Rhetorical Devices In Freedom From Fear

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Freedom From Fear: The Strength In Her Words Whether they realize it or not, many well-know speechwriters throughout history owe their fame to their excellent application of rhetorical tools in speeches. They connect with their audiences deeper through rhetorical devices, thus establishing ethos, logos, and pathos in their works. One writer that has done this skillfully is Aung Sang Suu Kyi, a great nonviolent fighter for democracy in her home country of Burma. Her speech titled “Freedom From Fear” was written in 1990 during great political strife, as her country was being run through an overpowered military junta (Burma). Her message called upon the citizens of Burma to avoid the corruptive poison of fear in their lives and their country, …show more content…
One such example is in the very start of the article where she says that “It is not power that corrupts, but fear”. She the goes on to say that because of the close relationship between corruption and fear, that any society that has an abundance of fear, there is often corruption (Kyi). By making this correlation, the reader is given a new definition of corruption to look at and gets a feel of what her unique perspective is. They get something entirely different to focus on as she brings the subject of fear center stage. Somewhat differently, she also compares two influential people in her article, specifically her deceased father Aung San, a politician, and Mahatma Gandhi. Through this comparison she emphasizes traits and teachings that she believes her father had with those that Gandhi also had. The tool of comparison used in this way strengthens the credibility of one person as they are being likened to another already well respected person. In result, there is more power in their words, further strengthening her stance. In a more general way, she also likens two other types of people, namely students and …show more content…
Through their words and actions, her credibility increases. More than once, she mentions the words of her own father who she says “will always be loved and respected in Burma - not merely as a warrior hero but as the inspiration and conscience of the nation” (Kyi). This respected man gives valuable words of wisdom that add to the piece in favorable ways. “Don't just depend on the courage and intrepidity of others. Each and every one of you must make sacrifices to become a hero possessed of courage and intrepidity. Then only shall we all be able to enjoy true freedom” (Kyi). Another hero she quoted was Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the first prime minister of Independent India that led a movement against British rule (BBC). The excerpt she inserted by Nehru helped frame her ideas together.“The greatest gift for an individual or a nation . .. was abhaya, fearlessness, not merely bodily courage but absence of fear from the mind” (Kyi). Likewise, she pulls in the teachings of Ghandi and Buddha, both highly known and revered worldwide for their efforts in peacemaking. Buddha, through her mention of the four -agati and Ghandi through the comparison she showed between him and her father previously mentioned. She uses their examples to relate her own peacemaking efforts to her country’s situation. By using the words

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