Satire

CGS, Norwalk, CT- In a statement released by Mrs. McCarthy, director of the Center for  Global Studies; there will be no holiday fun or celebrations in CGS in the month of December. She is quoted as saying “The holiday season is nothing but a distraction that has no place in school.” “Learning is the top priority here and takes precedence over everything else. CGS refuses to acknowledge the Christmas holiday because studies have shown that 90% of students use the excuse of holiday preparations for not being able to complete their work or for being distracted in class. Again, we feel that the best way to curb this problem is to eliminate any holiday references or associations in CGS this December and treat it like any normal month.” While these students may have visions of Sugar Plumb fairies dancing in their head and wait patiently for Christmas time, it will be business as usual at the Center for Global studies; essay writing and tests. On another note, statistics have shown that CGS has the highest number of essays written per student in the month of December out of any school in the state of Connecticut, particularly between the days of December 14^th through the 19^th.

Khomeini's Speech #16; Rhetorical Analysis Outline

           

Purpose- Inform the people of Iran that the Iranian government is harming them and to convince them to stop following the current government.

Audience- All people of Iran, especially Iranian government, Religious leaders, Americans/ American Government

Speaker- Khomeini

Context- This speech was given at the Imbd conference , during the start of more political unrest in Iran because of the Capitulation Bill and general westernization of the country.

What the speaker is saying- The Capitulation Bill is a terrible thing that now makes Iranians even lower than American dogs. It’s up to the religious leaders and others to stand up against the bill and make changes in Iranian society because things are going in the wrong direction.

Techniques Used:

Appeals to pathos- ex: “They have sold us, they have sold our independence, and they still light up the city and dance.”  This technique is persuasive in general because it tugs at the heart of the listeners and readers of the speech and can manipulate their emotions. This technique is persuasive for this particular audience because there were already some problems with the government at that time which people were angry about, so they were more susceptible to appeals of pathos at the time since emotions were running high.

Appeals to Logos- “ Iran took a 200 million dollar loan from the U.S.” This technique is persuasive in general because it convinces the reader that the speaker has knowledge about what they are talking about and that they can back up everything that they say.  This technique is persuasive for this particular audience because Iran was a dangerous political place at that time and

Anaphora- ex: “Gentleman, I warn you of danger! Iranian army, I warn you of danger! Iranian Politicians, I warn you of danger!” This technique is persuasive in general because it stresses a certain point because it’s repeated, making it more likely for the audience to register it. This technique is persuasive for this particular audience because the repetition acts as a battle cry and a quick way to rally them up.

Rhetorical Question-ex: “Are we to keep silent again and not say a word?” This technique is persuasive in general because it gets the reader/listener thinking about how the topic and how it relates to them, usually bringing them toward the speakers point of view. This technique is persuasive for this audience because many of the questions asked are ones the audience already had for themselves. The way Khomeini raises them creates a sense of anger and betrayal, further convincing the audience to side with him as opposed to the government.

Parallel Structure- ex: “This is the conduct of a true cleric; one feeble, aged cleric in the Parliament, a mere heap of bones” This technique is persuasive in general because it breaks up the text and builds a picture of  the points author wants to make. This is persuasive for this audience because it easily distinguishes the important points the author wants to make, making it easy to see where he stood on certain issues.

Claims

Claim- The capitulation bill has left Iranians on a lower level than American dogs.

Evidence- If an American cook hits the Shah with a car, the cook won’t be arrested but if Shah hits an American dog with his car he could be arrested.

Warrant-Iranians deserve better treatment, especially in their own country because they are worth more than dogs. They are just as important as or more important than Americans.

Claim – The Iranian government and country is going in the wrong direction

Evidence- The current government has signed the capitulation bill, which grants all Americans immunity in Iran, girls are being taught by men, boys are being taught by women (A general decline in religious values)

Warrant-This implies that the government before the Shah was filled with noble, great people that defended Iran. For example, Iran was able to defend them against Russia but now due to a weak government they have become dependent on America.

Claim- It’s up to the religious leaders to make changes in the society

Evidence- This broad category can also include religious teachers and students, they need to get angry about the co-ed education and see the clear danger in of what’s happening in the country.

Warrant- Religious leaders (includes religious educators, students, etc.)  hold some of the biggest influence in society since God controls all.

Conclusion- All in all, this was an extremely effective speech. That’s because the author uses so many different writing techniques. Those include anaphora, rhetorical questions, parallel structure, etc. The way Khomeini uses pathos and logos not only creates a an argument that rally’s up his audience but creates a sense of believability since he includes actual numbers to back up what he says about the capitulation bill and the current government.  That makes this speech not only appropriate for that time period but able to serve as an example for speeches in the future.

Womens' Speeches Compare/Contrast

Over the years women have been treated like second class citizens. Due to women like Sojourner Truth, Aung San Suu Kyi  Benazir Bhutto and other, changes in the lives of women have been made. Because of things like the appeals made, claims used, etc.  the speeches of  Benazir Bhutto, Sojourner Truth and   are different and similar in many different ways.

The speeches of Sojourner Truth, Benazir Bhutto and Aung Sang Suu Kyi are similar in a couple different aspects. First and foremost they all use religion as support for their arguments. For example, Suu Kyi says “The Buddhist PAVARANA ceremony at the end of the rainy season retreat was instituted by the Lord Buddha, who did not want human beings to live in silence ‘like dumb animals’." Bhutto in her speech “Equality and Partnership” says that “The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself married a working woman. And the first convert to Islam was a woman, Bibi Khadija.” Truth, in “Ain’t I a Woman exclaims “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!”  Also, Bhutto and Suu Kyi both claim that it’s up to women to change their situation. This can be seen when Suu Kyi states in “The Struggle for Life and Dignity”, “They made it possible for me to make a small contribution to this great celebration of the struggle of women to mould their own destiny and to influence the fate of our global village.” Bhttto echoes this idea when she says “Let us remember the words of the German writer, Goethe: ‘Freedom has to be re-made and re-earned in every generation.’ We must do much more than decry the past. We must change the future” in her speech. Finally, another similarity is that Suu Kyi and Bhutto mention conflict as a source of women’s’ problems. Two of the important conflicts mentioned are by Suu Kyi when she says “It is want that has driven so many of our young girls across our borders to a life of sexual slavery where they are subject to constant humiliation and ill-treatment” And Bhutto when she says “All over the world women are subjected to domestic violence.” These are some of the pieces that bind the speeches together.

Just as there are many similarities, there are also many differences in the three speeches. A very apparent one is the fact that Sojourner Truth says that men are responsible for women making changes while Bhuto and Suu Kyi say that women are the ones responsible for changing their status. This can be seen when Sojourner says (About women) “And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.” There is also a disparity in the qualities the women extol. For example, Truth extols the qualities of eating like a man, working like a man and being strong in general,      while Suu Kyi  in her speech extols the qualities of  being verbal, nurturing and teacher like, believing that women can use them to their advantage. These are some basic differences in the speeches.

Today women have a better place in this world. While speeches like Benazir Bhutto’s “Equality and Partnership”,  Aung San Suu Kyi’s  “ The Struggle for Life and Dignity” and Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” sometimes use different tactics in their speeches, they just as easily coincide and make the same point that women should, and can be free. That, at the end of the day makes all three women and their amazing speeches iconic.