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Rhetorical devices used in speeches
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One of the greatest feelings in the entire world is getting lost in a great novel, or becoming completely wrapped up in an amazing speech. Even if the characters are fictional, or the speech’s topic isn’t in someone’s particular interest, one can’t turn off their humane feelings that draw them to the story. These feelings and emotions towards characters and causes is simply an author’s use of the rhetorical device pathos. Pathos is the emotional appeal of a certain text. Whether it be sadness, humor, anger, a tone of voice, or even a visual representation, they are all considered pathos. In Emma Watson’s speech at the “HeForShe” campaign to end gender inequality, she did a wonderful job of appealing to her audiences through their emotions. The use of this device in her speech allowed the audience to feel and express her point of view for gender equality. Just by looking at Emma Watson’s visual appearance, hearing her soft yet pleading voice, and listening to her personal stories and statistics the audience more easily engaged and mentally participated in her campaign. This almost magical connection between Watson and her audience’s inner emotions is all creditable to pathos.
One particular way Emma Watson really expressed herself well to her audience was in her visual appearance. She wore a very
The easiest way this can be done is using pathos, or appealing to the emotions of the individuals. In her speech for women’s rights, Emma Watson does a fantastic job of getting to the inner feelings of her audience. From the way she dresses and conduct herself on stage, to the way she speaks with her tone of voice, to the personal stories and statistics she provides, Watson gains your attention and emotions from start to finish. Her use of pathos is what makes her speech come alive, and helped to move thousands of
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.
Pathos is the appeal to an audience’s emotion. Aside from the other two appeals that I have outlined in this essay, pathos is by far the most recognizable appeal in Lamott’s article. The humorous tone of the article is very easily recognized and frankly, it is hard not to laugh at some of Lamott’s uncalled-for sarcastic remarks (whether it be in your head or out loud). For example, when writing about how every writer she knows never writes an elegant first draft, she continues, “All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much. We do not think that she has a rich inner life or that God likes her or can even stand her” (1). By making such presumptuous claims about this person, some audiences might find this type of language comical or entertaining, which in turn makes them want to believe Lamott and continue reading. In a way this helps Lamott seem credible to some readers, in which case she has created a successful argument. On the other hand, some readers might find this kind of language unprofessional and inappropriate. Because much of the article deals with language that is full of humor and sarcasm, it would make sense to say that Lamott has directed this article towards an audience who is looking for something more entertaining than a typical statistic-filled essay that one might consider mainstream in this field. Whether it be entertaining or absurd, Lamott most definitely uses the appeal of pathos in her
They used pathos to stir up the feelings of the people. “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.” This quote is an excellent example of pathos. It gave the people a sense of pride and encouraged them to fight for it.
Keller used a variety of methods in her speech. The majority of her words used pathos. For example, Keller said “The future of America rests on the backs of 80,000,000 working men and women and their children. We are facing a grave crisis in our natural life. The few who profit from the labor of the masses want to organize the workers into an army which will protect the interests of the capitalists.” Here, she used pathos to elicit a scared or angry response fr...
For example, the emotion is felt when Kozol speaks to a student from a New York, Bronx high school, “Think of it this way,” said a sixteen-year-old girl. “If people in New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone…how would they feel? Then when asking how she thought the people of New York would feel she replied, “I think they’d be relieved” (Kozol 205). By mentioning the thoughts and emotions of individuals involved with the issues of school system segregation and inequality his reader cannot help but develop a feeling of empathy for children that feel as if no one cares about them and their issue. Kozol also uses pathos effectively by reading letters to his reader he received from young elementary school children that are not afforded the same amenities as other children in wealthier school systems, amenities such as toilet paper or the appropriate amount of restrooms. Which causes students to hold the urge to relieve themselves out of fear of being late for class (Kozol 214). With the proper use of pathos, Kozol places the reader in the same situation and assistances the reader with an understanding of his reason for conveying a concern to help children in this unfortunate situation. Another example of Pathos is when he speaks of the letters that came from third-grade children asking for help with getting them better things. He mentions a letter that had the most affected on him that came from a girl named Elizabeth, “It is not fair that other kids have a garden and new things. But we don’t have that.” (Kozol 206). This example being only one example of the few things mentioned in the letter. The tone of the little girl from when Kozol reads gives a pitiful and sad feeling. By stating this, it acts on the reader’s emotional state which creates a sense of wanting to resolve the problem of
This essay relies more on pathos because she shows her emotions towards the students who have suffered because of
For example, Johnson used pathos to touch people’s hearts. He states it by saying, “Long suffering men and women peacefully protested the denial of rights as Americans. Many were brutally assaulted. One good man, a man of God, was killed.” (Johnson, n.d.)
