The rhetorical essay has been a tradition in public speaking since Ancient Greece. Meant to persuade an audience to believe an idea or to embrace a way of thinking, public speakers have utilized this technique for centuries to inspire change in those who listen to it. Carrie Chapman Catt's commencement speech to the 1936 graduating class at Sweet Briar College is a speech that exemplifies the key devices and methods of persuasion in rhetoric, as well as inspiring her audience, a girls-only institution of higher learning, to work hard not only to improve their own lives, but to create a world greater than their own for generations to come. Carrie Chapman Catt delivered a highly effective commencement speech using the rhetorical devices logos, …show more content…
Catt's rhetorical use of logical reasoning also extended to moral arguments- specifically, laws that resulted in mothers teaching their children morals they did not believe personally. Her main example of this was the law that a wife must teacher her children the religion that her husband wanted their children to learn, even if it was not the religion she practiced. Succeeding this, she states what her audience is already thinking- how could someone expect a mother to raise her own children in a way that she does not want them to be raised? All of these logical appeals forced Catt's audience to question seriously how laws such as these could pass, let alone be enforced. Throughout her speech, the use of specific numbers and ratios were meant to show how far women have come in their struggle for equal rights. One of Catt's most powerful uses of numbers and ratios was after her explanation of the process that the government had to go through in order to bring equality to the sexes, stating that "one hundred and forty-seven laws had been required to right the wrongs" (Catt). By utilizing this strikingly large number to aid in her description of the multitude …show more content…
A large part of the pathos used is in the form of loaded language, which is used to make her audience understand the severity of the oppression women faced during the Women's Century. Throughout her address, Catt used the rhetorical device of emotional diction to continuously imprint upon the audience a mixed feeling; disgust toward the mistreatment the women of that time faced, and gratefulness for the change that suffrage leaders, like Carrie Chapman Catt herself, gave to the women that sat in the audience the day she gave her speech. The words 'suffered,' 'epithet,' and 'humiliating,' were strategically placed at points in Catt's essay to add emphasis to her many emotional appeals to her. Few instances of humor are used to make the tone of the speech less melancholic, in addition to providing examples of the different ways women during that time discovered loopholes and challenged the rigid rules and customs involving women. One anecdote that perfectly encompasses this strategy pertains to a woman who attended town meetings in place of her husband, and discovered that by starting her opinions with 'my husband thinks', she could bypass the social custom that women could not speak in public. Although this is not an overly humorous story, it does aid in alleviating
“The Declarations of Sentiments and Resolutions” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton is an interesting and persuasive essay on women's rights and equality. The essay uses pathos, logos, and ethos to capture the reader's attention and draw them in into this argumentative piece. Each appeal deeply exercises the importance of equality for both men and women. Throughout her essay, Stanton uses pathos, logos, and ethos to draw the reader's attention and persuade them to stand up for women inequality.
Steve Job’s commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University, which is one of the best university in our country was very memorable and inspiring for Stanford graduates and also for audience listening to speech. In his speech, Jobs inspires students and audience to pursue their dreams and always to follow their heart no matter what even though things don’t always go according to plan and never give up. Steve Job is mainly known for his contributions in the technological world but along with that he is also recognized for his world-renowned presentations. Jobs’ simplicity in delivery and extensive use of rhetoric makes his speech effective and comparable to speeches of famous narrators. In this commencement speech, Jobs uses simplicity in the structure of his speech along with the use of rhetoric such as ethos and pathos besides usage of personal stories to make this speech effective in inspiring his audience and making it memorable.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people.
Women’s rights were not always a part of society as it may seem in today’s world. Suffrage can date all the way back to 1776. Women had to fight for their rights and privileges, hard and for many years. In the late 1800’s women were seen as much less than a male and had no voice. Women were arrested, prosecuted and put down for wanting more freedom and power for their gender. As you see in many suffrage ads, women were desperate and wanted so badly the same equality as men. A few women in particular stood up for what they believed was right and fought hard. Although it took far too long and over 100 years, in 1920 women were finally given the opportunity to share the same voting rights as men. History had been made.
In “The Keynote Address of Seneca Falls”, Elizabeth Stanton uses the rhetorical devices, repetition, imagery, and tone to portray her feelings about women’s rights and to speak up for all women who believe that woman are just as great as man. Seneca Falls in New York was where one of the first women’s right’s convention was held, which over three hundred people, men and woman, attended. This convention is where Elizabeth gave her speech to hundreds of people who wanted to reach the same goals.
