Question

In the following excerpt from "Debtors’ Prisons (2)," author Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) responds to comments made about a letter he had sent to a British lawmaker. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies Johnson uses to argue his position on debtors’ prisons. Support your analysis with specific references to the text.
"In 16th century England, the author Samuel Johnson wrote a passage in one of his books in response to the critical reception he received after he sent a letter to a British lawmaker over the conditions of imprisoned debtors, and fiercely defends his claims that debtors in prison not only suffer through horrible conditions, but in turn weaken England as a nation when they could be productive, non­threatening citizens of society, all in order to."

Answer 1

In the excerpt shown above, we can see that the author made extensive use of the rhetorical device called logos. The logos is a rhetorical device used by the authors to invoke a speech based on logic.

We can see the use of logos in the above excerpt, because the author shows that it is more logical that debtors are loose and not locked in chains. This is because when debtors are arrested, they are unable to work for the country, generate wealth and, consequently, generate power for the nation. In other words, debtors have the potential to be useful to the country, but when they are imprisoned, that potential is totally wasted and ends up weakening the nation.

Therefore, governments must establish policies that prevent debtors, who offer no danger to society, from being punished for their debts in a useful way for the country, through work and income generation.