Paper 1 Question 2

This letter was written by Richard Branson who is giving personal advice about achieving happiness to a stranger. Since the letter is an open letter the stranger is to whoever is reading the letter. The audience could be a fan of the famous entrepreneur or someone who just stumbled upon the letter. The purpose of this letter is to help the stranger understand that ‘doing’ isn’t the same as ‘being’. Branson explains personal experience and advice to the stranger to show ethos. The main idea he is trying to tell the stranger is that he should just ‘be’ instead of doing.

The form this text was written in was a letter. Branson started the letter by addressing who he is talking. For instance, he says, ‘Dear Stranger’. He then continues to write an introduction of what he is going to talk about, which is happiness. The main paragraphs in the rest of the letter are personal advice to the stranger or reader. Branson then ends his letter with a sign-off saying, ‘Happy regards, Richard Branson’. This just ends the letter as if it was saying ‘goodbye’ in a regular conversation.

The structure in the letter is almost the same throughout the entire letter. As in each paragraph, there are only one to four sentences used. Most of the sentences are simple sentences as they are easier to understand for the reader. Towards the end of some paragraphs, the writer uses two to three-word sentences. For example, ‘Be bold’ and ‘Try it’. This adds an impactful meaning to these words as are straightforward and to the point. They stick in the reader's mind because there are only two words and not a full sentence.

The main language styles used throughout the letter are repetition and lists. Repetition is used a lot throughout the writing to once again add impact to the words. The writer uses repetition anytime he is giving examples or advice. For example, he uses ‘it’s’ and ‘be’ in the start of giving examples for advice. This is a powerful writing technique as it was used in many motivational speeches. There is one example that shows lists and repetition. “Be loving, be grateful, be helpful…”. The repetition adds emphasis and persuades the reader by creating a sense of urgency to do what is being said. Lists also emphasize what is being said break up what is being said and draw the attention of the reader to important information. 

Furthermore, the lists are used to list examples of personal experiences and things that make Branson happy. By using lists in his writing it shows the reader that there are many things to go through or achieve. For instance, Branson lists, ‘failed in business, minced my words in front of…audience…, had my heart broken.’ These are examples of what happened in his life. Showing this in lists format outlines important parts of the discussion being talked about. In this case, the writer is trying to highlight the trials he went through before becoming happy. Branson also lists things that make him happy such as, ‘...the smell of rain, the ripple of a wave, the wind across the sand.’ This again highlights the importance of the discussion as the main purpose of the letter is to explain how being present achieves happiness. Outlining these points allows the reader to understand more clearly what is being said.

The letter is full of personal advice. While reading the letter the writer is writing informally. Richard Branson talks to his audience as if they are his friend. When he says ‘I promise you, happiness will follow’ he is showing conformation and friendliness. As the writer is giving personal advice to his audience this shows how the writing is informal because it shows emotion. Formal writing is objective and uses more complex structures. The reader knows that the advice is formal as Branson says, ‘I speak from experience.’