Richard Branson's Little Letter

    The letter written by entrepreneur Richard Branson is very heartfelt and compelling. The reader will appreciate the down-to-earth language that was used by Branson throughout the letter and the easy-to-read sentence structure that he chose to use as well. 

The purpose of Branson writing this letter seems to be to give hope to a possibly lonely person who is struggling with hardships in their life. The author is successful at creating an optimistic and inspiring tone throughout the entire letter. He does this by using very touching phrases and words that could help lift the reader out of a slum they may be in. Examples of the phrases he chose are “Be healthy” and also “Be there for someone” these phrases and other linguistic choices that Branson used help show Branson’s purpose in writing the letter. By the end of the letter, the reader is left with a sense of hope and happiness because of the inspiring ideas and lessons that Branson teaches through a short letter to a stranger. Branson displays pathos perfectly throughout his writing as he writes about things that will affect people on an emotional level. 

Branson often attempts to connect to the audience and he does so through his simplistic language choice and his heartfelt message which is specifically directed to the reader. The author uses questions to address the audience and seems as though he is speaking more to a specific person rather than a large audience. Another way that he addresses the audience is by using specific words like “Your” and “Yourself.” This makes the reader think that they are communicating with Branson and that he is giving them the information. 

The structure that Branson uses makes it so that any reader from any background is able to understand and comprehend the message that he is sending to the audience. Branson often uses less formal language and simple small sentences which make the whole letter seem as if Branson is speaking to an old friend or colleague. He often uses smaller paragraphs which each seem to be helpful to the reader as he gives new advice in each paragraph about how the reader can lift their level of happiness. Having these small paragraphs which are filled with impactful pieces of helpful information connects to the reader more personally. I found it very interesting that Branson was able to talk about something completely different in every paragraph of the letter. He goes from speaking on how people should identify happiness within their lives to then speaking about how they can achieve it. 

The form is very clear to the reader that it is a letter which tells the reader a lot about what they’re going to read right away. The reader will instantly notice that the writing is non formal and that Branson is addressing anyone by his use of “Dear Stranger” as the first words to address the audience. By seeing this the reader can infer that Branson is going to speak non formally and that the letter is addressed to anyone.