Rhetorical Analysis of The Destructive Male

In The Destructive Male, Elizabeth Cady Stanton effectively uses rhetoric to argue that the extension of suffrage to women is necessary to improve society, because enfranchisement limited only to males has many negative consequences.

            Stanton establishes ethos right away by urging for a sixteenth amendment in her opening statement. She demonstrates her knowledge of the American political system, which tells the audience that she has command over the subject. Stanton’s next point is that the “man’s government” of the world has led to disorganization in all aspects of society, due to the destructive nature of the male. To back up her claim, she cites several tragic events revealed by “the pages of history”. This demonstrates logos in her work by implying that her argument is based on factual evidence from history. In addition, she uses parallel structure as she lists the consequences of male domination—“discord, disorder, disease, and death,” and “slavery, slaughter, and sacrifice”—which serves as a device to further emphasize all of the hardships in the world that result from male supremacy. When man, who is only “half a complete being”, has all of the power in the world, it is inevitable that the results will be catastrophic. Here, Stanton uses logos by applying a logical way to view her case.

            Stanton appeals to women with pathos by telling them that male dominion overshadows “the diviner qualities” that are associated with femininity. She seeks to make an emotional connection to her audience by empowering them. She also acknowledges the opposing argument that extending the right to vote to women will make them more masculine. Mentioning this argument adds to her ethos by showing that she has considered other arguments, making her more trustworthy. In response, she points out a problem faced by women: they feel compelled to take on masculine characteristics in order to hold onto what little influence they have in society. The emotion garnered in this instance is sympathy for the seemingly impossible position that the woman has—a connection that Stanton is able to share with the audience. This statement also builds on her ethos, because the fact of her first hand experience as a woman establishes her credibility and gives her a valid reason to speak about the subject. She refers to the “higher law” of God as something that supports her own argument, which functions as logos from a religious perspective.

            Stanton’s speech then shifts to the need for women’s suffrage, and the reasons why this would be beneficial to society. The negative “results of [man’s] own excesses”, now the norm in society, need a “new evangel of womanhood” to be the solution to societal issues. A convincing argument that she poses is that by allowing women to vote, man will be lifted up “into the higher realms of thought and action,” bringing “a new day of peace and perfection” for all humans. The virtues of femininity will keep those of masculinity in check, but both are necessary for the government system to work. The pathos used here relates to a wider audience by including men, who want the human race to progress and society to be better just as women do. She also brings in ethos by connecting her own untraditional idea to the popular belief of the hope of progress for America, which was in the process of rebuilding during the Reconstruction era.

Stanton compares equilibrium in Nature with the way men and women both need to have government representation to keep their different characteristics in check. This shows logos because Stanton applies scientific evidence and the idea of natural laws to demonstrate the way society should be run. She ends her speech with a strong statement that aims to convince the audience to do the best thing for their nation and “the interests of all”, by allowing equal representation of both sexes.