Brief Summary
Argument strategies are the ways in which an individual presents his arguments or justifications. Even though some arguments are just mere deduction and generalizations that are based on the daily life experiences, people still need to be tactful while presenting these arguments. Furthermore, there are several argument strategies that people can put into practice while presenting their arguments or justifications. Nonetheless, a clear understanding of these argument strategies is likely to do an individual more good than evil. Individuals with such knowledge are likely to argue more clearly and effectively. Basically, there are four major argument strategies, that is, arguments from analogy, arguments through experience, argument from absurdity and argument from inference to the best explanation. Knowledge of all these argument strategies makes an individual’s possess the best argument skills ever. The primary objective of this paper is to explore various argument techniques as employed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in his argument, “Keynote Address at the First Women’s Rights Convention.” It has been noted that while presenting this argument, Elizabeth used various argument strategies. The argument strategies form the basis of this study.
Discussion
While addressing, gathering and highlighting several issues in relation to women’s rights, Stanton explored various argument strategies. As a matter of fact, convincing the then male dominated American society would be very hard, however, contrary to everyone’s expectation, Stanton emerged victorious. The speech she delivered marked the vocal point of the revolution. Stanton adopted an argument strategy that would send people into thinking of how to give shape and a reputable character to the American women’s rights. Consequently, the speech she delivered at Seneca Falls Convention was considered as a feminist in modern terms, this was so not only for the stand she took on women’s rights but her forms of argument (Karlyn 189)
The argument was conspicuously defiant and the claims she made were strongly asserted. Nonetheless, the speech she delivered and the strong arguments it contained constituted Stanton as an outright leader. Most notable were her three rhetorical strategies; through the strategies she made the strongest arguments ever. A particular case is her strength of natural rights arguments, these she elaborated by invoking the ideologies on which her declaration was based upon. Fortunately, these arguments significantly invoked the moral rights authority in relation to women’s rights (Linda 231).
Further to the moral rights arguments, Stanton really sharpened her natural rights arguments. In the ordinary sense, arguments based on natural rights out rightly qualify to be arguments strategies based on an individual’s experience, these she applied effectively. Stanton’s speech was an assortment of argument strategies. To gain a reasonable mileage through her speech, she presented her argument of the natural rights through a sentimental style. It’s quite difficult for any reasonable person to ignore a clear and well-formulated argument on the people’s natural rights, moreover, delivered through a sentimental style. To everyone’s amazement, Stanton opted to a Christ-like persona while presenting her piece of the redemption. Through the argument, she was capable of transforming herself and other like-minded women into champions of women’s rights (Linda 229). Her acceptance meant that her speech and the arguments appended in it were extremely successful. In her speech, she argued from inference, experience and absurdity.
Besides, her speech incorporated several predominant beliefs, to be precise; she greatly dwelt on beliefs regarding the natural rights that are arguments from inference and analogy perspective. Through her argument, she invoked feelings back to the political thoughts crafted in the eighteenth century; nonetheless, she effectively attached these feelings to her declaration of independence. A critical look at her arguments reveals that her arguments generally touched on the extension of the natural human rights to the concept of egalitarianism both in the men’s and women’s perspective. On the concept, she widely touched on the principles of individualism, political democracy and the capacity to reason not from a generalized point of view but succinctly (Karlyn 193). During Stanton’s time, the federal government and a section of legislatures were still not ready to accept the natural rights to the women. The women were reduced to the duty of securing their homes and families; it was believed to be of the general good of the nation, a thing that was evidenced both in the eighteenth and the nineteenth century. Her speech was quite interesting, she effectively challenged the prevailing views by articulating arguments that dug deeper into the various ways women were subordinated in the society.
Through her demand for women’s freedom beyond the home, she basically inferred to the previous attempts that were made by the founding fathers of democracy. She borrowed some of the most basic principles of natural rights out of which she formulated arguments to effectively challenge the prevailing social and political order of the American society. Nonetheless, she extended the natural rights to a higher level by strategically co-opting it with the natural rights principles enshrined in her declaration of the independence. Moreover, the sentiments she made including a well-formulated listing of the concerns and grievances, yet still, she suggested various resolutions for the enlisted grievances (Linda 230). To understand how the sentiments works, it’s in order to compare them with her declaration of independence, from which, one would be able to acknowledge that the speech was primarily meant to elaborate and enact the latter’s plea. As a matter of fact, Stanton did not just make ordinary natural arguments but rhetorically crafted ways that transformed and revolutionized the public’s thought’s and possibly drive them into action for the improvement of natural rights not only to the females but also to the males.
Her strong arguments based on the natural rights concepts greatly attracted the revolutionary spirits based on the same ideology. This is an aspect that can be directly deduced from her statement, “But we are here to protest against the governance that runs contrary to the majority rule of the governed, and make a declaration about feminine freedom just like the masculine gender, and to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support.” From the statement, her natural argument was quite clear; nonetheless, she went further and elaborated on her notion of equality by talking about the rights to vote (Karlyn 191). During then, women had no right to vote, it was only men who could vote in order to elect a government or legislatures. To supplement her argument and being in the knowledge that a section of her audience was greatly opposed to the women suffering, just like the Motts, she made an excellent distinction about natural abilities and natural rights. In effect to this distinction, she said, “All men in this country have the same rights however they may differ in mind, body, or estate.”
Her arguments contained several biblically-based pleas to the federal government and to the males who sit on women’s grace. Even though most arguments that were made against the women were drawn from the bible, Stanton also used the bible to discredit such arguments; she termed them unchristian doctrines by drawing relevant examples from the bible. In several cases, Stanton made sarcasms by pointing out at the ungodly nature of the beliefs that made had against women, from these she would set up her refutations (Karlyn 156). She specifically referred to Genesis 1:27.
Conclusion
Argument strategies are very crucial for successful arguments and justifications. When Stanton could have not been having the best argument strategies, then probably her speech could have not touched the hearts of several Americans and may be women suffrage could have prolonged. In a nutshell, the success of her speech greatly depended on her argument techniques. They were quite strong, furthermore, she point out on various elaborations.
Works Cited.
Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Speech at the Seneca Falls Convention, 1848. Man Cannot Speak for Her: Key Texts of the Early Feminists, 2 Vols. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers, 1989, Print.
Linda K. Kerber. Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1980, Print.
