Andrew Jackson's Message

“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful” (Edward R. Murrow). Many tactics in writing can help persuade or make an individual believe something is a good idea. Andrew Jackson tried a few of those tactics on Congress, and succeeded. Michael Rutledge’s account, however, reflected a much stronger reality of what really happened through his writing techniques. Andrew Jackson’s message to Congress and Michael Rutledge’s account very greatly through tone, diction, and sentence structure.
To begin, Jackson’s message and Rutledge’s account are very different by their tone. For example, Jackson’s tone consists of positive, progressive outlooks. He shows this attitude throughout …show more content…
Both authors strategically chose words and phrases to catch the eye of the reader and sway them to better understand their side. Jackson does this by using words like pleasure, progress, and advantages. Towards the beginning of Jacksons message, he says, “The pecuniary advantages which it promises to the Government are the least of its recommendations.” By using the positive diction, he makes the removal act sound appealing. On the contrary, Rutledge uses diction to get the opposite effect. He uses words like alone, ill, and hate to bring out the emotional side of the removal act. Further on in his account, Rutledge explains, “We wait to die now.” This way of using diction creates the sense of hopelessness and despair the writer felt as he experienced the Trail of Tears. Again, both writers used diction, but their differences in how they used it makes a huge difference in the way the reader is left …show more content…
Jackson structures long, flowing sentences, many of which are complex. One example of this can be found in the very beginning of his message, he starts off by saying, “It gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily pursued for nearly thirty years, in relation to the removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements is approaching to a happy consummation.” This lengthy, sinuous sentence, makes the writer appear to be very well educated and enthusiastic about the removal change. Rutledge, instead, chose short sentences that are to the point. For instance, he says, “I am alone. I want to cry. I want to scream in rage. I can do nothing.” By using short sentences that are to the point, he provides all the emotions he was having in that moment. It makes the emotions seem stronger in that form. Therefore, with each style of sentence structure, comes a different impression or impact. The message that Andrew Jackson wrote to congress and the personal account of the Trail of Tears from Michael Rutledge varied different in many ways. Through their differences in tone, diction, and sentence structure, each writer was able to make a difference on what the reader thought as there read their work. Consequently, any writer can change the way their readers think through these same