Rhetorical strategies are ways in which authors craft language so as to have an effect on readers. Charles Murray, in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College?” uses various forms of persuasion to convince readers that attending college is not and should not be a stereotypical norm for all millennials capable of obtaining a degree. The synopsis of his claims essentially lies in these three statements: college should not be a place where core knowledge is learned, college does not benefit everyone’s career path, college should not be required to achieve a higher educational understanding of a vast variety of interests. Murray peeks readers curiosity to his claims by making critical, emotional, and logical appeals. By appealing to all forms of persuasion, Murray’s opinions on this topic might just change the way reader’s view college.
The first chapter introduced the reader to the art of rhetoric. He describes how rhetoric works through real life examples. He demonstrates ways that rhetoric persuades us like, argument from strength, and seduction. He tells the reader that the sole purpose of arguing is to persuade the audience. He showed that the chief purpose of arguing is to also achieve consensus, a shared faith in a choice.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s speech at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1840 was aimed at men and women to try and bring equality to both sexes. Elizabeth’s speech was important because it got the ball rolling for equality and although we are not quite there yet today, we have come a long way since the time of this speech. Elizabeth persuaded many people with this speech and she achieved this by utilizing rhetoric pathos, ethos and logos, but more specifically she used Allusion, Metaphors and parallelism. These examples of rhetoric increase the persuasion of the speech and helped Elizabeth to acquire what she wanted.
On July twelfth, 1976, Barbara Jordan delivered a speech to the National Convention. She was the first African American to do so. Barbara represented the Democratic party. In her powerful speech, she addressed equality in everyone, response to change, and the future of America.
Florence Kelley was a United States social worker and reformer who fought successfully for child labor laws and improved conditions for working women. Throughout her speech to the Philadelphia Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, she stresses the importance of changing the working conditions that are in place for children. By using child labor as her baseline, Kelley is able to talk about her main point, which is her suggestion for women’s rights with the help of repetition, strong word choice, and opposition.
In November 1917, Carrie Chapman Catt, leader of National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), gave an address to the United States Congress expressing her belief that woman’s suffrage was inevitable, and requesting that Congress see it as such and vote to pass the amendment. Catt’s speech was based on facts and figures (ethos) from our own country’s history, logic, reasoning, and common sense (logos); it was hard for any man to argue with, which was her goal. Catt had given hundreds of speeches in her life, and in this case, she planned her approach to be factual and unemotional to get through to those that thought of women as
Aristotle wrote that we can be persuaded by three things: reason (logos), the character of the speaker (ethos), and our own emotions (pathos).
Susan B. Anthony inspired to fight for women’s right while camping against alcohol..along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton also an activist, Anthony and Stanton founded the NWSA . Which helped the two women to go around and produced The Revolution, a weekly publication that lobbied for women’s rights.She also went on saying that if women ever wanted to get reaction men had…only thing stopping them,..having voting rights. An american social reformer and women’s right activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement, also a teacher who aggregate and compare about nature. She gave the “Women’s Rights to the Suffrage” giving outside the jail she was going to be held in, she gave this speech in person in 1873 and her audience were mostly white women that want virtues like men. Also men that wanted to put women in their place and friends of her and fellow citizens. Her main points are that women needed power that men had. Growing up in a quaker household she knew that women needed honor as men just like slaves experience getting their freedom. In Women’s right to suffrage Susan B. Anthony uses tone, reparation,and logos which dematices why women should have equal morality and voting abilities as men.
During the nineteenth century, the question of slavery in the United States was growing. As a result, the country was divided, and a new political party, known as the Republican Party, was formed on the basis that slavery should not spread. In 1856, Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected as president. This caused an uprising in the south that led to a civil war. The war raised questions about equality, and women were hoping that it would end with an increase in rights for everyone. Unfortunately, women were left in the same position as before after the war. Thereafter, Suffrage movement was started, working to give women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony is one of the most well known suffragists; however, many do not realize that she was actively involved in an abundance of other
Michelle Obama’s 2016 Democratic National Convention Speech was beautifully presented; as she spoke about the issues that faces Mrs. Clinton as well as herself, education, health and welfare of this nation as a whole and why Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the United States of America. As I listen to this speech I realized that Michelle Obama uses rhetorical devices and appeals throughout this entire speech, and frankly since her purpose is to persuade the people of the this country to vote for Hillary I think Michelle Obama took the right approach. I get a strong sense of honesty from the first lady as she talks about why Ms. Clinton is worthy enough to take on the mantle of leadership for our great nation. After listening to my speech multiple times I notice how Michelle Obama also uses amplification, which is the expansion of detail to clarify a point. Then as I continued to listen to the speech I also realized how the first lady also uses anaphora, which is the repetition of one or more words at the head of consecutive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Next I saw how the first lady utilizes both ethos and pathos to help convince the citizens of America that Hillary Clinton deserves their vote. Through the use of these rhetorical devices and appeals, Mrs. Obama’s speech is made very strong and convincing.