Florence Kelley's Speech

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Revealing her talent of appealing to emotions and uniting the audience under one idea , Florence Kelley gave a speech about women’s rights and child labor to the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention. Her speech addressed the increasing problem of child labor over the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. She rallies up her audience and explains that child labor is not to be blamed only on the government and factories but also on all the consumers as well. Throughout her speech she appeals to her audience’s various emotions, to express her concern and bring shame onto the audience for allowing this problem continue for as long as it has. Kelley’s speech makes the audience rethink their actions and be more eager to fight for these …show more content…
Her concluding statements, “Not wholly powerless…are citizens who enjoy the right of petition” (80-81), are meant to call the audience to action. “This statement enlightens the audience that with a right to vote they have the power to change anything. She transfers the responsibility of changing the situation onto the audience with a simple message—once we get the right to vote, we can stop child labor and make life better for us and the children! Her powerful statement “free the children” and “these children will vote after we are dead” (89, 93) brings forth the truth; that in order to change the world it has to start with freeing children from this slavery of work. Her authoritative tone in her concluding sentences leads the audience into action; to “[free] the children from toil” (95-95) and to have the desire to — free ourselves from inequality. Florence Kelley’s use of literary techniques such as diction, repetition and the emotional appeal to the audience’s emotions help her in the argument against child labor. Her words bring the audience together, acknowledging that they too are a part of the problem but can be part of the solution only if they are ready to fight. Kelley proves that freeing the children, who are a part of our future, will be a big step not only for the children but also for the women who saved them
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