Kavita Krishnan Speech Rhetorical Analysis Outline

Rhetorical Analysis Outline of Kavita Krishnan’s Rape Culture Speech

Speaker: Kavita Krishnan, Indian citizen, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, anti-rape culture

Occasion: Reaction to Sheila Dikshit’s statement on gangrape incident and rape culture in India generally

Audience: Women in India, the government officials, Men in India

Purpose: To identify the problems with today’s society and its condoning of rape culture; to challenge the government officials who don’t take proper action against rape; to call to action the women of India and empower them

Section 1 - Introduction and Broadening the Topic

Purpose: To call attention to the wrongfulness of Sheila Dikshit’s statement; to realize that the gangrape incident is not a one time thing, and that it happens everyday with little to no action being taken; to realize that India has created such a society that women are not allowed to be real individuals

Appeals: Builds her own ethos by crushing Dikshit’s; pathos with her angered statements - “Don’t you dare tell us how to dress!”

Technique: addressing the counter argument, then strong reasons as to why that’s wrong; bold statements and repetition - “We will be reckless. We will be rash.”

Effectiveness: Very effective, she sets the stage for her argument with an empowering, yet angered tone - brings the issue into context

Section 2 - “How can the police do anything about rape?” Neeraj Kumar’s statements

Purpose: To call attention once more to what Neeraj Kumar, a police commissioner, has said about rape, and once again explain why it is wrong; to criticize the current legal system’s treatment of rape

Appeals: Ethos - tearing down the officials’ ethos and building her own; logos with the rhetorical question - “is this a crime for women?” and explanation of the system dealing with rape; pathos with “We do not want to hear this…”, very inclusive in her arguments

Technique: Using what the officials have said to build her own argument, repetition of the word “we,” including women, same structure as introduction and broadening, makes a claim at the end: “Freedom without fear is what we need to protect, to guard and respect.”

Effectiveness: Extremely effective, invokes a sense of frustration and tiredness of being complicit within the reader - makes you realize that the legal system is failing and allowing rape culture to be a thing

Section 3 - Breaking Down Rape Culture in India

Purpose: To call attention to the rape culture that has grown to be acceptable in India’s modern society; to shame the government for their wrongdoings; to challenge the morals that rape culture promotes

Appeals: pathos - women are fighting against rape and sexual assault every single day, and society has only been contributing to the problem rather than trying to solve it

lots of logos

• “This machismo is not any solution to the problem of violence against women.”
• “If the conviction rate for rapists is low, how can death penalty be the solution to the crime?”

Techniques: using tone to build up emotion in the reader - “Do not live by your freedom, and this means you are safe...We reject this entire notion. We don’t want it.”; asking rhetorical questions “is he not playing the role of a male protector too?”; diction + tone makes her argument challenge the govt.; bringing up “bekhauf azaadi,” the term for freedom to live without fear

Effectiveness: Once again, very effective - it’s easy to see that she’s extremely frustrated and angered by the suffering most if not all women go through in India and she wants them to take a stand against it; she’s mocking the government’s complicitness with rape culture

Section 4 - Demanding Action + Change

Purpose: To call the government and especially Indian women to action; to change legislations, to get proper justice for rape cases, to rid society of disgusting rape culture

Appeals: Pathos in diction and tone - very demanding - “just shedding a few crocodile tears within the confines of the Parliament is not enough.”

logos in arguing for mixing politics and rape - “we need to politicise the issue of violence against women, find out what women are saying about what is being done to them.”

Techniques: sentence variety - goes back and forth between “we need to…” and then facts, or reasoning

        addressing the future situation - change will not happen immediately, they’re waiting outside with water cannons, but “our rage will not be washed away with water cannons, or beaten out of us with sticks.”

        ending statement is very powerful, diction sets up the tone - “the government are defending rapists, and now they’re attacking those fighting for the rights of women”

Effectiveness: An extremely powerful ending; her argument has done a great job building up to the end. The use and repetition of the “we” makes Kavita a symbol for Indian women fighting against sexual abuse, she becomes their voice and fights for them. She skillfully uses her words in a way to not sound like a giant complaint or rant, but the voice of a woman who is tired of seeing injustices committed and needs to take a stand.

Thoreau vs. Machiavelli

Thoreau and Machiavelli both have very interesting perceptions and beliefs in the government, and both have inspired great speeches from brilliant leaders. Although they both sit drastically on each end of the spectrum, there are still certain parts where their thinking overlaps with each other's.

Thoreau and Machiavelli both are discussing the same issue: governing. Except, Thoreau talks about how the government should run itself from a citizen's perspective; Machiavelli talks about how it should be run from a prince's perspective. Thoreau goes into depth talking about his time in jail, and the role of an individual in their society according to the government. He holds a bit more of an optimistic view towards change and believes in a very moral system. If we just lessened governmental power and people relied on their morals more, he would be happy. However, Machiavelli promotes a harsher rule and believes that a prince has to keep his people at a distance. He has to know how to use both his words and his force to get his point across.

