Jane Addams Twenty Years At New House Analysis

Supporting others despite their physical and emotional differences is a necessity in

society, though it may not always be present. In an excerpt from Jane Addams’ Twenty Years at

Hull House, she addresses the lack of such a necessity by retelling stories from her past. She

utilizes archaism, alliteration, and personification as powerful tools to encourage social

advocacy.

Throughout the passage, Addams speaks in an archaic fashion in order to relay the time

period of the late-nineteenth century. This provides an understanding for why the issues of

injustice for the elderly taking place and develops a more formal tone which makes her

experiences seem true and her opinions valuable. Addams casually and subtlety tosses in that a

“woman had bidden [her]

come quickly” (12-13) or that a woman’s son had “drowned at sea
nigh thirty years ago”(36).

This vocabulary demonstrated in the entirety of the passage successfully registers Addams as educated and, therefore, trustworthy. Because of this trust, her argument that these older citizens should be treated more like human beings becomes precious.

Addams employs alliteration in her language to emphasize the dehumanizing effect the

County Infirmary has on her community. She specifically references a memory where two men

were trying to move an old woman to the infirmary, “but between her broken gasps for breath

she squealed shrilly” (17) as she attempted to fight for her freedom. Defining the heavy ‘b’ and

harsh ‘s’ sounds repeatedly creates a powerful sense of cruelty and seriousness, which sparks

resentment for the men and the County Infirmary. This strengthens her message of social

advocacy by painting the image of a helpless woman being abducted by evil men, making others

want to aid in stopping acts such as this.

When speaking of this same old woman, Addams touches on the effect the poor treatment

of certain individuals has on other members of the community and how it can harm them as well.

As the lady screamed for life, a group of women and their children were drawn to the scene.

As
they looked upon her they saw “the black dread which...constantly grows more imminent and
threatening” (19-20). The sight of something so life threatening strikes fear in bystanders, which
causes unnecessary alarm and anticipation for the future or for their child’s future.
By partnering archaic vocabulary, alliteration, and personification in her language
Addams comes across as a valued intellectual who claims the treatment of elders is cruel and
dehumanizing and that the actions that take place affect others for the worse as well. These
opinions, with the help of the literary tools, create a compelling passage that inspires social
advocacy not only for the elderly, but for anyone in need.