In August of 1992, Mary Fisher delivered her iconic speech, “A Whisper Of AIDS: Address To The National Convention” in order to break the silence and social stigma that surrounds AIDS. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a disease that weakens the immune system and damages the body’s ability to fight off different infections (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). It has a reputation for being transmitted sexually, especially in the gay community; therefore, many people are ashamed to admit that they have the disease. Fisher contracted AIDS from her second husband, and still suffers from it today. But rather than suffering silently like so many other victims do, she overcame the stigma and stood up for those who do not have …show more content…
Prejudice and ignorance have damaged the world’s view of HIV/AIDS, and these victims are, “not evil [or] deserving of our judgement” and they are, “ready for support and worthy of compassion” (Fisher 2). The first step of progress the world must make is to cast aside all of these biases and to open our hearts. By doing this, awareness can be spread and support can be given to those who so desperately need it. Fisher’s ethical tone establishes trust within her audience, and encourages them to stand up for what is morally right. One must not sit and watch as others suffer. Fisher establishes herself as a strong, credible leader for this issue by explaining how the disease has affected her personally and by emphasizing that Mr. and Mrs. Bush also acknowledged HIV/AIDS as a dangerous disease worthy of attention. The audience is reminded of the job they have as human beings to stand up for what is right and to break the chains that hold the world down from progress. Fisher uses emotional appeals in her speech to emphasize the importance of supporting those who are suffering and to make the audience sympathize with those who lost loved ones to AIDS. She tells us that it can affect anybody, and that, “AIDS is not a political creature. It does not care whether you are Democrat or Republican. It does not ask whether you are white or black, male or female, gay or straight, young or old” (Fisher 1). The number of people affected by HIV/AIDS continues to grow every day, and we see that, “[it] is not a distant threat; It is a present danger” (Fisher 1). To ignore something so deadly is as bad as condemning someone to death. Fisher used rhetorical appeals throughout this speech in an effort to change the way the world views AIDS, and Fisher hopes that the world can, “lift the shroud of silence that has been draped over the issue of
On September 5, 1995 Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech to the United Nations 4th World Conference during a Women Plenary Session, located in Beijing, China. Clinton spoke about how women around the world were not treated equally, how women rights should be equal to human rights, and the ghastly abuse and discrimination women faced around the world. The reason for the conference was to strengthen women, families, and societies in order to empower women to taking control of their lives and not be subject to such discrimination. She emphasized how education, health care, jobs, and political rights were not equal between genders and that the world needed to change. Clinton gave a very convincing speech because of her use of rhetorical techniques. The use of pathos, ethos, logos, and anaphora created a powerful, persuasive argument against the way women were treated around the world. Clintons main goal of this speech was to appeal to the audience and convince them that this is unequal treatment is an immense matter and needs to be addressed all over the world.
The main point of this speech, was Mary Fisher’s demand for an end to the silence and prejudice surrounding HIV/AIDS and to inform about the spread of infection. She begins the speech with strong influential words of willingness to inform her listeners. This bears the message of how important and personal the
Florence Kelley uses an abundant amount of rhetorical devices in her speech to express her feelings about child labor. Kelley uses sarcasm, repetition, and imagery in her speech to explain her thoughts on child labor.
Helen Fisher is an anthropologist studying emotions. Fisher attended a Ted Talk room to make a speech about love, as she is the best known expert on love in the romantic sense. In her speech, she addresses the chemistry of love and the way it affects the brain. She uses real world examples of people that have been in love, and also uses examples of scientific studies of people that claim to be in love. She is a very eloquent speaker.
Randy Shilts set out to make monumental changes in the world’s perspective of AIDS. He planned to enlighten, motivate, and educate the population on this tragic disease that has already claimed so many lives. He believed that virtually all the misconceptions about AIDS would be corrected and the public would insist that more be done to stop the epidemic. "I had hoped to effect some fundamental changes. I really believed I could alter the performance of the institutions that had allowed AIDS to sweep through America unchecked" (220). Shilts’s immense expectations positioned him for his inevitable sense of failure. He did not accomplished all that he had planned. AIDS was still spreading and people were still dying. "The bitter irony is, my role as an AIDS celebrity just gives me a more elevated promontory from which to watch the world make the same mistakes in the handling of the AIDS epidemic that I hoped my work would help to change"(220).
