Herman Melville’s The Confidence Man: His Masquerade has endured the test of time, proving to be a true classic. This satirical masterpiece criticizes American society’s impulse to monetize all opportunities, with a disregard for ethics. Melville represents American society with a miniature community aboard the "Fidèle", a steamboat heading to New Orleans, carrying a variety of passengers. However, instead of analyzing the rhetoric Melville employed when writing the story, the focus will be the rhetoric his characters used during their interactions. The confidence man, Melville’s main character, displays an excellent command of language and a silver-tongue when interacting with passengers. Using rhetorical devices and appeals, the confidence
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Throughout the novel he not only changes his appearance, but completely disguises his personality as well. He adopts a persona that would appeal to a specific audience, establishing either ethos, pathos, or logos. When functioning under the persona of Black Guinea, an African cripple, the confidence man demonstrates a timid and respectful tone. When introducing himself to his mark he responds, “Der Black Guinea dey calls me, sar"(13). The confidence man speaks as if he is illiterate, giving the appearance of an uneducated and poor cripple. This appealed pathos, as most feel sympathetic towards those less fortunate than themselves. He then further appealed to pathos by reminiscing the cold winters he endured, maintaining an earnest and sincere tone (15). This persona was effective, enticing charity from the gullible passengers as well as the cautious ones. As the …show more content…
The confidence man also used a variety of figurative language when persuading his benefactors. An effective analogy the confidence man fabricated, relates children to caterpillars. He inquires, “Was the caterpillar one creature, and is the butterfly another? The butterfly is the caterpillar in a gaudy cloak; stripped of which, there lies the impostor's long spindle of a body, pretty much worm-shaped as before"(194). The analogy means while a caterpillar might begin life with a horrific appearance and grows to be beautiful, it has always been the same creature. In relating the caterpillar to people, the confidence man shows that while a child may be devious during youth, he can grow to be great. By relating children to a beautiful butterfly, children were portrayed in a positive light. This comparison convinced Mr. Pitch to hire a boy from the confidence man’s office, despite Mr. Pitch’s disdain for children. Mr. Pitch would not be the only passenger seduced by such eloquent speaking. Figurative language would repeatedly be employed by the confidence man to persuade argumentative passengers. He was even able to convince two cautious strangers that a rattle-snake is not accountable for any evil actions and is instead a victim of nature. He claimed people who are bitten by a rattle-snake, are bitten because of their recklessness. To reinforce this idea and prove the snake innocent in the eyes of the strangers,
Throughout the novel he not only changes his appearance, but completely disguises his personality as well. He adopts a persona that would appeal to a specific audience, establishing either ethos, pathos, or logos. When functioning under the persona of Black Guinea, an African cripple, the confidence man demonstrates a timid and respectful tone. When introducing himself to his mark he responds, “Der Black Guinea dey calls me, sar"(13). The confidence man speaks as if he is illiterate, giving the appearance of an uneducated and poor cripple. This appealed pathos, as most feel sympathetic towards those less fortunate than themselves. He then further appealed to pathos by reminiscing the cold winters he endured, maintaining an earnest and sincere tone (15). This persona was effective, enticing charity from the gullible passengers as well as the cautious ones. As the …show more content…
The confidence man also used a variety of figurative language when persuading his benefactors. An effective analogy the confidence man fabricated, relates children to caterpillars. He inquires, “Was the caterpillar one creature, and is the butterfly another? The butterfly is the caterpillar in a gaudy cloak; stripped of which, there lies the impostor's long spindle of a body, pretty much worm-shaped as before"(194). The analogy means while a caterpillar might begin life with a horrific appearance and grows to be beautiful, it has always been the same creature. In relating the caterpillar to people, the confidence man shows that while a child may be devious during youth, he can grow to be great. By relating children to a beautiful butterfly, children were portrayed in a positive light. This comparison convinced Mr. Pitch to hire a boy from the confidence man’s office, despite Mr. Pitch’s disdain for children. Mr. Pitch would not be the only passenger seduced by such eloquent speaking. Figurative language would repeatedly be employed by the confidence man to persuade argumentative passengers. He was even able to convince two cautious strangers that a rattle-snake is not accountable for any evil actions and is instead a victim of nature. He claimed people who are bitten by a rattle-snake, are bitten because of their recklessness. To reinforce this idea and prove the snake innocent in the eyes of the strangers,