Carriers of the viruses of HIV and AIDS have been silenced for far too long. It is time to speak out. In Mary Fisher’s speech “A Whisper of AIDS” she helps her audience to understand that the topic of HIV and AIDS should no longer be silenced. Fisher stood before an audience of her peers and used many forms of persuasion available to her in order to evoke a positive significant response from her audience.
Mary Fisher was born in Louisville, Kentucky on April 6, 1948. She spent her early years in a first marriage that inevitably dissolved and lead her into alcoholism. While getting treatment for her alcoholism Fisher discovered she was artistic and decided to follow an artistic career path. She then married a second time and gave birth to
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The immediate audience to Fisher’s speech were the residents of the Republican National Convention, her Republican Party peers. By delivering her speech to this audience directly she gained the probability of her message spreading from the Republicans gathered at the speech to their Republican friends and families. Fisher also delivered this speech to the people who watched it from the comfort of their home and to those who will read and watch it today. Another major intended audience is the “two hundred thousand Americans” who “are dead or dying” (Fisher, “A Whisper of AIDS”). By delivering her speech to these audiences Fisher makes people aware of the viruses and the treatment of those who suffer.
The topic of Fisher’s speech was her experience and outlook on having HIV. She contracted the disease from her second ex-husband who did not make her aware of his containment of the virus until after the divorce. Fisher quickly had her two children tested and was content with the HIV negative results. She then proceeded to research the virus and discovered the extent of it and how those who carry it are treated.
Fisher’s purpose for writing the speech was to promote the education and awareness of HIV and AIDS and the negative treatment of the sufferers by their family, friends, and peers. Fisher hoped to make her audiences aware of the virus and the effect it can take on someone’s life. The virus causes
“Much good has been done” Fisher states and then she proceeds to list examples such as; congressional hearings and campaign slogans in support of the AIDS community. Through giving these examples Fisher is asserting her belief that the government is indeed trying to fund AIDS and enhance awareness, but it is simply going “unheralded”. She further supports this belief by giving us a personal experience. According to Fisher, the president “embraced” her and her family in their time of need, so she asks the audience to do the same to other AIDS victims. By using the parallelism of what the president had done, Fisher confirms that help has been granted, but the government alone can’t spread the word of ADIS so all citizens need to stand and broadcast to others about how to prevent AIDS.
On August 19, 1992, Mary Fisher had the country in silence and paying full attention. “…I asked the Republican Party to lift the shroud of silence which has been draped over the issue of HIV and AIDS. I have come tonight to bring our silence to an end.” This analysis of her speech will allow the reader to further understand how the American public politicized the contraction of a virus that can affect anyone and how Mary Fisher was able to help bring an end to this stigma. The way in which Fisher uses rhetoric connects with her audience on a personal ground, allowing them to sympathize with her and her struggles, further allows her to use their support for her cause. By using the feminine style of rhetoric, Fisher’s speech reaches an audience that has up to this point, not paid much attention to the HIV and AIDS crisis in America. Through this style, she is able to relate better with the conservative Republican audience in attendance while also connecting and identifying with the disadvantaged populations that have contracted HIV and AIDS that do not have the
Fisher begins by speaking of the non-existent impacts of movements that have attempted to raise awareness about AIDS. She utilizes the word “despite” in consecutive phrases to show that “despite science and research” and “good intentions”, nothing significant has occurred because “the
The most effective (and the cheapest) are her repeated mentions of children. She reminds the audience that, despite the perception of AIDS as only affecting gay men and drug users, women and children are being infected increasingly quickly. Fisher also delivers a particularly masterful and wonderfully uninspired paragraph to her children about dying at the end of her speech. We the listeners know that said children had an average age of three at the time, and thus this statement really was not for them at all. It hit its true audience hard and made for an excellent closing remark. In a slightly less cheap statement, she had also urged those affected by AIDS not to feel shame, because the fault does not lie with them, only with those who blame victims to make themselves feel
Anyone who enters cannot leave the cell and therefore once an individual is infected, then, death is the only next probable thing. This painting attracted views from all persons and groups in our society after they realized that handling and addressing the AIDS epidemic is a collective responsibility. Discussions of disease, death, race, sex, drug addiction and homosexuality which are shunned by polite individuals became common topics (Mahoney, n.p.). Gatewood created a scenario where everyone had to acknowledge that the AIDS epidemic was now a threat that needed to be addressed immediately. Humanity ought to give the AIDS epidemic the weight it deserves by advocating everyone to play their role in this collective responsibility of reducing infections and deaths caused by the spread of HIV. Gatewood wanted humanity to realize the price they have to pay for their prudishness and ignorance of AIDS as a killer
In the documentary “The Age of AIDS,” FRONTLINE examines the outbreak of AIDS since its first diagnosed case in 1981. The film investigates different medical, political and social environments under AIDS pandemic in the US and worldwide. The film not only focuses on the scientific research and progress in treating the disease, it also looks at the social stigma, government strategies and public campaigns around different countries.
