A Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

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Florence Kelley, through her brilliant use of rhetorical strategies, brings awareness to the public of a tragedy plaguing the nation. Her speech on the hazards of child labor and the importance of women’s suffrage coherently describes the dangers of everyday life and the solution to the turmoil. By using repetitions, the laws and the atrocities the laws allow, and the stark contrast of the consumer versus the producer, Kelley crafts her argument and uses and emotional appeal to draws her audience in. Kelly forces her audience to imagine a small, young child working in factories and mils to afford to live in order to create a feeling of sympathy. Younger and younger the children she continued to describe became, until they reached six years old. She emphasizes the long hours the children work throughout her speech stating, “from six at night until six …show more content…
Using examples of the varying severity of the laws she begins to persuade the audience to see things through her point of view. By bringing the logic and the ethics of the laws and common practices into question she sows a seed of skepticism into the hearts of her audience. This is done through the stark comparisons of the life that many adults live versus the life that many hardworking and still developing children face on a daily basis. “enjoy the pitiful privilege of working all night long,” and, “while we sleep,” demonstrates the harsh reality of child labor. The adults are purchasing the slaved over goods that the children make for a fraction of the price that the items will be sold for. The small workers made intricate and delicate things that will adorn the hats and scarves of wealthy ladies, yet they themselves will never be able to eat a full meal. This compare and contrast between the two very different socio economic groups provides an eye-opening view of the things the children suffer through to provide the

Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

In Florence Kelley’s speech she uses several different rhetorical devices to convey her message to her audience. Through the use of these devices Kelley made her audience feel guilty, made them feel like she was one of them, and also lead her audience from one point to another. One thing that also helped Kelley was her audience. She gave this speech at a National American Woman Suffrage Association convention. This means her audience was most likely all women and therefore the fact of child labor…

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

While discussing child labor laws with her fellow women’s rights activists, Florence Kelley wrote a speech made to strike guilt and empathy in the hearts of the women that heard her speak. In this speech, she used guilt driven sentimental appeals and colorful diction to persuade the audience to consider the possibilities of women being given more political involvement. Her presented facts and opinions were an influential tool in elaborating her message; her audience was overflowing with women, bubbling…

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

Florence Kelley, a United States social worker and reformer, in her speech brought forth at the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia (NAWSA), proposes the reinvention of the little or nonexistent child labor laws in the United States. Kelley’s rhetorical strategies such as logistically comparing and contrasting states’ laws and voicing a demanding call to action, urge suffragists to create a movement curtailing these abusive practices. Kelley employs logistical…

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

Florence Kelley: Rhetorical Analysis Florence Kelley was an extremely intelligent woman. In 1905, she delivered a speech in Philadelphia at a convention for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Throughout her speech, Kelley makes very important and valid points about child labor. Through the use of repetition, oxymorons, parallelism, and other rhetorical devices, Florence conveys her message to her audience efficiently. In the second paragraph of her speech, Kelley uses parallelism…

Words 535 - Pages 3

Rhetorical Analysis Of Florence Kelley's Speech

Florence Kelley once delivered a speech back in 1905 showcasing the abuse children were working through. She was a suffragette who called for reforms on several topics, including one about child labor laws. Florence Kelley fought for the children liberation from these unmoral working laws during a speech made at the National American Woman Suffrage Association, thus giving more of a reason to allow for women to vote. By using different tactics in her speech, she was able to convey a sense of guilt…

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Florence Kelley

In the original essay, I analyzed Kelley's ability to establish credibility and her use of emotional appeal. I examined the tone in which she addressed the audience and her vast knowledge of the child workforce system to determine that Florence Kelley was extremely qualified to make the assertions she made. I also reviewed the way she played with the audience’s emotions to make them more likely to listen to her claims. I choose these two points as the focus of my essay because…

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