The Destructive Male Rhetorical Analysis

“The Destructive Male” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton presents an effective argument in “The Destructive Male” by utilizing the rhetorical triangle to persuade her audience of her point of view. Initially, the ethos of the author is when she presents a knowledge in government, and how that throughout men’s role in authoritative positions there has been continuous destruction, disorder, and violence. She focuses on many of the negative generalizations and stereotypes of men (“selfish, aggrandizing, loving war”) in order to provoke her audience’s pathos, which is most likely entirely female at the Women’s Suffrage Convention (1868) who clearly already oppose sole-male leadership, to feel a stronger annoyance with the fact that such a corrupt sex has such influence in government and society.
The logos of the author’s argument is seen later in the essay when she negates the validity of society’s syllogism regarding female suffrage (right of suffrage is male, so if women have that right they will become masculine.) and instead uses male power over women as a source of evidence. In this, she claims that as a result of a lack of rights, women have become masculine as they are forced to conform to male points of view and male ways of life. She also manipulates her female audience’s pathos by saying “…to desire that her sons might follow some business that did not involve lying, cheating, and a hard, grinding selfishness…” By relating her argument to family life, she makes her audience desire better for each of their own children.

Finally, the author describes the logic as to why she things males have been continuously viewed as superior. They have been, she claims, the “pioneers” of civilization, they thrive on conquering possessions, and are an extremely powerful, yet destructive force to be reckoned with. Overall, by utilizing her ethos, as a woman herself and understanding the struggles of the female gender, Elizabeth Cady Stanton presents herself as a relatable speaker to her audience. Through Pathos, she is able to strengthen the feelings of dissatisfaction within her audience by focusing solely on the negative aspects of the male gender. Finally, through logos, Elizabeth Cady Stanton is able provide reasons as to why men believe they are superior (through syllogisms) and dissuading her audience from believing such “facts” by only mentioning evidence that are harmful to male superiority and promote female suffrage.