In an era of limited rights for women and minorities, social worker Florence Kelley delivers a persuasive speech to a live audience at the Philadelphia convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Through repetition of important details, along with harrowing examples of awful working conditions, the author brings to light the issues of child labor and invites listeners to empathize. She then employs rhetorical questions to deliver a scathing critique of the carelessly permissive labor laws in place. In doing so, she creates a convincing argument that emphasizes the need to change child labor laws in the United States, and beckons the present listener to take action and join her cause.
The author begins with jarring statistics of “two million children under the age of sixteen” who work to earn a living. She
…show more content…
She criticizes New Jersey, using the oxymoron of “pitiful privilege” to highlight the unfairness and hypocrisy in their law, given that fourteen year olds have the “privilege” of working through the whole night. Furthermore, she uses asks the rhetorical question if the labor laws “in Georgia” and “in New Jersey” would be the same if women had the vote. Kelley should find her audience to easily agree with her overarching goal, since they are specifically at the convention with women’s rights and female suffrage in mind. She uses repetition again at this point in the speech, expect this “we” she speaks of is an audience who should no longer feel powerless or removed from the problem. In a time where women may have felt powerless under the burden of a patriarchal society, Kelley wants them to feel that they can find power through exercising their rights. She enlists them not only for the sake of securing the vote for themselves, but for future generations of children, whom shall not be forced to work in factories as the children of her
At this time in history, there were “two million children under the age of sixteen” working to provide for their families, and some kids beginning labor at the tender ages of “six and seven years (in the cotton
It is easy to disregard the lives of others, especially of those outside one’s own, but does the fact that, tonight, several thousand children will restlessly work while the adults sleep not raise concern? Florence Kelly was a United States social worker who advocated for child labor laws and the improved working conditions for women throughout the early 1900s. During a speech to the National American Woman Suffrage Association Kelly skillfully employed the rhetorical strategies of imagery, pathos, and anecdote in order to sufficiently inform her listeners of the horrendous working conditions that many children were forced to endure. Through careful word choice Kelly’s use of imagery manages to evoke a sense of pity among her listeners towards
Florence Kelley was a women’s rights activist who gave a speech before the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in the summer of 1905 on the topic of child labor. This speech on child labor offers insight to the harsher lives that some children have to carry in comparison to some adults due to no child labor laws. Kelley’s writing was meant to persuade the audience to improve child labor laws and safety by appealing to pathos. Throughout the beginning of the essay, there’s repetition of the phrase: “[W]hile we sleep.”
In the speech about Child Labor by Florence Kelley, Kelley writes about several little girls working in mills. However, she reveals her horrible feelings about child labor. Kelley’s use of repetition, imagery, and the appeals to logos and pathos reveal how children should be freed from working long and harsh nights because they are not adults. No other gender or age group has increased as rapidly as underage girls in the workforce.
Child Labor Analysis Child Labor was one of Florence Kelley’s main topics at a speech she gave in Philadelphia during a convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Kelley talks about all the horrors children were going through and the injustices they were suffering. She talks of the conditions children working in, the hours they were going in, and all in all, how wrong child labor was. Her purpose for this was to gain support of people to petition for the end of child labor. Kelley’s appeals to Ethos, Pathos and Logos through the use of great rhetoric is what allows her to achieve her purpose.
The Gradual Unbinding of Revolutionary Women Women back in the 17th to 18th century were labeled insignificant and served no major roles in any life-changing events. The fate for most of the women, was being confined in their own living spaces- left to prioritize housework duties such as cooking and cleaning. The etiquette of women was subjected to remain obedient to men. The inferiority of women forced imposition of loyalty and obedience towards men; the respect to women remained unrecognized in society. Preluding to the beginning of the 18th century, before the American Revolution arose, the position of a woman was strictly only to maintain household orders and comply towards the necessities of men.
