Essay on The Eloquent Rhetoric of Feminism - 1062 Words

The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was a major organization responsible for several courageous efforts in the promotion of women’s rights, notably the movement to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920. Elizabeth Cady Stanton served as the first president of the NAWSA and a significant figure of the feminist movement. At the Women’s Rights Convention in 1848 Stanton delivered her momentous resignation speech entitled â€Å"The Solitude of Self.† Addressing her audience, Stanton delivers an inspiring and rhetorically eloquent speech. She uses metaphors and logical interpretation to provide her audience with the knowledge and understanding of true equality. The following essay details the effective attributes and distinct style†¦show more content†¦Referencing the Bible, she utilizes an excerpt to suggest past rationale for the concern of solitude stating â€Å"Bear ye one another’s burdens†¦ how few the burdens are that one s oul can bear for another† (Stanton, 5). From a religious perspective, Stanton appeals to the Protestant ethic of the American public. The Protestant ethic teaches each faithful servant to take control of their own individual conscience and judgment (Stanton, 4-5). Furthermore, considering the children of each man and woman in her audience, Stanton stresses the innocence and vulnerability of the child who has to progress through the world alone and on their own merits. This appeal emphasizes the familial dynamic of Americans who cherish their children and raise them with strong ethics and Protestant values. Stanton’s intent was for her audience to consider the life of their daughters, and to realize the potential that equality can bring to their future. Although, during this time men and women were not equal, Stanton was an accomplished woman, intelligent, and with the innate ability to excel alongside the males of her generation (biography.com). When Stanton delivered her speech in 1848, the United States government was primarily staffed by Protestant men. Stanton advocated for the opportunity for higher education, the ability to attain politicalShow MoreRelatedGender and Postmodern1508 Words   |  7 Pagesforce working towards eradicating difference and not natural in any sense nor is the normative expressions of human sexuality. A key concept is the performativity and argues that all references to gender, sex and sexuality are natural as mere rhetoric. Butler initially observes that the culturally constructed as well as maintained nature of performance of gender are fairly based on the uncontentious as well as widely expounded idea of feminist theory stating that cultural expressions of genderRead MoreIndian English Novel17483 Words   |  70 PagesIndian intelligentsias with his remarkable understanding of Indian History, as well as unification of Indian history with language. This further paved the way to portray India with her sheer grandeur, tradition, realities, myths, heritage in the most eloquent way. Perhaps this supported Amitava Ghosh to dabble the post colonial Indian realities while helped Vikram Seth to picturise a rather new India laced with an air of Victorian aristocracy. The cobweb of romance, the strange mind of the women and theRead MoreMetamorphoses Within Frankenstein14861 Words   |   60 Pagesinterpr etation is the Monster h imself : ‘ â€Å"H ateful d ay when I receiv ed lif e!†, I ex claimed in agony. â€Å"Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?† ’ (p. 105). An often clear eyed and alw ays eloquent interpreter speaking out of the narrative cen tre of the novel, the Monster in f act can be said to hav e preempted most of th e allegorical readings of th e novel. Few cr itics follow Moer s’s precise emphases and most try to avoid the naivelyRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagespolice, the only case that could be brought against them would be for possession of the holy herb, or wisdom weed.6 Though not widely used, violent confrontation periodically appeared in the Rastafarian arsenal of resistance. Of course Rastafarian rhetoric against Babylon has always been laced with violent images, such as the frequent invocation of â€Å"blood and ï ¬ re† against Babylons agents and â€Å"baldheads.†7 Early Rastafarian leaders, particularly Howell, advocated the violent overthrow of the colonial