Throughout his article, How to Be Polite, Paul Ford uses a series of personal anecdotes to give a thorough explanation of the positive impact that having good manners can have on one's life. He writes from his own perspective, and maintains a rather informal sense of diction throughout the piece, while utilizing a very strong vocabulary. Ford is a freelance writer who primarily writes for A Medium Corporation but this piece was featured on The Atlantic's website. He communicates very openly with his audience, often sharing his opinions, as well as his wit. Prior to suggesting what to do when there is an awkward lull in a conversation, Ford embellishes, "I will share it with you because I like and respect you, and it is clear to me that you'll know to apply it wisely," (Ford, para. 9). Although it is rather obvious that he knows little about his audience and could not judge if they would really know how to wisely apply what he is saying, he includes details such as this to make himself seem more friendly and tap into the audience's emotions. In doing so, he makes himself a very likable figure. This is incredibly important to achieving his purpose. Ford is able to demonstrate that he is a master at using his eloquent manners to make connections with people that will help him in the future, even through the form of writing.
In order to fully convince those who read his work of the value of manners, he shares stories, as well as insightful tips that can seemingly make a big difference for the better in terms of creating a positive first impression. He teaches his audience about simple things, such as not touching someone's hair without permission, but also about values, such as forgiveness. Regardless of age or prior thoughts that one has about being polite, How to Be Polite, is very difficult to argue with. This is primarily due to the excellent examples that Ford shares to prove his point. His tone is established and informative, and is able to maintain his credibility while also playing off of emotions.
I accessed this article through the website it was originally published on:
In the article, Ford references this old fashioned guide to manners, which does not seem to be nearly as applicable to the twenty-first century as what he wrote in response to it.
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