Rhetorical Analysis Of Susan B Anthony

Inside the town of Akron, Ohio within the 12 months of 1851, an African American female added a shifting speech at the women’s convention that would be remembered for its rawness, genuineness, and effectiveness. Sojourner Truth spoke about the way she was treated for simply being a “black woman”. Not only being black was the problem, also being a woman had a vast effect on the way she was treated. She used personal and emotional experiences to connect with her audience. Sojourner Truth petitions to her audience for the push of women rights – for all women – through a variety of rhetorical devices.

In the year 1851 an African American woman by name of Sojourner Truth gave a powerful speech at the Woman’s convention in a small town of Akron, Ohio. This speech would be remembered for the originality and powerful message that it left on those listening. The speech touched on the trials and tribulations that Sojourner went through not only as a woman but a black women in that day’s society. She shared her personal experiences and used repetitive language to grab the attention of her audience, she also made references from the Bible to connect emotionally with her audience. The techniques she used were to invoke some power to overcome race and gender inequality.

Anthony believed that regardless of gender or race, you as an American citizen should have the right to vote. Anthony voted without having a lawful right. She wanted to prove that she did not commit a crime, but instead she wanted to provide she exercised her human right. She was arrest because her vote was illegal because she was a women. After Anthony’s arrest, she gave a speech about illegally casting her vote and the point she was trying to make by voting. In Susan B. Anthony’s speech, she states “We, the people who formed the union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them”. To elaborate further on this statement, Anthony means that since America was built on having freedom and liberty, why don’t all people to include women have the right to

Susans B. Anthony’s diction about how she did nothing wrong was great, while showing she was using her rights. First, she brought up the Constitution to show her rights. “By the National Constitution.” (Anthony,1) Next, she states that she knows what she did and how legal it is. Third, she used a unique way of of explaining how what she did was not a crime, only a right. “Simply exercised

Jane Addams’ speech explains her stance of George Washington's legacy as a soldier, statesman, and a Virginia planter. In this speech, Jane Addams references George Washington’s accomplishments in his past, including how things would be if he is to be present today. The most significant uses of rhetorical devices in this speech include hypophora, rhetorical questions, enumeratio, distinctio, and metaphors.

For years’ women fought to gain the rights that they have today. In The Norton Reader Shorter 14th Edition there are two very powerful speeches by two completely different women who were fighting for the same cause. "The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and "Ain 't I A Woman?" 1863 By Sojourner Truth both argue for women 's right to vote. While both women have similar arguments, their methods are different. Stanton 's argument speaks on the legality of things, how unconstitutional it is and in some ways points to the wrong doers. On the other hand, Truth makes her argument personal, she involves her own personal experiences and questions the oppositions beliefs. Although both argument methods differ, the cause for the argument remains the same. The two authors ' techniques used to argue their points leaves the reader feeling both inspired and motivated to get involved with their cause.

Susan B. Anthony inspired to fight for women’s right while camping against alcohol..along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton also an activist, Anthony and Stanton founded the NWSA . Which helped the two women to go around and produced The Revolution, a weekly publication that lobbied for women’s rights.She also went on saying that if women ever wanted to get reaction men had…only thing stopping them,..having voting rights. An american social reformer and women’s right activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement, also a teacher who aggregate and compare about nature. She gave the “Women’s Rights to the Suffrage” giving outside the jail she was going to be held in, she gave this speech in person in 1873 and her audience were mostly white women that want virtues like men. Also men that wanted to put women in their place and friends of her and fellow citizens. Her main points are that women needed power that men had. Growing up in a quaker household she knew that women needed honor as men just like slaves experience getting their freedom. In Women’s right to suffrage Susan B. Anthony uses tone, reparation,and logos which dematices why women should have equal morality and voting abilities as men.

Women feel like they are slaves and owned because they have no freedom. Women submit to laws in the formation of which she has no voice, they have no representation in the halls of legislation. Stanton elaborates further by providing that women have the same rights and privileges as men stating “we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States”(Stanton, 583) and that all people within a society should have the same status in respects of civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights and equal access to all social goods and services by stating, “it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.” (Stanton, 582) When explaining each injustice and oppression against women, Stanton induces the reader to act “because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights.” (Stanton, 583) Stanton is portraying women as innocent, blameless victims, and men as the evil opposition.

America the land of the free wasn’t always free for everyone, it was a place of slavery, racism, sexism and more. Since our beginning we have solved many of these problems, however, they haven’t disappeared completely. While civil liberties issues have been mostly resolved for race and gender, in the U.S there still exists issues with basic liberties in other aspects of life. This is proven through the use of logos and pathos within Susan B Anthony’s speech, “What to the American Slave is Your 4th of July” by Frederick Douglas, and the photograph Susan B Anthony’s grave.

