At the beginning of the article “They Call Me Dr. Ore,” Ersula J. Ore asserts that “battling an epistemological system that assumes me always already “out of place” is a constitutive feature of my lived experience and, thus, a chief component of my rhetorical situation” (1). This assumption of being “out-of-place” affects many marginalized individuals (particularly African American women) in academia and everyday spaces, but the distinct ways people like Ore understand and address their rhetorical situations reveal not only successful rhetorical strategies but also the complicated design of their public ethos. Likewise, Ida B. Wells’ autobiography Crusade for Justice exemplifies these lessons in rhetorical strategies. By analyzing Wells’ developing …show more content…
Despite being perceived as “out-of-place,” despite regularly addressing white audiences, Wells refuses to compromise her truth, instead constructing a rhetoric rooted in evidence, confidence, and assertive optimism. Throughout Crusade for Justice, Wells establishes and delineates her rhetorical situation. Obviously, she is aware of the prejudice she faces as an African American woman in the United States; however, she further defines her topic, purpose, and audience so that her actions cannot be misunderstood. The most obvious aspect is her topic: particularly at the beginning of her autobiography, a majority of her speeches and writings discuss the reality of lynching in the United States, or as she writes, “An excuse to get rid of Negroes who were acquiring wealth and …show more content…
One, it displays her defiance and bravery when interacting with governmental employees that employ intimidation rather than real law. Repeatedly, Wells risked her life in the name of “telling the truth,” an act that governmental forces were not cautious about attempting to repress. Two, this conversation is an implicit call to action. Even if Wells is speaking to officers in this moment, digressing with a criticism of apathy, Wells is also challenging the reader: Do you want to be the lone individual remembered for telling the truth or one of those 11,999,999 individuals forgotten for their silence? This motivating dialogue, indirectly addressing the reader, appears throughout Crusade for Justice, and again represents a careful response to her rhetorical situation. Even if Wells can’t always demand her audience to act in a certain way, she can present consequences and her own defiant actions, and trust that her audience will be
By using his dystopian fiction, Bradbury is able to create a fictional, but realistic world, allowing the reader to see what grim future awaits should his issue remain unresolved. Once the reader knows more about their bleak future, he or she will be more proactive in combating the issue. Conversely, Henry speaks to his audience rather than present his arguments in a textual format because he wants to personally encourage revolution and form a direct connection with the people. Only then will his audience be able to make a stand. In contemporary society, we must all examine how we feel on the inside in order to decide if we want to tackle an issue or not: When, if ever, is the right time to challenge authority?
Writing a rhetorical analysis on a specific text is something that I have never had to do before in prior classes, so when I found out that I had to write an entire paper on a rhetorical analysis on a text of my choosing I was a little worried. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give lengthy and accurate descriptions at a college level. Once I read in the textbook what a rhetorical analysis exactly was, my worry was overcome with ease to say the least. I decided to do my analysis on a speech written by one the most inspiring people in my life Gloria Steinem. Gloria Steinem is an American feminist and social political activist who wrote an article in the New York TImes “ After Black Power, Women’s Liberation” which brought her fame as
In Henry David Thoreau’s essay “The Duty of Civil Disobedience”, he achieves his purpose of sparking inquiry in the American public about their government and encouraging them to speak out on what they surmise as morally unfitting. He obtains his purpose through the use of metaphor and through the act of persistently asking questions throughout the essay to engage the brain to ponder on what their government is actually doing. In order to make the public ponder on how their government runs and actually treats them as citizens, he metaphorically references machines. He sparks inquiry by using metaphors to compare humans to machines.
The series of essays in the novel “Profiles in Courage” by John F. Kennedy all demonstrate the single, truly rare character trait of courage through the actions of senators. The story of Edmund G. Ross undoubtedly portrays courage by his collected and determined demeanor in voting to avoid national corruption through a single phrase. Kennedy, through writing, is able to tell the brave story of Ross in the role of the shy, weak, underdog senator who makes a single decision that would destroy his political life, but save America from corruption. In “Profiles in Courage”, John F. Kennedy successfully uses his structures of his ideas and his detail placement of descriptive phrases, and words which set the tone and rhetorical devices that persuades the
The Power Behind “Just Walk on By” In Brent Staples article “Just Walk on By”, Staples shares his thoughts on the way marginalized groups interact. He uses his own experiences as a young African American man to shed light on how people can have implied biases that affect the way they treat other people. Staples does this to demonstrate how society develops preconceived notions in the minds of individuals about marginalized groups, primarily African American men, which are often a flawed representation of the people within these groups. The rhetoric he uses is key to developing an understanding persona and an emotional appeal that exposes the implied biases of people without alienating or offending the audience, to whom-- among others-- he attributes these biases.
