The Rhetorical Analysis of Eliza Stacey's Letter

In the bitter cold and middle-of-nowhere Canada in 1847, Eliza Stacey writes to her father in-law, Edward Stacey, in England, in desperate need of money. Eliza requests this money to help bring herself and her husband out of debt brought upon them by a misunderstanding with a man by the name of Crosby. Edward had previously lent a hand to his son and daughter-in-law when they had fallen into great debt not long ago.  In her request, she provides a detailed background of why her husband George was sent to prison, catalogues her sufferings, and softens her father-in-law’s heart in order to persuade Edward into helping them once again. 

As Eliza begins her plea, she provides Edward with a great deal of background information as to why George is in prison once again why they are in need of money. She explains how George was sued by a man named Crosby for 12 pounds which he had not paid off for quite a while. The couple and their lawyer believed that this incident was not their fault because “the whole affair is due to an unscrupulous rogue”. Eliza continues the story with the reason why the couple believed the debt had already been repaid. About four years ago, Crosby had borrowed their horse for a journey to Montreal, in which he killed their horse. The “rogue Crosby” never repaid them for their horse’s death, so Eliza and George assumed that the debt they owed was no longer necessary and that their horse’s death was payment enough, but this was far from the truth. George was arrested and their debt had now risen to an astonishing 100 pounds. All this background information helps justify to Edward why they so desperately need his help. It gives Eliza credibility so that Edward may be assured that this time, unlike last time, it wasn’t their fault. By explicitly stating that George had been in a similar situation before, Eliza recognizes the past but attempts to persuade Edward that this is the last time. In the beginning, Eliza mentions how they were sued “for a debt of 12 pounds”. She doesn’t elaborate on this fact to explain what had put them in debt in the first place, implying that incident was indeed their fault. She is careful to only include details that help her argument and exclude any facts that will dispute it. The inclusion of the background information proves that Eliza was clever enough to not just simply ask for money. Eliza new that Edward was a skeptical man and wouldn’t even begin to consider giving them money if she didn’t give him valid reasons. Edward may already be skeptical as to if he could trust them since he has given them money in the past. By including this background information, Eliza also gives Edward no reason to ask any follow-up questions. Since letters took many weeks to be delivered during the 1840’s, writers had to make sure that they included every detail necessary to prove their argument and answer any questions the receiver may have before sending it off. After receiving this letter, Edward will either send the money or not because Eliza includes all the answers to any question he may have.

After listing the necessary background information, Eliza catalogues her families past and current sufferings. She begins by explaining how her pregnancy is due very soon and how that is impacting her family. She appeals to Edwards’s pathos by stating that when she goes into labor, she will only have her young children and the hired man to assist her with the farm. With George being in jail, she will have to be on her own, and “to be without the comfort of my husband’s consolation at such a time is indeed hard to bear.” She explains her household issues as they had to move their beds into the kitchen because “the cold being so intense that our bedroom was icy”. With George away, she is left to manage the farm and is struggling to keep it up and running. Eliza includes these sufferings to make Edward empathize with them after reading what they are going through. She alludes to the fact that women were seen as inferior at this time and employs this idea to make it seem like she will not survive without the money. If Eliza had not listed their family’s sufferings, Edward wouldn’t be as convinced to generously give them money. His willingness to give them money shows that Edward likes to fix people’s problems and probably views Eliza as inferior. Eliza is counting on the fact that when he sees an injustice, he is compelled to fix it. Had this piece been written in the present day, she would have childcare, maternity leave, and food stamps to help support her children. Eliza wouldn’t have to be writing this letter because she would have all that she needs to adequately take care of her family.

Eliza wraps up her letter by attempting to soften Edward’s heart. She states that, “George knows I am writing to you”. Eliza wants to make sure Edward is aware that George has been included in this ordeal. Eliza may be writing this letter instead of George because the couple knows that Edward will be more likely to say yes to Eliza rather than George. She pulls at Edwards heart by stating that she is grateful she can release her burdens onto him because she “cannot do so to Papa”, her own father. Eliza continues listing the countless times Edward has shown kindness towards them. Edward took part in “consulting the doctor about George’s leg,” and sent a prescription for him. She continues to remind Edward of her own burden, her pregnancy, by expressing that “I must keep calm for the babe’s sake”. Eliza states this because she wants to appear alone and desperate. She hopes that this will make Edward feel more sympathetic towards her. She mentions Edwards past kind doings to help Edward feel confident about what he has done in that past to help his son and daughter in law, therefore building up his ego. Eliza hopes that if he realizes how his actions have assisted them in the past, that doing so once again will only bring more delight and content to their lives and that his money will not go to waste.