Anthony’s fourth paragraph, in which she discussed the idea that if women are not citizens, then they are subject to living in a oligarchy, also raises an emotion reaction with the audience. After all, women do not want to feel that they are the lesser subject and do not this unjust ideal to lead to, “…dissension, discord, and rebellion…” in their homes (Anthony 513).

Flashback to the 1800’s, a woman living equally to men was unheard of, and ultimately frowned upon. A quote from the Preamble of the Federal Constitution states, “We the People…”. Susan B. Anthony goes on to try that quote in her speech in 1873, with her statement, “Are women persons?” (10). Here, Anthony asks a rhetorical question to close her speech where she has constantly given evidence to support the fact that women, in fact, are very much people. Anthony knows by asking this question, she has caught everyone’s attention and provoked their thoughts on women’s rights. Anthony says this because the citizen’s know that women are not treated as equal to men, and that “We the People…” (11) have truly contradicted ourselves using our actions and attitudes. Susan B. Anthony also uses her speech to express the point that she “... not only committed no crime…” but instead, “... exercised [her] citizen’s rights…” (11). She says this to contrast the promises America has made, with the actions that really take place within America. Although it was said in this time everyone had “guaranteed” rights, these rights were not so “guaranteed” after all. It is plainly stated here

Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be one of the most powerful women in history. In 1588, as ruler of England, she was faced with an invasion against Spain for control over trade in the new world. Her “Against the Spanish Armada” speech was addressed to the English Army at Tilbury Fort to help motivate and boost assurance, as well as showing support to her troops over the battle they were about to face. With her passionate words and courageous way, Queen Elizabeth establishes a connection with her soldiers; appealing to their patriotism and emotions through logos, pathos, and ethos. Although she was uncertain of a “famous victory”, Elizabeth instills the reassurance they need to fight against Spain and leading them to victory in the end.

In Susan B. Anthony’s speech, she reasons that the constitution grants these rights to not just male or white male citizens, but to “the whole people”(Source E) making the purpose of voting to serve as a means to “secure the blessing of liberty”(Source E) for oneself, and Anthony believed everyone should have an opportunity to participate. The pathos emotion in her diction moves the listener to feel what she was feeling, insisting that “women are citizens”(Source E) just like men. Hence, many women and people of color in the U.S. find themselves having to stand up to the authorities or the government to explain that they deserve to exercise the same liberties given to everyone else, sometimes in vain. In her speech, Anthony has to do just that, convince her listeners throughout her speech that she in fact committed no crime at all, but simply “exercised her citizens rights”(Source E). In order to do this, he even went as far as saying that laws that limited women and other minorities voting capabilities was a “violation of the supreme law”(Source E). Moreover, the modern day voting system reflects, under closer inspection, that the power does not truly lie with the people, but only with the representatives elected by the people-- which impedes on the civil liberties of the entire country. Such corrupt systems of government imposing laws limiting the freedom of particular groups further prove that civil liberty

In the early stages of the year 1873, social reformer, women's rights advocate, proponent of feminism, Susan B. Anthony, shed’s light on women being able to have a lawful right to vote, with an influential speech, that leads to equality for women and men, this protest coordinates women and voting, but also opens opportunity for women in everything that they do. Susan B. Anthony supports her claims in a forceful manner, by explaining the amount of suffrage taking place in women's lives, as a result of the lack of rights they have, she gives a valid example by explaining her arrest, for “the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote”, she states that she did not commit a crime, she just exercised her rights as a citizen guaranteed by the National Constitution. Anthony’s purpose is to exert the rights for women that are in the Constitution, that are being overlooked by the United States Government. She establishes a compelling tone for whom it applies to.

The second argument, on women being too emotional and sentimental to be able to vote objectively, is dismantled because men, even political leaders, express the same emotions that could cloud the judgment of important decisions. Next, with the third argument, Blackwell explains how gender is not connected to the rights given to citizens. With the final argument, on how growing feminist and suffrage groups would destroy the home image and marital relationship, Blackwell presents the following statement, “We believe that woman’s ballot will strengthen the power of the home, and sustain the dignity and sacredness of marriage.” The central idea Blackwell was trying to convey was that women are on the same level as men, mentally and emotionally, as well as the fact that allowing women basic civil rights would not jeopardize the future of the nation, if not improve it. As stated by Blackwell, “Is there any equally good reason why no account should be taken of the opinions of women?” The truth is, there was no adequate answer to why women could not participate in society with the principals written out in the United States’ original, outdated Constitution. These weightless allegations against women’s suffrage proved nothing but the great divide between genders present at the time.