Rhetorical Analysis Of Hillary Clinton

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The struggle for women to be treated equally as humans never ends. In fact, great strides have been made since the mid-19th century: the first organization to advocate for and draw the world’s attention to females’ equality – namely, the International Council of Women – was formed by the U.S and several countries in Europe. And, fortunately, dedication to pursuing women’s rights is still unchanging, even at present. Hillary Clinton, a well-known American politician, has devoted her career to supporting women: selected as the first chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, she aimed to provide all women equality and to secure their full and equal political participation in democracy. (Transition sentence needed) …show more content…

Throughout her speech, Hillary Clinton highlights the importance of women’s equality by using repetition. She initially points out women’s significance in different fields, saying that women commit themselves to industry, economics, and families (Para. 3). She repeats the phrase, “if women are,” several times - “If women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish; if women are free from violence, their families will flourish; if women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish” (Para. 3). The direct usage of anaphora – a type of repetition that repeats a sequence of words at the beginning of neighboring clauses – at the beginning of Clinton’s speech, clearly shows her intended audience that women play a crucial role in society. A big portion of women today no longer lag behind men, and they even shoulder the burden of great responsibilities. Not only do they give birth to the next generation, but they also become teachers or even engineers who pass on knowledge that is of cultural and pedagogical value. Therefore, women’s contributions to society are indubitable. As well, Clinton’s usage of repetition appeals to her intended audience, conveying the core idea that women are so essential that they deserve respect in every way. Clinton argues that women should undoubtedly be treated as equally as men …show more content…

From Clinton’s point of view, “it is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food… because they are born girls,” “when women and girls are sold into the slavery of prostitution for human greed…,” “when women are raped in their own communities…,” “when young girls are brutalized…,” and when women or girls confront other unspeakable circumstances and issues (Para 20-26). In fact, before Clinton publicly speaks for women, their silence remained for decades. Gender-based violence was accepted and condoned throughout history. In the 18th century, the British man was permitted to discipline his wife or girls with a whip as long as the thickness of the whip is no wider than his thumb. The rule, later on, became prevalent in England and America until the 19th century. However, because of the coercion engendered by stereotypical social values that favoured males, women remained silent. Therefore, from Clinton’s perspective, it is now time to make a breakthrough in amplifying women’s voices; she once again correlates women’s rights to the fundamental human rights, convincing the audience that women are critical constituents of human society. Thus, their voices should be heard widely and

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