Women have endured prejudice throughout history due to the popular belief that women are inferior to males. On a scorching July day, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and several other women crammed into a conference to fight for their rights. Stanton’s inspirational address at the inaugural conference for women’s rights fueled the cause’s further advancement. According to Stanton, women should be considered men’s equals and have the same access to voting, education, work, and property ownership as men. Stanton made her point, persuaded people to agree with her, and influenced many people’s attitudes using rhetorical strategies, including logos, pathos, and ethos.
Stanton makes several strong arguments that have a big impact. She illustrates her logical arguments frequently during her discourse. “The question now is: how shall we obtain possession of what rightfully belongs to us?” she says ( Stanton). In this passage, Stanton raises the issue of when women will have the equality they desire and the rights they deserve. She disrespects the laws they are forced to abide by and asks when things will be made right. She adds that all white males in our nation have the same rights, despite the fact that they may differ in terms of their bodies, minds, or estate. No matter what they possessed or where they came from, all white males in America at the time had freedom. Regardless of their socioeconomic status—from affluent businesspeople to impoverished farmers—they all shared one thing in common: their rights. This is a compelling argument in her speech because it provides insight into the reasoning and establishes a historical link to slavery. She can make many people understand that women were considered slaves to the present status of the union by drawing this connection.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton uses metaphors to evoke the audience’s emotions throughout her 1848 “Address on Woman’s Rights.” Stanton utilizes the sun and sunlight to represent the beginning of a new historical era in which women are granted equal rights in a global society. During the speech, Stanton mentions women’s current marginalization in society on several occasions. They are forced to live in small, gloomy houses and are not allowed to receive an education that will enlighten their minds. They are not allowed to vote or take part in public life. According to Stanton, women are wallowing in a “half-developed” shape, but they yearn to stand in the “full blaze of the sun” (Stanton). Stanton symbolically alludes to women’s desire to stand in the “light” of knowledge and power and physically alludes to their desire to stand in the sun—to freely leave their homes and other inner areas to which they have been confined. According to Stanton, the women’s movement will usher in a new “dawn” of inclusivity and equality. That dawn will give way to a brilliant and “flashing” sunshine that will energize the world community and enable it to blossom into something greater (Stanton). Stanton could clearly illustrate to her audience a new period in which women had equal rights in society by using the sun metaphor. Stanton also appeals emotionally to the nation’s women, revealing their rage at the terrible circumstances in which they find themselves. She repeats one of the important words, “The right is ours” (Stanton). Stanton repeats this succinct yet impactful sentence to drive home her point. She supports the idea that all free women should have the same rights as all free men. She claims that women’s progress is currently caught in an impossible situation.
In order to get her point across to the audience, Stanton also makes ethical arguments. Stanton starts by questioning men’s assertions that they are morally, physically, and intellectually superior to women. She first contends that women are morally superior to men because their societies have compelled them to develop self-denial and generosity. Nevertheless, instead of avoiding their moral obligations, women have committed to placing a high value on chastity, caregiving, and temperance. Stanton predicted other conflicts and moral failings by emphasizing how the U.S. suffered without women’s full involvement. She also argued that women must earn the right to influence the society in which they live. According to Stanton, American society’s problems are mostly due to how it views and treats its female citizens. America has doomed itself by condemning women to passivity and denying them the opportunity to further their educations, use their right to vote, and dedicate themselves to improving American society (Stanton). Stanton contends that America would have a moral deficiency that permeated every sphere of life as long as women in our country were only partially formed regarding their minds and bodies. Stanton contends that women may be able to “soften down” the violence in the country and “refine its ugliness” if they are granted the opportunity to vote and participate in public life (Stanton). Stanton contends that as soon as women are allowed to claim all the rights of citizens, they will strap on their armor and battle to defend their nation. Stanton successfully persuades the audience’s ethics by convincing them that women are just as intelligent and patriotic as men—and that if women are permitted to use their voices and votes to affect American culture, the country will begin to achieve salvation and success.
In conclusion, Stanton successfully persuades her audience by employing rhetorical strategies like logos, pathos, and ethos. She persuades the audience that global society would remain partially evolved if women were permitted to pursue their educations, participate in public life through suffrage, and stand beside their husbands as equals. She also predicts that the United States will stay divided into social and political issues and will not thrive until a new period of women’s equality dawns, shedding “flashing brightness” on the darkness of the old world controlled by males.
Work Cited
“Stanton, “Address on Woman’s Rights,” Speech Text.” Voices of Democracy, voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/Stanton-address-on-woman’s-rights-speech-text/.
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