Mary Fisher and Elizabeth Glaser both utilize the National Conventions of their political parties to acknowledge the toll that AIDS has taken on people, and what was being done to find a cure. In order to spread awareness of AIDS and voice their personal experiences, both women connect with all Americans on working together against this life-threatening subject.
Margaret Sanger, a well known feminist and women's reproductive right activist in USA history wrote the famous speech: The Children's Era. This speech focuses on the topic of women's reproductive freedom. Sanger uses rhetorical forms of communication to persuade and modify the perspectives of the audience through the use of analogy and pathos. She uses reason, thought and emotion to lead her speech.
In 1981 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report first rare cases of what is seemingly pneumonia in young gay men. These cases were then grouped together and the disease known as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) takes its root in American Society. This disease spread quickly and the events following are responses to the spread of the disease in America known as the AIDS Crisis, where the response of both the people and the government would impact and change society and American culture and lead to emergence of a gay identity, persecution and fear of those with the disease, marketing of safe sex, and the deterioration of class barriers.
"Demanding that life near AIDS is an inextricably other reality denies our ability to recreate a sustaining culture and social structures, even as we are daily required to devote such time to the details of the AIDS crisis." -Cindy Patton
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.
People have been moved by famous speeches for many decades, and each of speeches has difference characteristics. In this essay, I would like to discuss one of the masterpiece, “A whisper of AIDS” by Mary Fisher, who was one the member of Republican Party at that time. During her speech, we can find some important elements of public speaking. Thus, in this paper, I am going to analyze this speech focused on three strategies which she uses in her speech; argument from analogy, argument from generalization, and inductive reasoning.
Moreover, Treichler maintains that although society has become more progressive in its understanding that AIDS is a heterosexual disease just as much as a homosexual one, this advancement does not necessarily disintegrate the “fantasy” surrounding the issue (i.e. ideas about “safer sex”, etc.) Apprehending what one learns from science will obviously be very beneficial to one’s grasping the concept of AIDS in its most basic form, but using this information self-consciously and pragmatically – and knowing that the sometimes contradictory information one takes in might not necessarily be utilizing the correct discourse signifying what AIDS “really” means – will allow one to make sense of the disease as a complete, organized whole.
In retrospect, Fisher’s speech, especially its ethos, would not been as effective if she wasn’t a married mother of two who became HIV-positive by her husband. Her call to the American people to have “the strength to act wisely when we are most afraid leaves no question to what must be done in breaking the silence regarding AIDS, and the action that must be taken to prevent further devastation (3). She successfully uses Aristotle’s Rhetorical appeals to transcend the public’s barriers against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the people afflicted with the disease.
Mary Fisher is known to be a powerful and outspoken HIV/AIDS activist after she contracted HIV from her second husband. As a HIV positive individual and public speaker she advocates to help those suffering with HIV, educate the public, and prevent the spread of HIV throughout America by spreading awareness. In 1992 it was still thought that HIV/AIDS only affected homosexuals, prostitutes, or drug addicts. Due to such false beliefs and stereotypes the research for HIV/AIDS had stopped and people did not become aware of the seriousness of the disease. Mary Fisher believed people needed to become aware of the rising epidemic of HIV/AIDS and she decided to give a speech on the topic. Through her strong public speaking skills, education on the disease, and living with the disease she was able to change public policy during the Republican National Convention in 1992. She did not fear of getting looked down up or embarrassed to speak about herself as an HIV positive individual. As she spoke to the audience her main purpose was help those suffering with HIV/AIDs and to spread the word in an effort to share here knowledge about...
From the moment scientists identified HIV and AIDS, social responses of fear, denial, stigma and discrimination have accompanied the epidemic. Discrimination has spread rapidly, fuelling anxiety and prejudice against the groups most affected, as well as those living with HIV or AIDS. It goes without saying that HIV and AIDS are as much about social phenomena as they are about biological and medical concerns. Across the world the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has shown itself capable of triggering responses of compassion, solidarity and support, bringing out the best in people, their families and communities. But the disease is also associated with stigma, repression and discrimination, as individuals affected (or believed to be affected) by HIV have been rejected by their families, their loved ones and their communities. This rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south.