According to her father, Elizabeth Cady Stanton should have been born a boy. It was not enough that she was brilliant because what mattered is that she would have excelled if she had been the “preferred” gender. This prejudice did not stop Stanton’s determination; rather, it fueled her fight in the war of the unjust treatment of the oppressed (minorities, women in general, etc.).
Written in the form at the Declaration of Independence, Stanton lets everyone knows what unjust laws will not be tolerated by a society that should reward and strive for justice and morality. With a twist on the historic words of Thomas Jefferson, “All men and women are created equal,” Stanton states her main point and sets the stage for her argument against injustice.
I found that the way Stanton used the famous words of a highly respected man of justice (Jefferson) in order to prove a point was very interesting and in correlation with how Cicero fought against injustice. Cicero used this approach in The Defense of Injustice by using Philus, a man esteemed for his pro-justice views, to make the argument in favor of injustice. This allows the people receiving the speech to open their minds and approach the idea being discussed with the unbiased and thorough examination to which such an important subject deserves. This type of speech affects me more than the written word or the straightforward approach. I would like to know how the class feels about this same subject. Do written or oral arguments move you the most? How about the straight forward versus indirect approach that Cicero and Stanton use? Which is more compelling, more meaningful and persuasive to you?
Cicero presents information in The Defense of Injustice that show women oppression in his time (Voconian Laws, etc.) This ties in to a more present day outlook with Stanton. The war against gender and race prejudice is just as important and just as prevalent as the war for independence was when our ancestors fought it in the past. Speaking of race tying in with gender, I would like to her some opinions on why Frederick Douglass attended Stanton’s speech at the Seneca Falls Convention. Through using the Declaration of Independence, Stanton makes a point that this is a problem and it will not go unnoticed. Minorities and the oppressed will have been fighting since before Cicero’s time and will continue to fight for their freedom from unjust treatment and ignorant prejudices.
1 comment:
I found the technique of styling her rhetoric after the Declaration of Independence to be extremely effective. Americans hold this document very close to their hearts, as it is the foundation of our country. In making such a bold comparison, Stanton expresses that women's rights should also be a part of the very basis of our country. People would say, "you are asking for change too quickly, be patient." But in the case of both women's right and civil rights, these should have been built into the very foundation of our country. It should not be even a question about equality and equal rights, so we are always too slow to be "granting" these rights, because they should have been put in place in our Constitution for the very birth of our nation. Stanton bring us back to the start of our nation and points out the grievances that we forgot to resolve.
I found the indirect approach of Cicero and Stanton to be more meaningful and persuasive because it catches your attention and remains in your mind long after you finish reading. Cleverness is always a good skill to have when trying to persuade people to agree with you. If you can make someone think twice, then you are more likely to persuade them from their current views.
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