In The Destructive Male, Elizabeth Cady Stanton effectively conveys
her argument against the sole suffrage of men by using rhetoric to demonstrate
how the destructive nature of man can only be tempered in society by the
natural, loving, and peaceful forces that women represent and protect.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton starts off
stating the main objective right away, asserting to her immediate audience of
both men and women, “I urge a sixteenth amendment.” Her sheer courage and
upfront honesty make her a powerful force that demands respect from the very
start. She boldly characterizes the male as “a destructive force, stern,
selfish, aggrandizing, loving war, violence, conquest…breeding in the material
and moral world discord, disorder, disease, and death.” The extremely
condescending diction Stanton uses to approach the problem of males appeals to
the pathos of a certain audience, painting a savage and unrestrained picture of
men while building up emotions against them. She provides credibility to her
forceful diatribes by beseeching the audience to “see what a record of blood
and cruelty the pages of history reveal”, providing a logical connection
between the evil nature of men the terrible injustices of the past. She argues
the overpowering societal male influence “crush[es] out all the diviner
qualities in human nature,” and while
undergoing the struggle of human history “mercy has veiled her face and all
hearts have been dead alike to love and hope”. Using personification, Stanton
elicits an understanding of how detrimental male guidance has been to the
growth, hope, and happiness of civilization while providing enough passion to stir the audience’s emotions.
Stanton then addresses the effects
of the influence of men on the ways of women. She speaks to the pathos of those
who understand oppression, stating that “the strong, natural characteristics of
womanhood are repressed and ignored”. She argues that men have changed the
women condition, that to be respected in society women must “be as near like
man as possible, reflect his ideas, opinions, virtues, motives, prejudices, and
vices”. The phrase “she must” is repeated, bringing attention to the unfairness
and pathos to the demoralizing situation that women have been subjected to.
Through logos Stanton demonstrates her greater understanding of how society
functions and is thus able to advocate for change in the way women are allowed
to be free.
Stanton provides a defined solution
to the problems of society, allowing the argument to fully form and influence
her audience. She argues the “need of the hour” is not technological
advancements or money, but instead “a new evangel of womanhood”. She depicts
this womanhood as “purity, virtue, morality, true religion, to lift man up into
the higher realms of thought and action.” Once again, she creates a powerful
diction to define a term, “womanhood”, yet this time it is extremely positive,
trusting, and speaks of a higher world, prompting curiosity and inspiration
from the audience.
Stanton’s final point uses logos to
reinforce reasons for an equal and balanced society. Since there is “violence
and disturbance in the natural world,” therefore there must be a “constant
effort to maintain an equilibrium of forces.” Using the simile that nature is “like
a loving mother,” Stanton argues for the peace that only a natural balance of
extremes can fix. Driving her point home, she creates a logical syllogism—if
the world is corrupt and unbalanced due to manly influences, and if through
nature we see the only way to fix disorder is through balance, then it must be that
a government of the best men and women would “better represent the whole and
protect the interests of all” than either sex alone.
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