Florence Kelley delivered a moving speech about child labor laws to the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association on July 22 of the year 1905. Her speech was well accepted in the association, but it wasn’t just because she jotted down a quick speech in her free time. Florence Kelley used very specific principles of rhetoric in her speech. She knew her audience, and knew what to say to persuade them. Logos, ethos, and pathos are all present in the speech, and that is why it was successful.
Pathos is evident mainly in paragraphs 7 and 8. Here, Kelley makes the listeners (and readers) of her speech almost feel bad about what’s going on in the world. She tells the listeners that while they all sleep at night, there are little girls working in factories until after midnight. This not only makes people feel bad that children are working, but makes them feel bad that they are being ignorant about it. People tend to be more sensitive when it comes to talking about women and children, so young female children are definitely going to strike a nerve, especially since most of her audience members are mothers. Mothers are extremely emotionally bonded to their kids, therefor ethos has a large impact on persuading them. …show more content…
Logos is used immediately in the speech when she represents the problem of child labor through statistics and numbers she shares the number of children, their ages and the types of jobs they are working. By doing this, she gives statistics and facts that are very difficult, if not impossible to argue against. Unlike pathos and ethos, logos gives concrete evidence that is hard to deny. By doing this first, she establishes herself as an educated speaker and gains credibility. This makes it easier and more likely for people to understand and agree with what she
Pathos is evident mainly in paragraphs 7 and 8. Here, Kelley makes the listeners (and readers) of her speech almost feel bad about what’s going on in the world. She tells the listeners that while they all sleep at night, there are little girls working in factories until after midnight. This not only makes people feel bad that children are working, but makes them feel bad that they are being ignorant about it. People tend to be more sensitive when it comes to talking about women and children, so young female children are definitely going to strike a nerve, especially since most of her audience members are mothers. Mothers are extremely emotionally bonded to their kids, therefor ethos has a large impact on persuading them. …show more content…
Logos is used immediately in the speech when she represents the problem of child labor through statistics and numbers she shares the number of children, their ages and the types of jobs they are working. By doing this, she gives statistics and facts that are very difficult, if not impossible to argue against. Unlike pathos and ethos, logos gives concrete evidence that is hard to deny. By doing this first, she establishes herself as an educated speaker and gains credibility. This makes it easier and more likely for people to understand and agree with what she