Richard Seaver Rhetorical Analysis

When writing for business, the entire point is to be persuasive. To change your recipient 's perspective on the topic that you are writing to them about. So when there is a persuasion contest, between an executive of the Coca-Cola Company, Ira Herbert, and a representative of Grove Press, Richard Seaver. It is pretty noticeable as to who makes the best points in their writing, and who can portray them through words the best. Herbert, who simply used the easiest of all rhetoric strategies which included the tone throughout the letter, the diction, and simply his hubris involved. Whereas the representative from the press, a person who works with authors as a career, put together a better argument with his strategies, which included …show more content…
His short one sentence introduction was simply arrogant when he said “… which has just reached me, doubtless because of the mail strike” (Lines 1-2). He then continues to use satire throughout half the letter. Noticing how it is satirical, you know he doesn’t care what Herbert thinks about him using “It’s the real thing as the advertisement for a book. He is enjoying the fact that Herbert dug his own grave to lay in by reaching out to the Grove Press with worry that the audience will mistake a book for a six-pack of soda. “I can fully understand that the public might be confused by our use of the expression, and mistake a book by a Harlem schoolteacher for a six-pack of Coca-Cola.” (Lines 4-6). Clearly Seaver didn’t take Herbert’s letter very seriously, considering he spent his entire second paragraph simply making fun of him. Although, when the second half of the letter came, Seaver started to get more serious about the issue that Herbert had brought to his attention. He then used logos and irony to help Herbert understand that he is just simply overreacting about a minor issue that if anything would hurt the book more than the coke company. “Since the slogan is so closely identified with your product, those who read our ad may as well tend to go out and buy a Coke rather than our book.” (Lines 14-16). Along with “I am sure that you will agree that this posed a …show more content…
When trying to write a letter, to get your point across you can 't be extremely arrogant and not even want to hear the other side of the argument, because “I know for sure I 'm right.” But you also cannot be too passive and say “Will you please change your slogan? I have my reasons, I just don 't want to say them at the moment.” In order to write a good letter of complaint, you must find that happy medium between those two. For most people, finding a middle point is extremely hard because they don 't realize when they have tipped the scale a little too far on one side. Herbert most likely doesn 't write letters for a living, so while he tried to make an effective letter, he really just made a fool out of himself because he had too much hubris involved with his diction and logos. Whereas Seaver was able to find the happy middle point and put together a satirical letter with logos, ethos, and even irony into a short response to Herbert and the Coca-Cola