On August 20th, 1992 Mary Fisher addressed the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas in what is now one of the most famous speeches given in recent American history. Fisher, the daughter of a wealthy Republican, spoke on the importance being aware of the increasing danger of HIV/AIDS. Speaking from experience, Fisher is able talk about the danger of ignorance from the disease. She deploys metaphors and allusions pertaining to the Holocaust, as well as hypothetical experiences, to address a complacent, if not oppositional, Republican crowd. Fisher attempts to convince her political listeners of the very real danger that comes with ignoring HIV/AIDS. Fisher deploys a combination of the three appeals of logos, ethos and pathos to strengthen her speech as a persuasive argument. She expands upon her discussion by using metaphor throughout as an effective …show more content…
rhetorical tool. What makes Fisher’s address unique is the deliberate deployment of these rhetorical devices. Fisher is ostensibly aware of her audience, and carefully uses language to effectively appeal to a conservative listenership. Fisher firstly validates herself to the audience with the Aristotelian appeal of ethos.
She confirms her authority on the topic by revealing, very early on, that she has contracted the disease herself. She states, “Though I am female and contracted this disease in marriage, and enjoy the warm support of my family, I am one with the lonely gay man sheltering a flickering candle from the cold wind of his family's rejection.” She purposefully conveys to her conservative audience that she is not gay, is married, a mother and contracted her disease in marriage, not with a random partner. Here she is playing up her personal experience to support her argument. Fisher’s inclusions of these social facts are added to acquire the sympathy of her traditional audience. Likening herself to the hypothetical “lonely gay man” draws sympathy from the assembly for a hypothetical character in her rhetoric. These inclusions of speculative illusions strengthen the rhetorical appeal of her argument. Fisher specifically includes certain information to develop an understanding from a conservative audience that may need
convincing. With her credibility now firmly established she moves deeper into the pathos of her argument, as she begins to drive her point home. Fisher begins with a quote referencing the Holocaust: “They came after the Jews, and I was not a Jew, so, I did not protest. They came after the trade unionists, and I was not a trade unionist, so, I did not protest. Then they came after the Roman Catholics, and I was not a Roman Catholic, so, I did not protest. Then they came after me, and there was no one left to protest.” (Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller). Fisher appeals to the pathos of her audience by referencing a tragic quote to evoke direct emotional responses. Relating the Holocaust to the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a substantial historical comparison. By doing so, Fisher implies the catastrophic potential of the spreading disease and the sequential importance of acknowledging its existence. Instead of denying this dark stain on world history, Fisher demands her audience to face it head on, and deal with the ever-growing problem. This comparison exhibits the insidious nature of the disease and the implicate terror in its nature. Her final deployment of pathos comes in her personal statement as a mother. “Some day our children will be grown. My son Max, now four, will take the measure of his mother; my son Zachary, now two, will sort through his memories. I may not be here to hear their judgments, but I know already what I hope they are.” This emotional appeal is the strongest, and most universal deployment of pathos. The image of children without a mother is comprehensibly heartbreaking and affective. This hypothetical message secures her rhetorical triumph through pathos, and accomplishes her task of amassing sympathy from her listeners. Fisher’s final appeal is through logos. Throughout the speech Fisher supplies the statistical facts as to how HIV/AIDS has affected the populous. Early in her speech, Fisher states, “Two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying; a million more are infected. Worldwide forty million, or sixty million or a hundred million infections will be counted in the coming few years.” She deploys these statistics to make a point. She attempts to instruct the audience that they are “losing” the war against AIDs, and that the mobilizing force of HIV is sweeping the country quicker than initially expected. This sense of wartime urgency illustrates Fisher’s clever use of metaphor to motivate her audience, and the inclusion of factual evidence further persuades the congregation. The metaphors she uses during her speech all imply that HIV/ AIDS are as powerful, and inherently evil as the Third Reich, and that the atrocities that come as a result are as horrendous as the Holocaust. She describes herself as being an “unwilling draft” into the army of the victims of the disease. This is not only referencing those who were forced into concentration camps, but the use of the words “draft” and “army” bring forth images of the war that surround it. She deploys a direct quote from a Holocaust survivor, mentioned above, to reference the idea that she is similar to Niemöller in the idea that she is also a messenger attempting to present to an unconcerned populous the domestic horror of the disease. She states after referencing the quote that ‘The lesson history teaches is this: If you believe you are safe, you are at risk… Until we genuinely embrace this message, we are a nation at risk.” She is addressing her audience as the nation, creating as sense of nationality, and conservative patriotism. This is a fitting connection to make with her audience of Republican leaders. The wartime rhetoric, and combative illustrations, no doubt