During the time of British rule throughout Asia, many people wanted independence.

They wanted
independence so that they could live free lives, unlike life under the British rule and harsh ruling. A
young and influential leader during this time was Mohandas Gandhi, later to be known as Mahatma
Gandhi. Throughout his letter to Lord Irwin, Gandhi uses rhetorical devices such as tone and
personalization to establish his credibility and argument.

Throughout his speech, Gandhi utilizes tone in order to convey a message to Lord Irwin by giving a
critical but polite approach. Gandhi says on lines 9-12, “I have deliberately used the word conversion.
For 10 my ambition is no less than to convert the British people through non-violence, and thus to make
them see the wrong they have done to India.” By stating words such as “convert” and phrases such as
“make them see the wrong they have done to India,” Gandhi is able to convey a tone that is critical of
the British rule in India, but still maintaining the formality and politeness of the letter. Through this tone,
Gandhi can convey a message to Lord Irwin that their rule is unwanted, but they are approaching this
issue through a non-violent method in order to maintain a peaceful separation. Another key critical
evidence is when Gandhi says, “I invite you then to pave the way for immediate removal of those evils,
and thus open a way for a real conference between equals, interested only in promoting the common
good of mankind through voluntary fellowship and in arranging terms 40 of mutual help and commerce
equally suited to both.” This was an important aspect of the essay as Gandhi had presented a plan for
action, he delivered it in a respectful and critical aspect which gave it the tone that is seen throughout
this passage. The effect of this strategy is that Gandhi could critique the British rule by listing grievances
through the tones of the words that established the overarching theme and purpose of his letter to Lord
Irwin.

Gandhi makes sure to include personal anecdotes to convey his message and theme about
independence from the British monarchy. Through phrases in sentences like on lines 18-20, “I employed
the same weapon that I have, in all humility, successfully 20 used against the dearest members of my
family,” Gandhi is able to express his life story as a message to advocate for non-violent separation and
independence. This gives the effect of a powerful movement as it appeals to the pathos of the primary
audience, Lord Irwin, and the secondary audience, the historians and readers in the future to establish
his credibility as well. As a result, Gandhi can convince Lord Irwin that his argument is valid and that his
message carries truth which may be possible to attain. Another anecdotal piece of information Gandhi
includes is, “It will be acknowledged by them, even as the members of my family acknowledged, after
they had tried me for several years,” on lines 22-24. The author provides this evidence to show how
similarities between situations in his past experiences can cause a change. This evidence may alter the
views of Lord Irwin on British rule or may bring up a thought in his mind on the rule due to the hardships
Gandhi had to overcome in order to advocate for non-violent independence of India from the British
monarchy.

In conclusion, Gandhi utilizes a plethora of rhetorical strategies or devices in order to convince his
audience, Lord Irwin and the British monarchy, or to at least begin a movement of independence.
Through his usage of tone, Gandhi is able to illustrate his message for non-violent independence by
listing his grievances in a polite and formal manner, but also in a critical manner. The alternate usage of
personalization and the inclusion of ethos and pathos enabled Gandhi to impact the British with his
message. Altogether, Gandhi uses tone and personalization to convey his messages of grievances to the
British monarchy and Lord Irwin of the British East India Company.