Logos in "I'm a Feminist" by Emma Watson

          Emma Watson uses the logos appeal in several instances throughout her speech. At the very beginning of the speech, she addresses the audience and tells them that the assumption that feminism has to do with “man-hating” is totally wrong. She debunks this belief by providing the audience with the book definition of what feminism means. She notes, “Feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” That is an effective means of logos because she proved that the protesters of the movement were logically wrong because their belief of feminism did not match what feminism actually is.

          Another example of her use of logos is when she referred to Hillary Clinton’s 1997 “Women Rights are Human Rights” speech. Watson says that “the things she [Clinton] wanted to change are still true today.”  She knows that some people in the audience might not  think the movement is necessary anymore as she even points out that the word feminism is losing popularity. But stating that since 1997 not much has been done for progress, she appeals to the audience’s reasoning to support the movement today as the audience realizes that there is still work to be done to reach gender equality.

           In addition, she provides statistics to make some of her most important arguments. As we know, statistics are linked to logos, so her use of them functions as a logical appeal. As Goodwill Ambassador for UN women, she knows and has done her research about problems affecting women. So she states, “At current rates, 5.5 million girls will be married in 16 years as children and it won’t be until 2086 before all little African girls have a secondary education.” This also appeals to the audience’s logical thoughts and reasoning as they might realize that if more people do not join the movement to fight against these issues, then little or no progress will be made in the next few decades.

The Stasis in "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin's song enforced stasis theory through its explicit call to action which demanded respect. Stasis theory is used to build a stable foundation for an argument or statement. Franklin mastered Otis Redding's original song into an empowering one for women everywhere. She adds in lyrics that emphasize giving respect to women because they are worthy of it and they have the power to leave their husband should they be treated unfairly. Franklin writes the lyrics that the lover might find the woman gone when he comes home because he did not respect her enough to warrant her to stay in that relationship. This is a blatant demand for action of men everywhere to treat women fairly and equally as how men would like to be treated by their women as well. Given that "Respect" was released in 1967 when there were still lots of progress to be made, Franklin offers a solution to the systemic prejudice that is inflicted upon women. The way she released it as a pop song also helped deliver the message across because people would be singing it and spreading this call to action.

Stasis in "I'm a Feminist" by Emma Watson

Emma Watson uses the definition stasis in her speech. There is a lot of confusion with the definition of the word "feminism" or a "feminist". As Watson mentions, fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating". First, the word feminist is automatically associated with females. If the only thing you know about a person is that they are a feminist, you're very likely to assume they are female. This is one of the biggest problems that Watson is trying to battle. She mentions that only 30 percent of the audience in Hillary Clinton's Beijing women's rights speech were men. Watson defines feminism as, "The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes". She goes on to talk about the negative connotation of the word feminism and how the word is not what is important; it's the message behind it. Therefore, on behalf of the UN women, she introduces the HeForShe campaign. This way both genders are included in the name. This name also emphasizes gender equality more.

Logos in Aretha Franklin's "Respect"

Franklin’s version of Respect includes aspects that are different from Otis Redding’s version of the song. The changes that she has made to the song create a whole new dimension that stresses the power behind the choices that a woman has. Hidden within the lyrics of the song Respect there is a clear message that Franklin is able to send her audience. Often one does not think of lyrics as the source for logical arguments, but the order that Franklin follows is nothing but logical. The song begins with a request for respect; however, as the song progresses she explains why she is someone who deserves this respect. She starts with explaining her faithfulness, “I ain't gonna do you wrong, while you're gone…. Cause I don't want to (ooh).” Here one can understand that even though she believes in making her own choices she has not gone against the expectation of loyalty in a relationship. In Redding’s version he explains that he doesn’t mind if the woman goes around behind his back. By putting these two lyrics alongside each other it is easy to see why Franklin’s version shows the power within a woman’s choices. Another why she justifies the respect she needs is by saying “I’m about to give you all my money.” This same lyric is used in the older version of the song. However, in Franklin’s version of the song it serves a new purpose. It shows that Franklin treats her man well. Thus, it is only logical if her lover does the same for her. One of the most significant and arguably the most powerful changes in the song pertais to the last few lines. She sings, “Or you might walk in and find out I’m gone.” Here she wants her lover to realize that she’s not the type of woman to stay with someone who doesn’t treat her right- she is not afraid to walk away. This gives the need for respect a sense of urgency because she can leave if she does not receive it. Franklin skillfully crafts her argument for respect by emphasizing how she is deserving of it rather than blatantly saying she needs it.  