ignites her audience with a sense of national pride and gallant fervor to act. The metaphor that HIV is “marching” towards AIDs and is leaving dead bodies in its wake, is furthermore reminiscent of Nazi soldiers, and the devastation they brought throughout midcentury Europe. This disease is not something that can be taken on alone according to Fisher. Her speech is an attempt to unify the American populace, and convince the Republican Party that the battle against AIDS is a war worth fighting. Fisher warns her audience towards the end of address that we must learn lessons from history, implying the common phrase that history repeats itself, and that perhaps HIV/AIDs will become akin to the next Holocaust, a global epidemic, that if we do not act against now will destroy us in the near future. Fisher’s speech is essentially a “rallying of the troops”. The enemy here cannot be fought with weapons and soldiers, but instead with simple awareness. Fisher wants to be memorialized as a bearer of information and a voice for change. She is instructing those who are listening to work against the ignorance of AIDs/HIV, and to realize the danger that faces the American populace regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. To prevent the chaos that could result from the disease she uses metaphors regarding the Holocaust to explain that the disease is similarly overlooked just like the Holocaust during the Second World War. Her speech uses all three appeals in an attempt to inspire those who are listening to take action. Fisher’s handling of specific information to relate to her audience, as well as metaphor to invoke compassion, and facts to provoke logical action demonstrates her ability to recognize her conservative audience and appeal to their common culture. Fisher’s ability to persuade an audience on a politicized issue is what makes this speech incredibly important. Through expert uses of metaphor and Aristotelian rhetoric, Fischer breaches the gap of political polarity. Her speech effectively convinces her audience of the importance of a single issue, not as a political credo, but as a universal human priority. The power of rhetoric is on display here in order to showcase, to future Americans and the world at large, that effective speech making can influence an audience and change the course of history, no matter the political agenda. By understanding her audience, Fisher is able to see through their motivations, and in doing so she grapples onto the appeals she knows will elicit concern. This speech stands as a testament to the capability of oratory. While mastery of form, metaphor and function remain important, it is above all else necessary to recognize an audience. Fischer through her speech changes the course of history by identifying with the conservative values in the Republican Party and finding common human ground in her persuasive ability.
Margaret Sanger, a well known feminist and women's reproductive right activist in USA history wrote the famous speech: The Children's Era. This speech focuses on the topic of women's reproductive freedom. Sanger uses rhetorical forms of communication to persuade and modify the perspectives of the audience through the use of analogy and pathos. She uses reason, thought and emotion to lead her speech.
Clare Boothe Luce constructs the introduction of her speech to the Women’s National Press club in a very intriguing manner, to catch the attention of her audience. She writes her introduction, almost as if she is condemning her audience for their general tendencies to indulge in news stories, whether they are true or not. Luce’s unique introduction has captured many people’s attention by using an abundance of rhetorical strategies. Luce uses many persuasive rhetorical techniques to express the importance of the truth, especially in regards to present-day news corporations and organizations.
In, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” written by Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers) in 1747, brought up the disparities that were between men and women within the judicial system. Also, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” also briefly points out, how religion has been intertwined with politics. All throughout “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” Benjamin Franklin uses very intense diction and syntax to help support what he is trying to express to the rest of society. Also writing this speech in the view point of a women, greatly helps establish what he is trying to say. If Benjamin Franklin was to write it as a man, the speech my have not had the same passionate effect as it currently has.
“Death is the only pure, beautiful conclusion of a great passion” (David Herbert Lawrence). Coretta Scott King was an inspiring person to women of all ages and races. However her death had an impact on everyone, she was seen as an idol, more importantly as a leader. Malcom X’s daughter Attallah Shabazz who is also Mrs. King’s most pride supporter addresses her remarks in her eulogy and engages the people at the funeral service for Mrs. King on the sorrowful day of February 7th, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. With hundreds of people, (mainly women) watching on TV or listening in the stands during this depressing time reflect and honor on the achievements and positive attitude she had on the community for others. Attallah Shabazz hoped that this event
Poor, young children being forced to work nearly 24 hours day is a terrible evil that is no longer necessary in the 21st century, thanks to those willing to fight against it. One of those people was lover of freedom Florence Kelley. At the National American Woman Association on July 22, 1905, she gave a speech urging the women to ally with “workingmen”, ln 89, to vote against unfair child labor laws. In her speech, Kelley uses appeals to empathy, sympathy, logic, ethos, repetition, word choice, tone, and current events to defend her case.