The difference between the two can really be shown in the emphasis of morality. Thoreau believes that the ends should not justify the means, but the means should justify the end, meaning all the actions you take should be more important than the outcome. This is elaborated in his explanation of his time in jail, and the reason that he ended up there: he did not pay his taxes. Machiavelli, on the other hand, thinks that a prince should be able to do what he wants as long as the end result is alright. He doesn't necessarily have to have the moral justification to do so if he thinks something is right. As long as people believe you are powerful and just, you're set.

Although Thoreau and Machiavelli do take different stances on the issue, both are valid and set the stage for many following ideas concerning government. According to them, you can either step back and let the people have the power, or you make sure you're the one that always has it.

Thanksgiving With A Reluctant Fundamentalist

Original passage:


Ah, our tea has arrived! Do not look so suspicious. I assure you, sir, nothing untoward will happen to you, not even a runny stomach. After all, it is not as if it has been poisoned. Come, if it makes you more comfortable, let me switch my cup with yours. Just so. How much sugar would you like? None? Very unusual, but I will not insist. Do try these sticky, orange sweets - jalebis - but be careful, they are hot! I see you approve. Yes, they are delicious. It is curious how a cup of tea can be so refreshing, even on a warm day such as this - a mystery, really - but there you have it.

My passage:

Ah, the ham has arrived! Do not look so worried. I promise you, dear, you will not get fat, not even break a belt buckle. After all, it is not as if it is a holiday to starve. Hey, if it makes you more comfortable, let me switch my plate with yours. Just because. How much stuffing would you like? None? Very unusual, but I won't push it. Do try these soft, sweet rolls - croissants - but be careful, they're hot! I see you enjoy this. Yes, they are definitely my favorite. It's curious how so much food can be relaxing, even on a cold day such as this - a mystery, really - but there you have it.

Fighting For Lost Paws

For any pet-owner, animal enthusiast, or even an ordinary suburbanite, it's safe to say that we hold a soft spot for animals in our hearts. When you see a lost dog sign, you can't help but feel pity for the poor soul waiting for their best friend to come home. And what's even more depressing is that of the 1 of 3 animals that run away during their lifetime, only 10% are returned.

Now imagine being someone who takes in these lost animals everyday. You have to provide food, housing, and medical care. Although you may want to help them as best as you can, you're constricted by one thing: money. Money doesn't grow on trees (unfortunately) and sadly it's the one thing that prevents you from nursing these animals back to full health and spirit. Not all people feel quite as drawn towards providing for animals and donations can be scarce at times. Abandoned or lost animals deserve the care they cannot provide for themselves, and shelters don't have the easiest time coming up with the money for said care.

Feeling as strong of a connection as I do to animals, I couldn't stand by and simply shrug my shoulders when the statistics of abandoned animals rose. Especially after the two encounters I experienced this summer taking care of two very sweet lost pets, I knew that this was an issue that hit home and needed to be helped. Taking care of an older dog who had wandered off, and learning that his owners did not wish to claim him back made an urgency inside me to make sure no animal would have to suffer like that.

A small step can go a long way, and that mentality can carry a change with it that achieves something greater than one could imagine. That's exactly why creating a donation drive for food and toys for shelter animals can mean saving an animal's life, and even giving it a chance at a new, healthier one. The name, Fighting For Lost Paws, is a play off the phrase "fighting for a lost cause." Many people push this kind of issue aside simply because it has to do with animals, and not humans (therefore it's deemed irrelevant). But just like humans, if you're taking in man's best friend, the least you could do is act likewise.

How the turnout of the donation drive will end up isn't up to me. But what I can change, I'm willing to, and I hope to have a great holiday gift to deliver to the shelter this year.

Still Trying Not to Be an ASPCA Commercial

Ms. Parham said that my last post effectively used pathos to build my ethos. Except now, on my day off (happy Rosh Hashanah!) I find myself on the lacking side of an argument.

So you've already found out about how utterly awkward and rather introverted I sound. How I'd love to try and organize a drive to eventually contribute to the Westport Humane Society. It all sounds peachy, right?

Except, the sad thing is, most people will not happen to stumble across my blog. It will not pop up into your Facebook feed, saying "read me!", and it will not (hopefully) be blown up on a billboard asking for 5 minutes of your time. Instead it will probably rest in peace where we left it: the end of 3rd period World Lit.