In this speech, Mary Fisher uses pathos to grab the attention of the audience. Fisher’s use of diction or emotionally charged language and phrases helps her explicate arguments and get her point across. The most prevalent example of this language is when fisher describes the AIDS virus as a “killer stalking your children.” This conjures up feelings of fear, protection, and reflection. Another example of Fisher using pathos is the use of emotion in her voice. She talks with confidence and assertiveness which captures the ears of the listener. This also puts her in a role of authority, almost like she is a teacher giving an important lecture. Her use of diction and voice adequately grabs the attention of the audience and holds
In this paper, I will dispute that in Mary Fisher 's "A Whisper of AIDS" speech, the use of pathos and ethos assists in her demand to end the ignorance, prejudice and silence surrounding HIV/AIDS. I will discuss how she replaces the "face" of AIDS with her own, allowing the conservative crowd to connect with HIV/AIDS. Fisher approaches the speech as an epidemic speech; heavily relying on ethos and pathos she created compassion and connection to an audience that usually shows disinterest and silence on the topic of HIV/AIDS. This paper will also discuss the logos within Fisher 's speech, and how she cleverly surrounds the logos of her argument with pathos and ethos. Although, Fisher has approached the speech as an epidemic, she holds a strong pervasive argument within the speech.
Mary Fisher also wants her immediate audience to change their negative perspective toward the disease. She wants them to let the affected speak about AIDS and HIV and not ignore them. She is claiming that the rest of the nation has made the affected be fearful, with the words, “You are HIV positive, but dare not say it. You have lost loved ones, but you dare not whisper the word AIDS. You weep
“Two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying” Two hundred thousand Americans, two hundred thousand brothers, friends, loved ones, all fighting a war; this war is not fought in foreign countries, this war is HIV/AIDS (“American Rhetoric: Mary Fisher”). Sadly, Mary Fisher is one of the many victims that are crushed by the heartbreaking diagnostic of being HIV positive, however, this was her alarm to the severity of the virus. As a result, Fisher dedicated her life to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS. In addition to the jaw-dropping speech, Fisher, has dedicated her whole life to the awareness of AIDS, through her store, biographies, non-profitable organizations, and many more. However, “A Whisper of AIDS” is the first domino in her line of work to break the “shroud of silence” known as AIDS (“American Rhetoric: Mary Fisher”).Fisher spoke from the heart, and as well as the mind in “A Whisper of AIDS”, which effectively touched the hearts of many and did exactly what she hoped it would, turned the whisper of the word AIDS into a shout spoken from numerous to prevent fear in the hearts of many. In order to show the dire importance of awareness of HIV/AIDS, Fisher, Effectively uses heartbreaking pathos, strong logos, and persuasive ethos.
In the film, “Age of AIDS”, there were several scenes that were quite impactful. In my opinion, the three most powerful scenes in the documentary film were: President Ronald Reagan‘s speech about transmitting HIV (1a), William Dodge triple cocktail trail (1b) and Bill Clinton’s handshake with HIV positive man in the Chinese conference (1c). These sections in the documentary were instrumental in conveying a compelling story about the effects of AIDS.
On August 18 1992, Mary Fisher delivered the Republican National Convention Address in Houston Texas, and with her speech entitled "A Whisper of AIDS," she entered the record books for one of the top 100 most influential speeches of the 20th century. Mary Fisher was a wife, mother, Republican, and was HIV positive; and her speech brought the realities of the AIDS epidemic directly to the people in the audience. And the people in the audience were those who felt that they were the least likely to contract the disease. However, Mary Fisher's stirring speech demonstrated to everyone that AIDS was not a disease that people of a certain sexual orientation, race, or social status contracted, but a disease that threatened all human beings.
When the AIDS and HIV virus crept its way into the human-race, it quickly, and without warning, claimed the lives of millions. Then when its destructive wake had finally been abated, it left behind several untold mysteries. Throughout the course of this class, all the new material we have been exposed to has added some unique piece to the puzzle of the AIDS epidemic. Each puzzle pieces have ranged from speculations on how the AIDS epidemic had begun, to what exactly has the epidemic done. We have also tackled the question and how it forced a change in society. Our newest piece of the puzzle is the documentary “The Age of AIDS,” by William Cran. Although this documentary did not surprise me in its content, it did, however, affirm certain types
Mary Fisher’s speech entitled “A Whisper of Aids,” is an appeal to the emotional and political moods of the Republican National Conference on August 19, 1992. In this speech she talks about her disease, but unlike most people, who become depressed when they learn about contracting the disease, Mary Fisher stands up and fights for everyone who has AIDS as well as bringing the statics of HIV and AIDS to light. Mary Fisher’s speech can be analyzed from three different standpoints: structure, delivery, and appeal.
Just as clearly, experience shows that the right approaches, applied quickly enough with courage and resolve, can and do result in lower HIV infection rates and less suffering for those affected by the epidemic. An ever-growing AIDS epidemic is not inevitable; yet, unless action against the epidemic is scaled up drastically, the damage already done will seem minor compared with what lies ahead. This may sound dramatic, but it is hard to play down the effects of a disease that stands to kill more than half of the young adults in the countries where it has its firmest hold—most of them before they finish the work of caring for their children or providing for their elderly parents. Already, 18.8 million people around the world have died of AIDS, 3.8 million of them children. Nearly twice that many—34.3 million—are now living with HIV, the virus [9].