For irritating Napoleon III, Victor Hugo, the author of some of the most well-known classics, was exiled. In 1857, Browning wrote a letter to the emperor to plead for forgiveness of the great novelist. By using a humble tone and parallelism, the author appeals to her audience’s dignity and shows intimacy between her and the emperor.
Browning begins her letter with a humble tone to address the sovereignty of the emperor. By claiming that she is “only a woman,” the author acknowledges the context when women’s voice was neglected, and their intelligence not respected. The modest tone respects the high status of the audience, both a man and an emperor, which enables the author’s petition to be smoother and thus avoids irritating the emperor. Humbly
