Paper 1 Question 2: Richard Branson Letter

        The form of the text is an open letter.  It was written by Richard Branson, a successful and famous entrepreneur.  Because it is an open letter, the audience could be anyone, but it is especially targeted at those who are going through a challenging time in their life.  The purpose of this letter is to inspire the audience to find happiness in their daily life and advise them how to do so through his personal experiences.

The structure of the texts fits that of a letter.  For example, the text begins with the salutation of “Dear Stranger” and ends with the sign off of “Happy Regards, Richard Branson.”  This is a characteristic feature of a letter that addresses who the audience is going to be and who the author of the text is.  This provides context to those who are reading the letter.

The piece consists of 12 short paragraphs.  The quickness of these paragraphs keeps the flow of the message going and provides a clear idea of the messages.  Within some of the shortest paragraphs, small sentences were used.  For example, sentences like “Stop and breathe” and “Just for a minute” simultaneously indicate the simplicity and the importance of the ideas.  By expressing these points in concise terms, they are easy for the audience to remember and will remain inside the audience’s consciousness for a longer period of time than a long sentence.   

There are various important language features in the text.  For example, the author uses informal language.  For example, he uses abbreviations like “OK” and contractions like “we’ve” and “it’s.”  The usage of abbreviations and contractions serve two important purposes.  First, they are used so that any audience member can understand what Branson is discussing.  He wants his message to get across clearly and simply, and this is best accomplished through informal language.  Additionally, informal language used in this way makes Branson relatable to the audience.  Most people would find it difficult to relate to an entrepreneur who has built a “business empire” and who has made millions of dollars.  However, with the use of informal language, he seems very relatable and down-to-earth.  Therefore, he gains ethos/credibility with the audience and they will be more likely to listen to him.

 Another language device that Branson uses is parallel sentence structure and repetition.  For example, Branson repeats the word “be” at the beginning of each sentence for four sentences in one paragraph.  Two of these sentences are “Be healthy” and “Be bold.”  This can be seen in another place where he repeats the contraction “it’s” seven times at the beginning of seven consecutive sentences.  It affects the atmosphere of the piece by creating a rhythm within the sentences.  Thus, the sentences’ meanings stack on top of each other like building blocks creating a desired feeling.  In these two cases, the desired feeling was to make people feel empowered and/or bring them joy.  This impact contributed to the overall tone of motivation.

The overarching tone in the letter was a motivational tone.  Branson created this through lexical fields surrounding happiness and success.  For example, the lexical field about happiness used words like “unforgettable” and “joy.”  The other lexical field surrounding success used words like “wealth” and “extraordinary.”  The author was ultimately able to connect these two lexical fields by acknowledging that he is “successful…because [he] is happy.”  The overall impact on the readers is that this connection makes them realize that they can be successful like him, thus inspiring them.

Imagery, an aspect of figurative language, is also heavily touched upon within the letter.  This can be seen when Branson discusses what makes him truly happy.  For example, he says looking at his “new grandchild’s tiny hands,” “the smell of the rain,” and “listening to [his] family’s dinner-time debates” are some of the things that make him truly happy.  Within these three examples, he appeals to visual, olfactory, and auditory imagery, respectively.  This contributes to the letter’s pathos, as it makes the reader imagine and vicariously experience what ideas Branson is talking about.  This allows the reader to relate to what Branson is saying, and thus connecting on a deeper level with the messages in the letter.

Additionally, the author uses imperative speech throughout the letter.  He mainly does this in the form of instruction through advice.  This can be seen when he gave the following piece of advice: “Don’t forget the to-do list, but remember to write a to-be list.”  This can further be enhanced by personal pronouns such as “I” and “you” when giving other forms of instruction.  Branson takes on the role of the model figure and the audience takes on the role of the learner.  He also establishes a personal connection between himself and the reader through the use of “I” and “you.”  Since he is speaking to the reader directly, and with personal experience, he establishes a trustworthy and close relationship to the reader.