Have you ever wondered how influential people write great speeches that grab people's attention? They use a literary device called, rhetorical appeals. As supported in Hillary Clinton’s November 03, 2016 speech, uniting the American Public, will lead to an advantageous country. In her speech for the Democratic National Convention it states that, as elected for president, she will get everyone saying “We” instead of “I”. To reach out to the American Citizens and grab their attention, Clinton uses many rhetorical devices as she speaks. Using Logos, Pathos, and Ethos, the people of America jump on board with Clinton's ideas.
Initially, emotional appeal also known as pathos represents the reaction readers feel when reading some sort
The goal of Hillary’s speech is to persuade her audience that her ideas are valid, by using ethos, pathos, and logos. Hillary is the First Lady and Senator, she shows credibility as an influential activist for woman rights. “Over the past 25 years, I have worked persistently on issues relating to women, children, and families. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing women in my country and around the world” (Clinton 2).
Her slow yet concise way of speaking, coupled with easy to follow transitions allowed for a speech that was enjoyable to listen to. Her use of examples from her personal life allowed her audience to get a picture of who she was if they did not know, and allowed her to better relate to them by provided examples of how she is related to the college they are graduating from. Her reference to many modern political problems allowed her to bring up her important role as an activist and facilitated further understanding from the audience. While some areas of her speech were weak, such as the longer than needed pauses and her lack of consistent eye contact, to a few points where she didn’t speak clearly enough, the overall picture that was her speech was fairly strong. Looking at this speech, I hope to incorporate some aspects that I failed to include in my previous speeches. Some of these include her use of hand gestures to emphasize and exaggerate certain phrases and topics, and her combined use of appeals. While my initial thoughts going in were “This is boring” and “This is too slow”, it evolved into me wanting to hear more, and overall my defeat in the beginning turned into a victory at the
Hillary Clinton’s speech “Women Rights” transmitted a crucial message to the world and that was to do something about gender inequality. Pathos helped transmit an emotional appeal to the audience and make them see the soft side of Clinton.
Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. It is the very same “legacy of change” that Nelson Mandela used that inspires what Malala Yousafzai does today. At the age of 15, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for girls’ education. Since this appalling incident, Malala has gone on to be the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, start the “Malala Fund”, that funds education in developing countries, and is currently the figure of women’s rights. Malala has been constantly speaking, advocating and helping women and children acquire the rights they deserve. In her powerful speech to the U.N, she opened the world’s eyes to the truth about education
In their respective day, both Maria de Zayas and Emma Watson have been heralded as strong advocates for the promotion of gender equality. Seeing the rampant inequities present in 17th century Spain, the fiction of de Zayas sought to bring about greater justice for women. Similarly, Emma Watson has emerged in contemporary society as a champion of women’s rights and a proud self-proclaimed feminist. From de Zaya’ short story “Ravages of Vice” and Watson’s speech at the 2014 HeForShe Campaign, messages related to feminism, gender equality, and gender justice are presented in a manner that makes their audience re-conceptualize their preconceived notions about the role each gender plays in society. While de Zayas berates men for their treatment
Renowned British actress and activist for the feminist movement, Emma Watson, in her speech to the United Nations, “HeForShe,” argues that gender discrimination is a plague to human civilization. Watson’s purpose is to sway the audience that gender inequality has to come to an end, with the support of men and women as advocates for egalitarianism. Additionally, she enlightens the audience that the problem originated from political affairs, the economy, and social disparity. Watson creates a compassionate tone in order to convey men, specifically those who negatively perceived feminism or did not think that feminist issues affected them. Nevertheless, Watson’s speech is ineffectively persuasive due to the poor description she formulated