On September 20, 2014, Emma Watson, an actress and UN women Goodwill Ambassador, in her speech entitled “Gender Equality is Your Issue To” addresses gender equality and argues for support from others. She supports this claim by first launching a campaign “HeForShe”, then talking about her past experiences with gender issues, and finally she request support with her campaign. Through Watson ‘s use of rhetorical appeals, tone, and rhetorical tools she effectively persuades all men and women, to help with the “HeForShe” campaign and for gender equality.
Emma Watson’s use of ethos and logos was a powerful way of persuading her listeners in following the “HeForShe” campaign. Watson’s use of ethos begins her campaign by telling …show more content…
During her speech for gender equality she has an agitated tone. One example was when she expressed to her audience, “You might be thinking who is this Harry Potter girl? And what is she doing up on stage at the UN. It’s a good question and trust me, I have been asking myself the same thing. I don’t know if I am qualified to be here” (2). Another example when she showed her listeners an agitated tone would be when she admitted she was nervous “In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt I’ve told myself firmly—if not me, who, if not now, when”(2). She shows this agitated tone to show her audience that she is also nervous about the topic. And in the end she shows that everything will be all right, so that people in the audience can be calm and relax. She doesn’t just feel agitated she also expresses a passionate tone. Example when Watson was passionate “ and if you still hate the word—it is not the word that is important but the idea and the ambition behind it. One final example when she was passionate was when she announced her speech, “We want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for gender equality. And we don’t just want to talk about it, but make sure it is tangible” (1). Her use of her agitated and passionate tone played a big role in persuading her audience. Her use of an agitated tone showed her audience that she was nervous but …show more content…
Her first example of a rhetorical question, “And to ask yourself if not me, who? If not now, when?” (2). Her other rhetorical question is, “why is the word such an uncomfortable one?” (1). Watson not only uses rhetorical questions but also uses allusions to further her audiences understanding. One example was when she uses a quote from an English Statesman Edmund Burke; “all that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men and women to do nothing” (2). Another example was when she mentioned a famous figure, “In 1995, Hilary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights” (2). Her reason to use both rhetorical questions and allusions was to connect the audience and herself. Her use of both of the rhetorical tools worked effectively against the