Thoreau uses a disappointment and critical tone to get the reader to focus on his seriousness and to demonstrate the importance of having an unjust government. For instance, “His vote is of no more worth than that of any unprincipled foreigner or hireling native, who may have been bought ” (Thoreau 4). Thoreau critics the electoral process to demonstrate that leaders are not much different from people like slaves because they are all human and that is all that matters, which means they have no authority and should not disrespect people of color. Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written in a calm, polite, passionate, informative, humble and frustrated tone towards the end. For example, “I beg you forgive me: If I have said anything that understates the truth.”
In the passage from "Civil Disobedience," the author, Thoreau, utilizes rhetorical devices to support his theme. Such devices include tone and diction. The theme expressed in the text is that the government is in need of change and acceptance, not a replacement. The author conveys a serious and professional tone throughout the passage. This helps add more to the seriousness of the subject and theme created which is the government needs change and acceptance, not a replacement.
The speech given by Clare Boothe Luce to the Women’s National Press Club was controversial and even condemning of her audience. However, Luce pulls it off by gently preparing the audience for the criticism: she employs the fact that they invited her there to speak, a strong consideration for their feelings, praises of their profession, and a clear plea for open mindedness. She does things to create a peaceful and relaxed tone despite her words. She opens the speech with a paradox about being happy and enlightened; first saying she is “flattered” and honored, then she flips her original statement saying she is “less happy than you may think” (lines 3-4). Luce uses these positive terms to open her speech in order to set a specific mood, a mood that makes her intentions clear that she is not out to verbally assault the audience, but she is in fact going to critique and criticize them.
In her speech, “For the Equal Rights Amendment” Shirley Chisholm addresses her views on securing women’s equality to ensure women have better opportunities. She is an American politician, educator and author that became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm supports her claims about equal rights for women by using examples of statistics to prove a point. Her purpose is to persuade her audience that women in America are neglected by equal rights and excluded from things that men are not. Throughout her deliverance she expressed an inspiring and informative tone to uplift her audience so that Congress can make a change for women.
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.
It takes courage to stand up for something you believe in if everybody is pushing you the other way. In the two speeches, “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth and “Untie His Hands” by Frederick Douglass, both authors use the power of voice to persuade people into listening to their cause. Truth’s speech vividly expresses how black women are not treated like white women or given the help they needed and Douglass’s speech expresses frustration on how black people are not given the chance to show their full potential, because their hands are always tied up. While both speeches are extremely persuasive, the context, style, structure and use of rhetoric in Truth’s speech was more effective.
In Ida B. Wells’ works Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases and A Red Record, Ida B. Wells argues against the lynching of African Americans of the time. Wells’ uses many strategies and techniques to make her arguments as convincing as possible throughout her works. She also uses clear language and well-structured sentences to make it clear what she is arguing. Ida B. Wells makes sure to use statistics and offers rebuttals to the opposing side’s point of view to strengthen her argument. Wells presents these arguments by isolating and clearly stating the problem, giving descriptive and specific examples, using statistics, and offering rebuttals.
The horrific brutality proved that a number of people were disconnected to a simple conception of" love thy neighbor" while claiming to be children of God. It is wholly unfathomable the acts of depravity within the soul of another human. For the preceding generations these acts of the past make it almost impossible to comprehend. Ida B. Wells ' life was filled with unimaginable despair, frustration and injustice and became the voice for those who had suffered, which took a great deal of courage for a woman of her time. It is usually the plight and the fight of those oppressed to make the needed changes in society.
In 1851, an abolitionist and women’s rights activist made a speech that has been remembered for hundreds of years since. Sojourner Truth, who was born in 1797 and escaped slavery in 1826, spoke at the Women’s Convention of Akron, Ohio over 150 years ago, giving a short but powerful speech on equality that still moves people today. However, the power of her speech did not come from years of education or her incredible intellect - as a slave, she most likely had very little education - the power of her speech came from the exact opposite. Truth could not read or write, so the speech had something that many speeches given today do not have: honesty. Truth uses rhetorical appeals in her speech by focusing on pathos, as she explains the struggles of those who are not equal, providing just enough information about herself to show them why she has authority on this matter (or
Oprah Winfrey uses her Cecil B de Mille acceptance speech to cast light on societal issues of corruption, discrimination, objectification, and racism. Oprah’s speech reflects an age and dialogue of constant controversy and arguable division surrounding allegations of sexual assault, mistreatment, and the seemingly unthinkable idea of an underlying patriarchy within the film industry. Oprah explores and conveys these ideas through the use of various persuasive linguistic and oratorical techniques. This is seen through her use of ethos and pathos when creating an emphatic delivery and appealing to the emotions of the audience when utilising anecdotes. This is also further seen through her repetition of female pronouns when persuading the audience