It is not difficult to declare a winner in the Grove press versus Coca-Cola persuasive letter war, Grove press wins by a landslide. Both of the letters are written in an incredibly formal manner. The Coca-Cola letter uses this formality to try and intimidate the smaller company into doing what it wants. Grove press uses the formality of the letter as a tool to showcase the ridiculousness of the large company going after such a tiny company for the use of the phrase. The formality of the letter works in Grove Press’s favor because it adds humor and irony to their cogent argument.

Coca-Cola has very few arguments that hit home. They do have an interesting assertion, a paradox, that seems to suggest that “there will always be a likelihood of confusion as to the source or sponsorship of the goods”. The Coca-Cola Company believes that there is some truth to this even though it is seemingly opposed to common sense.

 

The Grove Press uses understatement for intensification through the litotes “I can fully understand that the public might be confused by our use of the expression and mistake a book by Harlem schoolteacher for a six pack of Coca-Cola”. Not only does the Grove press use this understatement to clarify their stance on the matter, they also use irony to bring their ideas home. The entire letter is filled with ironic ideas including a funny section where they compare a popular book they published with many other books with similar names.

The Coca-Cola Company looks almost foolish by the time you're done reading the Grove Press letter. The David versus Goliath comparisons are just the beginning of the absurdity of Coca-Cola’s lack of persuasive ideas. Grove press uses humor and common sense to squash the larger company and make them seem petty and foolish.