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Elizabeth Cady Stanton's 'The Destructive Male'

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One of the key elements that makes Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s, “The Destructive Male”, speech so memorable and inspiring, is her use of creative language. This speech glides effortlessly into the deep ravines of our memories as the loaded words such as, “destructive force”, “loving war”, and “discord”, carry heavy connotations. “I urge a sixteenth amendment”, says Stanton. She isn't demanding or violently requesting, she’s urging and pleading which is an important factor to take note of as it is the opening line of her speech, which up the initial moving tone. In the beginning of her speech Elizabeth Cady Stanton lists adjectives and loaded words to describe male dominated society. “The male destructive force, stern, selfish, aggrandizing, loving war, violence, conquest, acquisition, breeding in …show more content…

The first Paragraph is the most important, as it sets the tone for the rest of the speech; however, the tone shifts from the harsh and abrasive harping on men, to how society can move forward and bring about balance if women have more of a say in how things are run. Towards the end of the speech Stanton’s tone remarkably differs from the initial tearing down of men, to the pleading for equality, “There is a striking analogy between matter and mind, and the present disorganization of society warns us that in the dethronement of women we have let loose the elements of violence and ruin that she only has the power to curb.”. Here Stanton rests the current chaos of society on both genders shoulders when she says “we” rather than addressing just men. She concludes her speech eloquently and with professional composure, pleading with the government to aid the repair of society with women by man’s

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