Samir Boussarhane During the early 20th century in the U.S, most children of the lower and middle class were workers. These children worked long, dangerous shifts that even an adult would find tiresome. On July 22, 1905, at a convention of the National Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia, Florence Kelley gave a famous speech regarding the extraneous child labor of the time. Kelley’s argument was to add laws to help the workers or abolish the practice completely.
Florence Kelley appeals to the masses that the conscription of unregulated child labor is abhorring through the use of ethos, juxtaposition, and pathos. Kelley’s speech tackles on one of her main goals in life, regulations on child labor. Her speech moved the masses to fight for the rights of children, and she won. Kelley is responsible for the safe working conditions and the child labor laws that the United States has in implementation today.
“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” This mantra from Margaret Mead is a somewhat humorous yet slightly satirical spin on how people tend to think of themselves as one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable human specimens. However, one English teacher from Wellesley High School takes this critique one step further with his polemic presentation at the school commencement. David McCullough, a Massachusetts English teacher, gave a seemingly somber sendoff to his graduates in 2012, with a speech that contained some unapologetically harsh sentiments. However, by looking past the outwardly dismal surface of the speech, the students can infer a more optimistic message. By incorporating devices of asyndeton, paradox, antimetabole, and anadiplosis, McCullough conveys to each student that even though none of them is unique, their commonality is not a fault they all have merit and should strive to view the world through a more selfless lens.
In the era of American slavery, the rights of the colored were denied under authoritative rules, such as the Fugitive Slave Act that required the retrieval of all runaway slaves. It was during this time, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, an African American living in Canada, felt the need to combat racial injustice by voicing her opinions on the newspaper Provincial Freeman. In her second issue of the newspaper, she argued the need to continue her editorials is to promote the antislavery cause by embedding repetition to unify her targeted audience and by approaching her audience with a cautious tone to build on more support.
Stoddard begins his argument successfully with pathos, or emotional appeal, to attain the reader’s empathy for those who have been deprived of a loved one. The story tells of a woman named Karen Thompson, who was basically married, but not legally, to her female partner; when Thompson’s partner was in a critical car accident, her partner’s parents completely cut Thompson off from all contact with their daughter. Had the two women been married, they would not have had to deal with such heart-throbbing pain. This example is effective on presenting how marriage “can be the key to survival, emotional and financial” (Stoddard, 1988, p. 551). Making the readers attentive to their feelings captures their attention to the issue of gay marriage and supports his first minor claim.
On January 12, 1780, Abigail Adams, former First Lady, wrote to her son, John Quincy Adams, while he was abroad with his father and brother. Adams addressed to her son and future President to maintain his spirit to learn and grow. She expressed his purpose through her motherly tone, various religious and historical allusions, use of logos, rhetorical question with simple syntax and use of metaphors.
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural speech. Abraham Lincoln begins by addressing the nation on the ongoing civil war and his hopes on the nation uniting as a country again. Lincoln tells them “ The progress of our arms upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself; and it its, “ Lincoln is saying that he is equal to the public and that he has also felt the wars effect. I think the main reason why this speech was written was to start reconstruction. Since the Civil War just ended, now is the time to start reconstruction. Later on, Lincoln starts talking about the North and South. It says,“ Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nations survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.” It means that the North and South weren’t planning on war but because of wanting to save their nation, they sacrificed themselves and started a war. Lincoln then states, “ To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. He is saying that the war happened not because of the issue of owning slavery but because of the expansion of slavery.
Steven Epstein is a sociologist whose expertise lies in health care inequalities and research on human subjects. Published in 1995, Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of Knowledge is a study of the politicized production of knowledge in the AIDS epidemic in the United States. This work shows Epstein’s interest in how expertise is constructed, the ways in which those who are considered “outsiders” can influence medicine, and how credibility is gained and lost. Epstein focuses on the question of how knowledge is produced through complex interactions among government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, scientists, medical people, and “treatment activists” to discover how knowledge about AIDS emerges out of what he calls "credibility struggles."
Kayal, Philip. 1993. Bearing Witness. Gay Men's Health Crisis and the Politics of AIDS. Westview Press. San Francisco.
During the time when the general public believes the only way to contract HIV/AIDS is to be homosexual, an addict, or prostitute, Fisher being a white, heterosexual, married mother of two from an upper-class family who contracted the virus from her husband is herself the certifying ethos of this speech (1). She tactfully uses her own circumstances and diagnosis to embody the plight of all in the AIDS community and shows that no one is exempt from this deadly disease. She emphatically states that HIV does not care about race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation; all that it asks is “Are you human?” (2). She ceases to be the exception and gains the attention and respect of the American people when she aligns herself with others with HIV/AIDS with her statement: