Introduction
Be it a novel, play, or speech; there are various rhetorical devices used by writers to help them achieve various purposes. Rhetorical strategies play a vital role in establishing a connection with the audience to ensure they understand the message a writer intends to convey via literature. The proper use of rhetorical devices in literature should result in writing that triggers an emotional response among the audience. Emotion is a main part of rhetorical writing because integral in the art of persuasion. Hillary Clinton’s speech about women’s rights effectively convinces her audience that women rights are an indispensable part of human rights through the use of logical argument, repetition, historical facts, and emotional stories.
Situational Circumstances Surrounding Clinton’s Speech
Clinton gave her speech during a time when women’s rights were hardly recognized. To be precise, Hillary Clinton delivered her moving speech in 1995, a time when women’s rights in were not recognized as is the case today. Even developed countries like the United States reported multiple cases of gender-based discrimination. For instance, it took a lot of work to see a woman rise to a top executive position in companies because such roles were reserved for men.
Purpose of Clinton’s Speech
Hillary Clinton’s motivation for writing the speech was to highlight the plight of women suffering in silence so that people can implement requisite actions to remedy the situation. She uses factual examples to draw attention to gender-based discrimination and violence. Clinton intended to express that women’s and girls’ rights are inherent, important, and inseparable components of all human rights. Clinton wanted to her audience to become part of the pursuit for empowerment of the girl child.
Hillary Clinton wanted her speech to inspire the audience to draw three main conclusions. The first one is that women should know that their rights are inherent, meaning that it is their basic right to be treated with dignity. She wanted to women to become assertive of their worth even if societal notions of gender suggested otherwise. Secondly, Clinton wanted to illuminate existing violation of women’s rights in different parts of the world. Thirdly, she called for everyone within her audience to participate in helping alleviate the violation of women’s rights in whichever capacity they can afford.
Rhetorical Appeals used in Hillary Clinton’s Speech
Hillary Clinton employs the rhetorical tool of repetition within her speech. Repetition is the tendency for a writer to mention a particular phrase multiple times to attract the audience’s attention. Clinton used repetition/anaphora to begin her sentences with “It is a violation of human rights” to emphasize her point and create a feeling of urgency. She also mentions “respect” and “human rights” several times to denote the need to treat women with the dignity they deserve. The rhetorical tool of repetition helped Clinton achieve her purpose by ensuring that the audience understood the gravity of gender-based discrimination.
Clinton utilized the rhetorical strategy of historical allusions to show the audience that gender-based discrimination is influenced by humanity’s past experiences. Historical references are relevant events associated with the message that a writer desires to communicate. Clinton used it to connect her argument to a larger framework and to stress the historic relevance of the issues she was addressing. She cited, for example, the 19th-century suffragettes who campaigned for women’s voting rights and the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that “all men are created equal.” She also mentioned the Holy book and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to underline the importance of female rights as basic human rights. The rhetorical device of citing historical references helped Clinton achieve her purpose because it emphasized the call for urgency to change the narrative by diverting from past transgressions against women’s rights.
The speech “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” applies ethos by focusing on Hillary Clinton as a character. Ethos is a writer’s ability to curate characters and give them particular attributes that convey specific messages to the audience. Clinton developed her authority as a speaker by mentioning her status as First Lady of the United States (Hillary Clinton). The FLOTUS office deemed Clinton one of the world’s most powerful women. Therefore, Clinton’s official capacity asserts power to her words as far as women’s issues are concerned. Doing so serves her purpose because it granted her some moral authority over the issue in context, which helped influence the audience better.
Hillary Clinton uses the rhetorical device of pathos by engaging with her audience through emotional stories. Pathos is a rhetorical tool that uses emotions to appeal to the interests of the audience. An excellent example of such rhetorical writing is when Hillary mentions how some women are burnt with gasoline because their dowry is small (Hillary Clinton). Clinton stirred emotions in the audience by presenting poignant and personal experiences of women and girls touched by prejudice and violence. The rhetorical device of emotional appeal helped Clinton achieve her purpose because it calls for the critical need for action to address the abovementioned concerns.
. Hillary Clinton’s speech uses logos by presenting well-argued themes to relay her message. Logos is a rhetorical device that uses reasoning and rationality to appeal to the audience. Hillary Clinton rationally justifies her claim that advancing women’s rights is critical to attaining global human rights. She used historical facts and stories to demonstrate the magnitude and seriousness of women’s challenges. Hillary achieved her purpose by presenting rational justifications for why the audience should participate in the global pursuit of women’s empowerment.
Hillary Clinton’s use of logical schema in her speech “was through cause and effect. Clinton contends that denying women’s rights is an infringement of their human rights, with harmful consequences for both people and nations. The use of cause and effect helped Clinton achieve her purpose because it made it clear to the audience that their choices will have an impact in future, just like how the current reality results from decisions made by previous generations. Hillary Clinton’s speech appeals to the audience by made it clear that they have power to build a better future and so people should take requisite actions to remedy the situation.
Conclusion
Clinton’s use of rhetorical strategies such as historical evidence, rational appeal, and repetition, among others helped achieve the purpose of her speech. Her rhetorical writing particularly aided in effectively convincing the audience about the significance of women’s rights as human rights. As a result, Clinton’s speech has been commonly accepted as a strong and significant statement in the evolution of women’s and gender equality.
Work Cited
Clinton, H. (no date) American rhetoric: Hillary Rodham Clinton — United Nations 4th world…, American Rhetoric. Web.