Rhetorical Analysis Of Oprah Winfrey's Speech

At the Golden Globes award ceremony Oprah Winfrey was presented the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.Given recent events like the Me too and Time’s up movements Oprah dedicated her speech to speaking up about sexual harassment and emphasizing the need for change.Throughout the speech she talks about many different things from personal stories to the plights of everyday women to show that this abuse affects everyone. She uses many important rhetorical devices, namely pathos, syntax, and diction, to draw attention to this fact as well as others. Ultimately, Oprah delivers a powerful speech that resonates in the hearts of her audience members and creates a desire for change. Oprah frequently uses pathos to enhance her claims and connect with her audience. When she says, “...to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue,” she makes a connection with anyone who is or even just has respect for a woman like this. In saying this she highlights the resilience of so many women plagued by abuse being held back and silenced by powerful men. She not only references the plights of her mother, but recounts the story of Recy Taylor, a survivor of assault and harassment who never found justice. After telling Recy’s story, Oprah says, “She lived as …show more content…
The basis of her speech is a strong emotional appeal, which is presented in the personal stories she tells of women being harassed and abused. In order to solidify her emotional appeal Oprah deliberately formats her sentences and meticulously chooses words to convey the importance of her claims. In dedicating her speech to speaking up about sexual harassment and abuse Oprah manges to insight a desire for change in her audience that will continue to resonate in their