Background
The above titled speech was made by Hillary Rodham Clinton in Beijing, China. The setting of the speech was the UN Global Women Conference in 1995 that attracted thousands of women activists from all around the world. This meeting was important based on the surrounding conditions that affected the event. In this case, the meeting attracted media publicity on account of the speaker. Being the First Lady of the United States as the keynote speaker in a meeting taking place in China was considered daring and brave. This is because the two countries were not in the friendliest of terms as they had previously enthralled in disagreements over privacy and democracy issues. In this case, the two countries frequently traded accusations against each other as they tried to assert their authority in the global platform. For this reason, the consideration of participation of the First Lady of the United States was seen as some form of representation of the entire state. The speaker gave a powerful speech about women’s rights and which resonated with every woman in the world and is still quoted in a majority of women’s summits held around the world.
Speech Summary
The speech focused on issues affecting women around the world. During this period, women were treated as second-class citizens in their own countries, a concept that did not sit well with the women activists gathered in Beijing in 1995. In this case, the speaker made various inferences that reflected a dire situation with regards to the rights of women in different countries in the world. For instance, the speaker referenced Bosnia as a country that was guilty of the most gruesome crime against women, that of rape. In this case, the country was going through a difficult time as it was engaged in a civil war. One tactic that was employed was rape, a concept that is adopted in a majority of countries in war around the world. Another case identified by the speaker was India. The existence of demeaning traditional customs about bride burning in which case potential brides were literally burnt for insufficient dowry payment were also addressed. In relation to her home country, the speaker identified the tough conditions provided by the system where women were forced to grapple with in order for them and their families to survive. This made in reference to the high costs of healthcare and basic living costs that reduced meager household incomes.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The speech held a powerful message that was effectively communicated by the speaker. In this case, the speaker made use of important concepts as strategies meant to convince the audience. In this case, the speech took into consideration the aspect of concept relation. In this case, the speech drew specific examples which connected with the issues discussed in the speech. For instance, the situational analysis of Bosnia and India indicated above provided examples upon which the audience could relate with, in the context of women’s rights and human rights.
However, the speech failed to connect at a deeper emotional level as it did not provide specific cases where women were mistreated. For instance, it could have provided personal anecdotes relaying various challenges affecting women.
Impact of the Speech
The speech was well received by women around the world. The media publicized the speech as a form of a rallying cry to encourage women to stand up against the various forms of violence and discrimination against them (Riles, 2002). Even critics agreed with her stance and commended the bravery shown by the speaker in addressing the sensitive issues highlighted in the speech, aspects which are not discussed in the open but behind closed doors.
Short and Long-Term Impacts of the Speech
In the short-term the speech was viewed as radical as it emphasized the need for women’s rights to be considered as basic human rights. In this case, this posed a challenge for countries that did not have adequate legislation that facilitated this option. As a result, the speech set precedence for this discussion at the grass-root levels of individual countries.
In the long-run, the speech was considered a reference point for women activists around the world. In this case, the speech has been connected with various organizations that seek to advance women’s causes around the world.
Elements of Speech-writing
The speech provided by Hillary Clinton took into consideration the theory of persuasion as provided by Aristotle on the grounds of rhetorical appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos as explained further below:
Ethos
This concept provides for the credibility of the speaker. Being the First Lady of the most powerful nation in the world gave the message communicated by the speaker credibility.
Pathos
This aspect considers the emotional appeal considered in the context of the speech. In this case, Hillary Clinton made several emotional references in the speech, for instance, “I would like to speak up for women in my own country, raising children on the minimum wage. Women who can’t afford healthcare or childcare, women whose lives are threatened by violence, including in their own homes” (Clinton, 1995).
Logos
This appeal takes into consideration factual and logical argument as presented by the speaker as an attempt to persuade the audience. In this case, Hillary made reference to the Freedom of the Right of Assembly to argue the wrong discourse taken by China to block Taiwanese delegates from attending the summit.
Personal Contribution
If I had written the speech, I would have provided personal anecdotes about women facing different challenges around the world. For instance, I would have provided a real-life situation as an attempt to connect with the audience at a deeper, emotional level.
Reference
Riles, A. (2002). Rights Inside Out: The Case of the Women’s Human Rights Campaigns. Cornell Law Faculty Publications. Retrieved from http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1779&context=facpub
