Rhetorical Analysis: Basic Human Rights For Women

Basic Human Rights for Women First Lady Hillary Clinton stated “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights” on September 5th, 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. She spoke of the “devastating litany of abuse that has afflicted women around the world” while also criticizing “China for seeking to limit free and open discussion of women’s issues” (Tyler). Clinton made it clear that it was unacceptable for women’s rights to be considered separate from human rights. China’s Administration had suppressed public criticism of human rights abuses and forced female sterilization, abortion, and female infanticide. While the audience consisted of Chinese delegates chosen by the Communist
She makes it clear that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights by emphasizing it with detailed examples to intrigue the audience and lead to emotional appeal because she referred to the appalling treatment of women. Clinton divulges information about how “It is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food, or drowned, or suffocated, or their spines broken, simply because they are born girls”. She then persists with how many women and girls are subjected to: “violence; female genital mutilation; bride-burning; girl-killing; rape; forced abortion; forced sterilization and the usual litany of abuses that are, regrettably, all too common and all too well known” (Truyol). In her speech, she recreates the framework for human rights to ensure that women’s rights become a reality. With her plentiful experience, Clinton’s speech emphasizes the fact that women do not get to enjoy the same opportunities as men in all societies. In addition to gaining credibility, Hillary Clinton strategically used anaphora to direct more attention to certain portions. Special attention paid to these violations of human rights enlightens people around the world of the severity of female oppression while also empowering her audience to fight for
Women’s rights were violated on several occasions and Clinton, as an advocate, prioritized women’s human rights since society did not. She identified women’s inferior status and oppression as not merely a problem of inequality but also a means of perpetuating discrimination. By utilizing anecdotes and anaphora, Clinton was able to influence her audience to alleviate women’s daily struggles. The impact of this speech is evident in the fact that women are involved in making changes to domestic violence, reproductive freedom, and other