Rhetorical Techniques Used In Florence Kelley's Speech

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Recommended: Child labor laws during the industrial era

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. In order to establish a strong connection with the audience, through the use of ethos, Kelley employs personal pronouns. Words such as “we”, “us”, and “I” are consistently used to have the audience identify her as one of their people. This technique is used in the passage where it reads, “We do not wish this. We prefer to have our work done by men and women. But we are almost powerless. Not wholly powerless, however, are citizens who enjoy the right to petition. For myself, I shall use this power…” where Kelley levels with the audience and establishes unity against the horrors of child labor. The application of personal pronouns in her speech is to convey ethos and unify the audience, along with herself, against the sweating system. Kelley’s evidence centers around on her use of juxtaposition in which she …show more content…

Through the employment of personal pronouns, she establishes ethos with her audience by becoming more personable. The compare/contrast model takes up different places, those regulating child labor and those who aren’t, and glorifying one while demonizing the other, respectively. In order to sway public sentiment and pity to her cause, Kelley uses pathos with a strong “for the children” emphasis. These rhetorical strategies combine to persuade the audience to take up arms and demand for the fair treatment of children in the

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