Analysis Of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

For my essay, I propose for myself to compare and contrast Malcolm X’s text “Literacy Behind Bars” with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s essay “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History”. Due to the suffocating norms of mid-1900s society, the potential of many groups of people was smothered. Women and African-Americans began to seek a way to prove themselves as equals. They turned to writing: a method of communication they could be sure would reach the oppressive white males. Although some - namely, the women - had the luxury of education, African American males such as Malcolm X had nothing but time and a dictionary in order to become literate. Although both showcased a similar message of equality, they made use of differing rhetorical devices in order

Initially, Ulrich focuses on three famous women throughout her essay. Starting with Mae West, a Hollywood actress whose on-screen misbehavior ultimately led to her fame. At the time of her popularity, her behavior allowed her audience to experience what was not normally seen on screens. Known for her provocative nature on camera, West became the star of various movies and therefore added herself into history. After Mae West, Ulrich mentions Rosa Parks, who is most famously known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Ulrich states, “A first-year student at California university told me that to make history, people need to do the unexpected. She offered the example of civil rights activist Rosa Parks...I like her emphasis

The book is divided into five sections, each one being subdivided into different strategies on how to use rhetoric to your advantage, in any given situation.

African American women have long been stereotyped, discriminated against and generalized in this country. They have had to face both being black in America while also being a woman in America. African American women encountered and still do encounter double discrimination of both sex and race (Cuthbert, 117). Women like Elise Johnson McDougald, Marion Vera Cuthbert and Alice Dunbar-Nelson all tried to shed light on what it was like to be an African American woman living in the 20th century yet literature often portrayed them as emotional, hypersexual, unintelligent and of lesser worth. The literature highlighted that African American women have to serve both their employer and their husbands and families. They are not supposed to have an opinion or stand up for themselves, especially to a white man. ***Concluding sentence?

Virginia Woolf and Frederick Douglass are two significant writers who suffered from inequalities. Specifically, in, “A Room of One’s Own”, Virginia Woolf focuses on exposing the unequal treatment of women to the eye of the public, and in “A Narrative of the Life of Frederick” Frederick Douglass wrote an autobiography, which revealed the unjust of society toward African Americans and hoped to achieve more rights. Frederick Douglass and Virginia Woolf both lived in a white male dominated society which restricts opportunities for African Americans and women. The severity of their inequities made these two writers dealt with their situations differently. Although, aiming to help two unalike groups of individuals, Frederick Douglass and Virginia Woolf were able to find a way to fight for a similar cause. Therefore, these two influential writers were able to use their talent in literacy to expose inequalities in their society and spread information to their readers in order to create a change in the way people are perceived.

In addition from the two previews rhetorical strategies, the article “How Social Media Is Having a Positive Impact on Our Culture” have a good example of rhetorical strategy when it comes to ethos. One example is when “he elaborates how the internet and social media makes society to act upon actions that are never seen before. Also, that the internet is very difficult yet entertaining and we often do not appreciate it as much as we should” (613). By this time, the author is preparing himself to establish his trustworthiness by adding, “consider peer-to-peer networking as just one example, where the tasks are distributed among the group to form a whole” (613). The audience can conclude that he has the knowledge necessary in order to build his

For instance, one of the cast members is Condoleezza Rice, Ph.D, the Former US Secretary of the State, Senior Fellow of Hoover Institution, and Professor of Political Economy at Stanford University. As the first African women who served as the Secretary of the House, she gained her experiences in the politics and raised her voice to protect the rights of American women. In other words, Condoleezza Rice implies that the women’s rights will be only listened and protected through the presence of women in leadership positions. The background knowledge of Condoleezza Rice has made her statement become credible and believable; hence, the audience are easily persuaded when they watch the

Rhetorical devices are structures used in literature, to convey ideas to an audience. Such devices can be used to appeal to a group logically, emotionally, and ethically. Yet, how people incorporate rhetoric into a form of literature can differ. George W. Bush and Patrick Henry, have both given speeches using rhetorical devices. Henry’s and Bush’s speeches were different in style because of the differences in how Bush and Henry argued, how they used allusions, and how pathos was applied into the speeches.

The rhetorical situation helps the audience understand all aspects of which the rhetor writes. When an audience understands the rhetorical situation, they are able to make a judgment on whether they believe the author to be credible or not, or their writing to be effective or not. Mary Crow Dog and Maya Angelou are both effective rhetors because their rhetorical situations work together to make their essays compelling. “Civilize Them with a Stick” by Mary Crow Dog and “Graduation” by Maya Angelou each introduce effective rhetorical situations as they establish their individual identity through their educational experiences.

Rhetorical strategies are techniques writers use for a particular effect. In previous classes, you might have been introduced to them as “literary devices” – others will be completely new to you. When thinking of language choices that we make when writing or speaking, think of it like this -- everyone draws from a “toolbox” of rhetorical strategies as they express ideas and evoke responses in their readers. The more “tricks” of language that you know, the more effectively you can say what you want in the most effective way.

To begin with, rhetorical strategies are techniques which writers use in their article to assert and persuade the audience about a specific point. These techniques can include narratives, descriptive, and cause and effect. Using these strategies, a writer is able to introduce the topic and provide examples in order to achieve their purpose, which could be a variety of different things.

Marion Lazan and Maya Angelou both have been through some rough times but were able to tell us their stories. They have inspired so many people to spread good and love those with hatred. Rhetoric Strategies is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing; may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. The three strategies are logos (strategy of reason, logic, or facts), ethos (strategy of credibility authority, or character), and pathos (strategy of emotions and affect); Lazan and Angelou speeches were all of those strategies. They both used logos because they gave you reason why you should treat everyone the same, that in many ways than one we are all

Allusion is one of the main literary devices used to portray the theme that resistance engenders eventual change. John Legend and Common alluded to other peaceful demonstrations that have called attention to social issues, that have slowly been resolved due to resistance of unfair treatment. The first example can be found in the lyric, “That’s why Rosa sat on the bus”(line 17) is referring to the resistance of blacks. Rosa Parks is one of the most renowned civil rights activist, she refused to render her bus seat to a white male in 1955. During her resistance, she remained peaceful. She did not fight the white male, nor did she fight the white law enforcement officers when they forcibly removed her from the bus. Therefore, due to Rosa Park’s peaceful resistance, in 1956 buses were desegregated. By not following unjust laws of society, Rosa’s resistance was able to enact change. The second allusion references a more recent protest; the protest in Ferguson, Missouri in which a black, unarmed teenager was killed by a white law

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, in a scholarly article written in 1976, wrote that “well-behaved women seldom make history” (Ulrich XIII). Over time, that phrase has became a slogan for feminists around the world. It appears on many products and media, like shirts, jewelry, and even wine glasses. At the time she wrote it, she meant for it to mean that women who are well-behaved do not get their stories told, even if they did something extraordinary or heroic, though now, people interpret it in many different ways.

Most of my English 102 writing projects are rhetorical arguments, intended to persuade the reader in one direction or another. Reflecting on the many skills I honed in English 102, my predetermined use of rhetorical strategies (ethos, logos, pathos), developing a concise thesis statement, and clearly defining