Rhetorical Analysis Of The First Lady

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On September 5, 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton asserts her leadership position as first lady and addresses 180 countries about the need for women’s rights in Beijing, China at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Clinton acknowledges the hardships and discrimination all women around the world experience and expresses the great need to bring attention to these issues and face them together. Through her position, the First lady attempts to inspire all 180 countries to unite in making women’s rights humans rights through a strong sense of unity and empathy, emotional appeal, and the clever use of repetition. In the beginning of the speech, Clinton makes it clear that she has abundant knowledge about the subject and is the correct …show more content…

“This is truly a celebration – a celebration of the contributions women make in every aspect of life: in the home, on the job, in their communities, as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, learners, workers, citizens, and leaders” (1). Clinton attempts to gain a feeling of empathy from her audience because in one way or another every person has a woman in their life that they admire. The quote aims to make the speech relatable to everyone. “It is also a coming together, much the way women come together every day in every country” (1). Clinton then goes on to recite the different ways women come together in every country, such as in fields, factories, villages, super markets, living rooms, and board rooms. With this approach, Clinton evokes a sense of unity to the audience for these women and explains that it is our job to come together to fight for their freedom and the rights of the women in our lives and around the …show more content…

In the middle of the speech, Clinton incorporates the statement, “No one should be forced to remain silent for fear of religious or political persecution, arrest, abuse or torture” (4). She then proceeds to explain the rape of women in armed conflict and the abuses that so many women have suffered because of others’ attempts to silence them. Clinton tells stories of rape, torture, abortion, and killing in hopes of striking a sense of sympathy from the audience and communicates the importance of shedding a light on the horrors that are happening around the world. Clinton goes about telling these stories in a truly visual way and leaves a lasting image in the minds of the audience

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