Kairos in "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

            Aretha Franklin’s singing career became victorious after choosing the best kairotic moment to release her version of the song “Respect.” It is fair to say that this was a triumphant moment for her because this song led her to be at the top of the music charts during the 1960’s, taking the number one spot in the R&B Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100. Her version of the song is still very well known to this day. Regarding her rhetorical appeal of kairos, she made an effective use of them. Kairos refers to the context, background, events, timing, appropriateness and opportunity preceding the creating of a work of art in any of its forms. The release of Franklin’s song happened during a kairotic period in the sense that several of the most historic feminist movements were going on at the time (1960’s) and women who were part of these movements identified so much with the lyrics of the song that it became like a feminist anthem for them. The Women’s Liberation Movement, for example, was already taking place before the song was released. By 1967, millions of women were taking action by joining the feminist movement, aggressively fighting for equality and against oppression and discrimination through several marches and protests. What a better way to address the issue of gender discrimination than demanding men to give women the respect they deserve? And that’s exactly what Aretha Franklin did with her song. She literally asks for respect when she sings, “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect...” She even spells it, in case someone did not get what she was clearly asking for in her song. She demands “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”

            The recording artist, Franklin, was motivated to compose or rearrange this song by the thousands of women joining the street marches to fight gender inequality. In her song, following the word respect, she makes a command by singing “find out what it means to me.” As a woman, this was a very important topic for her. This song was originally composed by a man named Otis Redding. But the context and the timing in which Aretha Franklin released her own version with some changes to the original one gave a whole new meaning to the song. As it has been stated on the National Public Radio website, “’Respect’ wasn’t a feminist anthem until Aretha Franklin made it one.” This means that after the success of her song, Aretha Franklin was automatically becoming part of the struggle for gender equality because that was the main purpose of the feminist movements at the time.

The Kairos in "I'm a Feminist" by Emma Watson

It is important when composing speeches to recognize if it is the right time and occasion to talk about a certain topic. Emma Watson's speech presented to the UN successfully uses kairos to deliver her ideas. Kairos is a rhetorical concept that represents the timing and opportunity in a given moment. This takes into account the total context of a situation and by her giving this speech to the UN, it is the perfect platform. The issue she brings attention to is not out of the line at this platform because the UN deals with issues about human rights.  Watson took advantage of the moment to promote the campaign HeForShe so that there could be a uniting movement for gender equality since she pointed out that feminism is still an unpopular word. The timing is perfect because our current society right now still has many inequalities between women and men.Watson pointed out that women are still not paid the same amount for the same work after all these years. When she mentioned that it won't be until 2086 that African girls will get secondary education, that is when the audience is alerted to the urgency of the issue. "If not me, who? If not now, when?" are very good questions to end on and these bring in kairos because it is mentioning that the time to act is now. An effective use of kairos allows for the audience to be more receptive to the piece of rhetoric presented before them.

Transcript of Emma Watson's Speech

Ethos in "I'm a Feminist" by Emma Watson

Ethos are very important in a speech. In order to get the audience to listen to the speaker and take their message into consideration, the speaker must have credibility and needs to establish this credibility through out the speech. Emma Watson establishes her ethos at many points throughout her speech. First, when she says, "I was appointed six months ago and the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized..." she establishes some credibility with the fact that she is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and that she has spoken about feminism several times before. Watson is one of the key people in the HeForShe campaign. Another way Watson establishes ethos is through her personal experiences with gender inequality. When she was eight she was called "bossy" for wanting to direct a play while the boys were not. She also talks about her female friends who "started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn't want to appear 'muscly'" and her male friends who "were unable to express their feelings. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and a feminist who has experienced sexism since the age of eight, Watson is able to establish valid ethos and make a stronger impact through her speech.