Left Handed Commencement Address Essay

The speech that I chose to analyze is called, “A Left-Handed Commencement Address” by Ursula K. Le Guin who was a science fiction writer, and has many honorary and awards. She was offered to give this speech for the Mills college class of 1983 for a way to speak in public in the language of women. As I chose my speech, I often thought of why this speech was called a, “left-handed commencement address”. It comes from one of the novels that this specific person wrote called, “The left-hand of darkness”. This novel was known as one of her best works and she is also known as being one of the era’s best female feminist thinkers.

Not only does Le Guin apply rhetorical appeals in her speech, but she also incorporates a multitude of rhetorical devices, such as sententia and antithesis. Le Guin utilizes sententia when she states, “Because you are human beings you are going to meet failure” (Le Guin line 30). Le Guin attempts to tear down separation by gender and bring people together on common ground by concluding that males and females are both bound to face failure because everyone is simply human. To this end, she aims to halt comparison between genders as well as the notion that women are always secondary to men. In effect, Le Guin follows up with the rhetorical device antithesis to build upon her use of sententia. Le Guin uses antithesis in this section to help her emphasize the point: “You will find you’re weak where you thought yourself strong” (Le Guin lines 31-32). Her illustration of antithesis further exemplifies the notion that gender does not matter when it comes to the struggles and failures of life, which all humans, regardless of gender, indisputably face. Le Guin ultimately deploys the rhetorical devices sententia and antithesis in unison to end contrast and conflict between genders and unite men and women alike.

After world war two majority of women were forced to leave their jobs and return back to the home. However the war set a foundation for women’s rights while feminism was slowly approaching its way into society. The hard work woman put into the war effort was about to be seen by society. Furthermore during the 1950s women were still viewed as full time mothers but the women’s movement would take place in later years.

Mills college in Oakland, California. Le Guin addressed the assembly of graduates with the hope that they would leave with a new definition of success, and the will to seek happiness in a dark world. Ursula K. Le Guin has a unique style of speaking. Her use of commas provide pause, and her emotionally charged language implores the reader to consider the benefits of a world without success. Her emotional language holds symbolism as Le Guin paints a picture of the various topics she covers. The use of these emotional selections provide both Pathos and Ethos as her caring yet blunt style impresses on her listeners.

The second wave of the feminist movement began in the late 1960’s and continues to the present day.

Every time she describes the working conditions of young women throughout the country, she is creating both pathos and ethos for her audience. The audience knows it is wrong and unethical to subject young women to long hours of hard work, and since they are women themselves, it hits close to home. On top of that, it is our human nature to feel sad and obligated to help when someone is being mistreated, especially if we think about putting ourselves in the victim’s shoes. But the quote that appeals most to the audience says, “Until the mothers in the great industrial states are enfranchised, we shall none of us be able to free our consciences from participation in this great evil.” This quote is efficacious in provoking ethos and pathos because it is very personal to the audience, consisting mostly of women throughout the country.

There were civil rights protests against the middle-class housewife's role contributed to the second wave of women’s movement women began to examine their personal lives (Walden 12). The gains made by women in the 1920’s sparked their want for more equality. Women began to pressure Congress to pass laws that created more employment opportunities for women. Feminist leaders began to create groups to fight sexual discrimination. One of these groups was the National Organization for Women (NOW) which was founded in 1966 (Walden

That both genders have common ground as people. She goes on to describe how society is becoming more progressive, that whether or not people want to admit it, changes are coming and as time goes on women will be granted more equality. This change was already being seen but just needed further progression.

However, during this wave the economic independence for women was also a central concern because at this time, American women could not own property. The second wave, also known as the liberation movement, was in the late 1960s to early 1970s. This is when the term “feminist” emerged. Many achievements were made during this wave such as the Equal Pay Act, the Women’s Educational Equity Act, and Title IX. This helped gain gender equality in universal sports, and on an economic and educational standpoint. Although this was a successful time period for women, some argue that the movement did not speak for women of minorities. The third wave is generally dated from 1980 to present time. Third wave feminists continue to fight for many legal and institutional advances that second wave feminists aimed for. While second wave feminists commonly consisted of upper-class, heterosexual white women, the third wave feminists are more diverse (Healey 2003).

Other than the obvious time differences between first and second wave feminism, the real contrasts are found in what it was the women, and men in some cases, were fighting for. First-Wave feminists mainly fought for suffrage, while their Second-Wave sisters fought for a wider range of women’s rights.

Ursula Le Guin composes a feminist way of building a society where each individual is equally as suited and adept as the next. Each character acquires the same capability, which results in an equal portrayal of male and female genders. Le Guin’s primary focus in The Left Hand of Darkness is to represent genderless characters in order for her audience to scrutinize the roles that each gender has unfortunately been given. Le Guin’s compelling reconstruction of

The author use of irony to provide no one cares about women, and how easy to satisfy a lady. And she uses of hyperbole emphasizes the hush situation that women can face and evokes her audience that women need to be treated the same. In the video, Kristen Bell had listed several benefits for a company to have women labor, such as “they always remember birthdays, they bring baked goods to the company, they looks pretty and smells nice.” If women have their own goodness which is different than others then people should treat them as same as everyone

There were many different liberation movements during the 1960s, including fights for racial equality as well as fights to gain equality for LGBT people. While all of these movements were very important during the time, as well as today, one of the most significant movements of this time is the women’s rights movement. The early 1960s mark the beginning of second wave feminism. While first wave feminism, which took place in the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, focused mainly on women’s opportunities with the largest amount of focus being put on a woman's right to vote, second wave feminism’s focus was placed on sexuality and reproductive rights.

The second wave feminism rejected the middle-class assumptions and values of women, they accepted their differences in their class and race.

Late 1906s and early 70s was the next wave in the feminist movement. Taking social views and gender roles head on. The role of women was being redefined within America. After en forcing women to be domestic, the stigma of a woman in the workplace was being pushed. During the 1960s, women were determined to seek equal opportunities, in pay and work within society. Women began to speak out and be respected as they challenged traditions. Finally in the 1980s, the biggest battles were won. Women were accepted into colleges and in the workplace, all of which were reflected in media.