officials present that he and his people are surrendering to the US Army “ I will fight no more forever” (490).

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Chief Joseph’s Vow

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  1. Chief Joseph’s Vow Rhetorical Analysis of Tone, Audience, Purpose, and Style

  2. Purpose • Expository – Chief Joseph speaks to inform General Howard and all the officials present that he and his people are surrendering to the US Army • “I will fight no more forever” (490). • Emotional – More than a simple declaration, this solemn pronounce is also design to evoke pity and sorrow for the dead and dying Nez Perce tribe. • “I want to have time to look for my children… Maybe I shall find them among the dead… my heart is sick and sad” (490).

  3. Audience • Specifically, the original audience was General Howard and his army. • “Tell General Howard I know his heart.” (490) • However, we can also infer that Chief Joseph meant this pronouncement to be a lasting proclamation to future generations. His final lines emphasize this broader audience. • “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” (490)

  4. Tone • Chief Joseph’s tone is legendary: • Solemn • Greif-stricken • Noble • “Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” (490)

  5. Style • Much of the power of Chief Joseph’s tone stems from his style, especially his word choice and sentence structure. • Word choice – he sticks to simply, everyday words, but ones which contain great emotional value: • Killed • Dead • Cold • Freezing • Sick • Sad • Forever

  6. Style, continued • In addition to simple words, Chief Joseph also relies on brief, declarative, poignant statements • “I am tired of fighting.” (490) • “The old men are all dead.” (490) • “It is the young men who say yes and no.” (490) • “It is cold and we have no blankets.” (490)

  7. Style, continued • Two poetic devices also distinguish Chief Joseph’s style: • Parallelism • “Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead” (490). • “I know his heart. What he told me before, I have in my heart” (490). • Imagery • “the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food” (490) • “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever” (490).

  8. Conclusion • Chief Joseph, in such a brief space, creates a text that has survived for well over a century. • Tone – solemn, grief-stricken • Audience – not only the present gerenals, but future people as well • Purpose – to inform and to move emotions • Style – short, tough words, and terse, declarative sentences, often using parallelism and imagery to augment his style.

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