Paula Jackson History 2010 John O’Keefe 2/22/16 The Struggles of Females in Society In the book Breadgivers there seems to be an issue on how women are looked upon in the society. It is very interesting how Reb Smolinsky, the father, viewed women and their roles in not only in the society but in the family.
In America’s history, child labor was fiercely criticized. Many activists of child labor laws and women’s suffrage strived to introduce their own viewpoints to the country. Florence Kelley was a reformer who successfully changed the mindset of many Americans through her powerful and persuading arguments. Florence Kelley’s carefully crafted rhetoric strategies such as pathos, repetition, and sarcasm generates an effective and thought provoking tone that was in favor of women’s suffrage and child labor laws. Florence Kelley uses pathos continuously throughout her speech.
In her speech to the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Florence Kelly descriptively vocalizes about chid labor. She talks about the horrible conditions young children face in the states. Kelly uses repetition to put emphasis on little girls working in textile mills, “while we sleep” is repeated 3 times this makes the audience feel guilty for enjoying life while little girls are working. Kelly also uses pathos, appealing to the emotion of her
On July 22nd, 1905, Florence Kelley, a United States social worker and reformer who fought successfully for child labor laws and improved conditions for working women, delivered a speech on child labor before the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia. The purpose of her speech was to convince her audience that the only way to stop child labor was by allowing women the right to vote. Florence Kelley uses certain rhetorical strategies, such as pathos, diction, and an extensive use of figurative language, to appeal to her audience and accomplish her goal. Kelley’s speech is composed of a substantial amount of emotional appeals to aid her in connecting with her intended audience. In paragraph four she says, “Tonight while we sleep, several thousand little girls will be working in textile mills, all the night through, in the deafening noise of the spindles and the looms spinning and weaving cotton and wool, silks and ribbons for us to buy.”
To urge the arrogant politicians to pass the women’s suffrage amendment to the Constitution, Chapman Catt not only induces fear and culpability in them, but the language she employs also establishes herself as a credible individual by aligning with respected figures and emulating the politicians’ style of speech. Chapman Catt establishes herself as a credible individual by aligning with respected figures. Premising from the beginning of her address, she alludes to the cause of the American revolution, and the government’s power coming “from the consent” of the people as the two “fundamental principles” that “anchor” the liberty of the United States (39-40). This aligns her with the American ideals that founded the country. Building on that premise, she continues by
Children from as young as the age of 6 began working in factories, the beginning of their exploitation, to meet demands of items and financial need for families. In Florence Kelley’s speech before the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia 1905, Kelley addresses the overwhelming problem of child labor in the United States. The imagery, appeal to logic, and the diction Kelley uses in her speech emphasizes the exploitation of children in the child labor crisis in twentieth century America. Kelley’s use of imagery assists her audience in visualizing the inhumanity of the practice.
In her speech addressing the National American Woman Suffrage Association on the topic of child labor, Florence Kelley bases her argument, through the use of logos, cacophony, and rhetorical questions on the ethical merit against child labor. Establishing her main arguments, and introducing the topic at hand, Kelley provides statistical evidence by which she conveys the pandemic of child labor. By stating that, “We have, in this country, two million children who are earning their bread,” she establishes the idea that child labor is widespread throughout the union and further notes the idea by describing the alarming trend of low wage-earning children growing as a demographic. She also notes it is especially common for girls between the ages
For a very long time, the voting rights of the citizens have been a problem in the US. It started out with only men with land being able to vote, and then expanded to white men, and then to all men. However, women were never in the situation, they were disregarded and believed to not be worthy enough to have the same rights as men. They were essentially being treated as property, therefore having no rights. But, in Susan B. Anthony’s speech, she hits upon the point that women are just as righteous as men.
In Florence Kelley’s 1905 speech to the convention of National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia, her main overall purpose is to fight for better child labor laws and improved conditions for working women. The two main strategies Kelley uses to convey her message about child labor to her audience is logos and pathos. The text is broken down into two different sections as sections one from line 1 to 54 main rhetorical strategies is logos and from line 55 to 95 main rhetorical strategy is pathos.