But for the sake of the change I need to see, I can't and won't let it do that. The issue itself is much too big to even try and ignore; to put it in simplistic terms, it's the elephant in the room. As a girl who has watched animals come in and out of her life, I can say that standing by idly about the subject is the last thing I want to do. My family has never been shy to aiding animals before; we took care of a sickly cat who wandered into our yard looking for a home, until she later passed away due to natural causes. My mom likes to think that she came into our lives for a reason: she knew she would be taken care of with us. To this day I still think that although it was a tragic ending, I'm glad that her last decision was to come to us.

About 7.6 million companion animals (a.k.a. household dogs and cats) enter nationwide shelters every year. To put it in perspective, that's larger than the twice the population of Connecticut.  With such a high number, it can be overwhelming for shelters to gain the resources that they need in order to properly care for these animals. Which is why although on a smaller scale, it would be personally satisfying and helpful to many animals to make a contribution to the humane society.

I won't bombard you with facts and shame to try and motivate you to go out right now and clean out the local Petco's shelves of food to donate. But at least for Fairfield, I want the best future to come for those animals that currently don't know where their next meal will come from, or if they can find a home.

Bigger Than The Cat's Meow

My dire obsession and affinity for all things involving animals, to most people, will come off as creepy and quite unnecessary. But to me, it's something that goes far deeper than the exclamations of "how cute!"

Being the awkward person I am, I've never particularly connected well with most people. Until I came to CGS, I didn't fully realize how to open up to people or how to even maintain a proper friendship. Of course I could go on and on about the regrettable transitioning through puberty days, but I'll leave it at this: I suck at human interaction. For most people it comes naturally, but for me, it's almost like a game that I have yet to figure out how to properly master. You make one wrong move, game over; you have to play the cards just right to score the happy ending. And to be quite honest, most of the time, I'm too tired or nervous to even play this game.

But animals, particularly dogs and cats that I was exposed to the most: they were the peak of my interest. If you can conjure up that warm, fuzzy, apple pie feeling that you get whenever you're around something you love, that's exactly how I feel when I'm around animals. This isn't to say in any way I feel less for humans, or do not care (because I feel very strongly about a lot of human rights issues) but that I'm far better at interacting with animals than I am with humans.

And anytime you see someone or something you care about being mistreated, taken advantage of, or in need, you feel this sense of urgency. You know that you have to help them. Which is why, in my small town of Fairfield, I want to help out the stray animals that have either been abandoned or lost. I don't mean to start piling on shame like the ASPCA commercial (cue "In The Arms of An Angel"), but I feel compelled to help when I see a lost dog or cat flyer stapled up onto a pole quite helplessly. Over the course of the past month, my family has cared for two lost animals that wandered into our yard, and I can only imagine how many more are out there. I would love to start a drive to collect food for the poor animals that would eventually be donated to the Humane Society, which is a no-kill shelter with affordable veterinary care for all animals.

If the class happens to skim over this, firstly: you're going to realize how terribly antisocial I sound, and secondly: I probably sound like a girl who would end up on TLC in 40 years with her own show documenting what a cat lady she is. But if you think about it, these animals are solely dependent on us and it's our choice to help them or shun them.

Prep for Egypt Seminar: What's Going On?

A state of turmoil is a relative term; when used in different contexts, it has different meanings. For most American high school students, their mindset can be best described as in a state of turmoil. But what does it mean for an entire country undergoing a revolution?

In 2011, Egypt was thrown into a conflict that they did not yet realize the great momentum of. After overthrowing their corrupted president, Hosni Murabak, the military took charge and instead elected Mohammad Morsi shortly after. Morsi, however, had started to let the power get to his head and monopolize it all towards his own benefit, opposing many. After realizing that he too was not the leader fit for the country, the military once again overthrew him and is currently figuring out the situation.  The threat of the Muslim Brotherhood is also lurking, being considered somewhat as a terrorist organization. Currently, the biggest challenge Egypt faces is within the social and political conflict on who will finally take power besides the military, and how the society is handling it. Clearly the violent protests and demonstrations have not helped to make any progress on the political standpoint, and the country's government is up in the air. Many have died over such a revolution and the way that society handles it will make all the difference to whether or not more lives will be taken.

I think the U.S. Government should only be involved so far as giving advice or input on the situation, but not controlling or making any decisions concerning it. We have generally been known to get into things that weren't necessary, and ended up spreading our American version of democracy and what we think is right, rather than what the country wants and needs.

Western media simplifies the conflict a lot, by portraying it in a very black and white sort of sense: here's what happened, here's how the people feel, here's what the U.S. is and is not doing. I think that it's not so easy to pinpoint things, especially in the midst of such a revolution, and I think that they should pay more attention to how this is affecting the society, because not only is it a government in turmoil, it's people just like us.

My questions are:
Over the next year or so, what do you hope to see happen in Egypt?
What are the current dangers that Egyptian people are facing today?