preview

Rhetorical Techniques Used In Florence Kelley's Speech

Decent Essays

In Florence Kelley’s speech to the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Kelley's use of rhetorical devices, and empowering tone of the piece establishes a call to action with a clear goal in mind, unification to put an end to child labor. Kelley's use of pathos, in which she makes the audience feel guilty by stating that, “no one in this room tonight can feel free from such participation”. Kelley makes all of the women, including herself, held accountable for the issue at hand, child labor laws, and for a solution, which she later proposes. Kelley’s audience is all female, by Kelley’s repetition of the phrases, “young girl”, “little girl”, and “white girls” she establishes a parallel between the audience, who are all women. Kelley allows the audience to put themselves in the shoes of “two million children under the age of sixteen years”. …show more content…

She refers to the states that allow child labor at the age of fourteen, fifteen and sixteen as the “more enlightened states”, which is ironic because allowing child labor isn’t enlighten. She then uses repetition to reinstate multiple times that, “tonight while we sleep” little girls will be slaving away. The use of pathos allows the audience to feel both guilty and sympathize with the young children in child labor. Kelley then states that children are “robbed of school life [so] that they may work for us”, the use of the word ‘us’ works to unify the women, making them all feel responsible for the shameful child labor laws in their

Get Access