Rhetorical Analysis Of The Essay 'My Friend' By Banesh Hoffmann

The Other Side of Einstein Albert Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist and mathematician of all time, is mostly known for his prominent scientific discoveries and achievements. He is often perceived by the public as a scientist who lived his life in his laboratory studying, void of any social life. However, in the essay "My Friend, Albert Einstein" by Banesh Hoffmann, Einstein's long time friend attempts to depict Einstein as a humble and compassionate man, contrary to the mythological figure that people thought he was. He accomplishes this by using simple diction, to portray the human side of Einstein, and anecdotes, to show that Einstein is just an ordinary man. Throughout his essay, Hoffmann uses simplified diction to concentrate
In order to show the readers that Einstein is an ordinary man, Hoffmann describes a few incidents where Einstein's personalities are revealed. For instance, Hoffmann emphasizes that Einstein is very humble despite his extreme intelligence, as shown when he describes his walk with Einstein in Princeton. Even though all the people recognized Einstein and paused to show respect to him, Einstein went on with his discussions as if nothing happened. Hoffmann mentions this example to prove that the humble Einstein, unlike many others, is not concerned with fame. Even though he is widely recognized for his work, he refuses to pay any attention to or find joy in being famous, and instead concentrates on his work. Another anecdote that is used to show Einstein's personality is about Einstein's playing the violin with children on Christmas Eve. Einstein, just after hearing that children are collecting money to buy presents, joins them by playing the violin. Hoffmann describes this incident as proof that shows "there is something elusively whimsical about Einstein"(Para. 25). Even though Einstein himself is Jewish and does not celebrate Christmas, Einstein accompanied the children in their visits to their neighborhood. Hoffmann uses this incident to prove that Einstein is compassionate and has a heart not only for science, but for other persons as well. Hoffmann shows that Einstein cares about others and finds more joy in helping others than he can find in his fame. His eagerness to play violin for the children proves that he is an unselfish man that tried to understand others. These anecdotes provided by the Hoffmann help him reveal the true qualities of his old