The Other Side of Einstein

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 the readers’ attention on the human aspect of Einstein’s life more than the scientific life. For example, when Hoffmann talks about Einstein’s scientific achievements and the story of how his friend discovered the physics theory, Hoffmann chooses to write in a simple, avoiding details of the physics. He writes, “... and [Einstein] was right in both cases, though how he could have been is far too complex a story to tell here”(Para. 7). This shows that Hoffmann attempts to keep the explanations of Einstein’s scientific accomplishments concise so that the focal point of his essay is on Einstein the man, not that of Einstein the scientist. Hoffmann decides to write in simple diction to ensure that his essay does not deviate from its main purpose, which is to show Einstein’s human side. If he were to use technical terms to account Einstein’s scientific achievements and go into detail, he would lose focus on Einstein’s humane personality. Another example of Hoffmann’s use of simple diction is when he writes, “One is the so-called principle of relativity, which means, roughly speaking, that we cannot tell whether we are at rest or moving smoothly”(Para. 14). Even though the theory of relativity in fact requires many equations and explanations to understand, Hoffmann simply provides an overview of what it is, rather than explaining the principles. By putting his fellow scientist’s theories into simple and comprehensible words, Hoffmann is able to deliver the information about Einstein’s scientific accomplishments to the readers without focusing too much on them. Because he does not go into details of the life of Einstein as a scientist, Hoffmann is able to focus on the humane side of Einstein.

Hoffmann’s focus on the human side of Einstein’s life is also developed by his use of anecdotes, which demonstrate Einstein’s humility and compassion. 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