Persuasive Strategies Compared - Essay Example

? Protest & Reform Civil Rights vs. Women’s Rights December 6, Persuasive Strategies Compared Martin Luther King Jr. used several persuasive strategies during his speeches to attract audience attention and acquire a mass following of people who believed in the same ideas. King used the repetition of words and themes within his speech that caught an individual’s attention quickly. Quotations from the Bible, word groupings from famous speeches orated by other Americans, and historical events grounded specific arguments. Metaphors that highlighted contrasting concepts were also included in his speeches (Dlugan, 2009). Malcom X supported his belief by using intensity within his argument that separation of White and Black Americans is the only way to achieve success for the Negros. The use of voice inflection, hand gestures, and body language are important factors in this style of speech oration. Continual repetition of facts that Negros were not welcome in the United States further stressed the message being delivered to the public audiences (The Ballot, 2000). While Malcom X was suggesting that solution was segregation, King was offering love and unity to solve the problem. Compare and Contrast Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Fredrick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and Oliver Brown supported the Civil Rights Movement that allowed African American individuals the right to every benefit afforded the White population. Fredrick Douglass was named the father of Civil Rights as he pushed for the abolishment of slavery in the 1800s (Fremarjo, 2011). Rosa Parks was a black woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a White person and move to the back of the bus (Parks, 2012). Her actions sparked monumental actions toward desegregation. Oliver Brown petitioned the school to allow his student to attend a school that was closer to their home. The ruling on this court case “Brown vs. Board of Education” set precedence for the future of school enrollment (Cozzens, 1998). Victoria Woodhull promoted Women’s Right and free love. The individuals who supported Woodhull in her endeavors to bring women the right to vote and stop the oppression of all females were staunch supporters. Support continued to grow as more women stood up for their rights (Gabriel, 1998). Even though it did not happen overnight, women did earn the right to vote and were allowed into the workforce. Susan B. Anthony was a staunch supporter of Women’s Rights from the beginning of the idea. For over 50 years, she promoted the idea that women suffrage was needed (Lindor, 2001). In 1872 Anthony saw her voting ballot drop into the ballot box. The trial that ensued allowed her to spread her message to a larger audience than previously encountered. Elizabeth Stanton named her occupation as a Women’s Rights Activist. Not only did she promote the right to vote for women, but she also supported the abolishment of slavery. Stanton delivered speeches that accused the bible and men of denying women their rights. Stanton published a critique of the bible and received considerable from religious groups and community members alike (Stanton, 2012). The difference between the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Rights was that one dealt with ethnicity rights and the other dealt with gender rights. The similarities existed in the fact that each group was fighting for the right to benefit from all the privileges afforded to other individuals who were not confined by color or gender. The use of violent and nonviolent protests were present in each movement. The individuals who supported the movements were in danger of jail or torture in each historical event. Persuasive Attempts Many types of persuasive action has been enacted to convince another person of accepting or changing beliefs that were not originally their own. Influence has been the practice of orators around the world. Techniques that have been used throughout history include: Getting the audience’s attention Creating or identifying a need, problem, or desire Offering a solution Convincing arguments Offering a concession or exchange Provide benefits list Establish rapport Create empathy Offer a win-win conclusion State a scare tactic Elicit the bandwagon approach Address individual wants and desires Identifying a problem and offering a solution at the same time is most often used in persuasive speaking (Dlugan, 2009). The individual listening to the speech may hear words like: you need it, you want it, you deserve it, try a sample, this is a one time opportunity, it is quality not quantity, and others are counting on you for support. Protest Techniques Two types of protesting exist; violent and nonviolent. Violent protesting inflicts harm on another person or group of people in an attempt to display determination and strength for the movement. Some violent protests do not intentionally start out with the intention of harm, but escalate to violent because of the actions of the supporters within the group. Aggressive behavior may start out as vocal accusations and progress to violence because of a stimuli that is introduced into the situation. Nonviolent protesting consists of visual and sometimes vocal dissention to a situation or event. Types of nonviolent protesting can include sit-ins, boycotts, fasts, picket lines, meetings, marches, and distribution of literature, speeches, and many other events. Nonviolent protests are designed to promote awareness of a movement and solicit support. Bowers, Ochs, and Jensen Scale There are nine positions in a protest movement according to Bowers, Ochs, and Jensen (1993), which are petition, promulgation, solidification, polarization, nonviolent resistance, escalation and confrontation, Ghandi vs. guerrilla, Guerrila, and revolution. Each one of these positions elicits more action from the supporters of the movement. Promulgation is the solicitation for new members to the movement. Petition is the promotion of awareness of an issue or belief. Solidification is the unification of the group in a positive term. Polarization promotes agitation and aggression. Nonviolent resistance may include meetings, picket lines, sit-ins, boycotts, and other non-violent protest actions. Escalation and confrontation occurs when tension rises within the movement, causing confusion and overreactions to occur. Ghandi vs. guerrilla occurs when the movement splits into two groups; those intent on harm and those intent on peaceful opposition. Guerrilla tactics involve the underground party providing small scale attacks on specific locations. A revolution is considered full-scale war were armies are used to enforce beliefs (Bowers, Ochs, & Jensen, 1993). Women and Ethnic Minorities The rights of women and minorities have been under an evolution, since the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and America became a country. Even with the progress made through the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Rights, the enforcement of the new laws are still being dismissed in some areas of the country. Segregation in schools still exists in some states. Women are not allowed to speak freely in some communities because of cultural traditions. Strides are being made to equalize the ethnicities and gender through daily actions across America, but until the attitude of some individuals change, equality will remain a dream of some people. Discrimination between gender and ethnicity in the workplace still exists. Women executives are not paid equally to their male counterparts or not allowed to promote to the higher executive positions. Minority groups are still segregated in the communities and school settings in some areas. Women and minorities are starting to become more involved in politics and gaining important seats in government. Many people believe that with the election of a African American president, more effort would be made to bring about equality. References Bowers, J. W., Ochs, D. J., & Jensen, R. J. (1993). The rhetoric of agitation and control. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Cozzen, L. (1998). Brown vs. Board of Education. Retrieved from http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html Dlugan, A. (2009). Speech analysis: I have a dream – Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved from http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-analysis-dream-martin-luther-king/ Fremarjo Enterprises, Inc (2011). A short biography of Fredrick Douglass. Retrieved from http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html Gabriel, M. (1998). Notorious Victoria: The life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored (1st ed.). Chappel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books Linder, D. (2001). The trial of Susan B. Anthony 1873. Retrieved from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/sbahome.html Parks, R. (2012). Rosa Parks biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715 Stanton, E. C. (2012). Elizabeth Cady Stanton biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-cady-stanton-9492182 The Ballot or The Bullet. (2000). In DirectEssays.com. Retrieved from http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper Read More