Rhetorical Analysis: We Should All Be Feminist

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The word feminism has numerous misunderstandings and incorrect usages. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” Most individuals assume feminists have hatred towards men. Or believe women think they’re superior to men, or only women can be feminists. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, wrote “We Should All Be Feminists,” published in 2013 in the TED talk audience, and she argues that the word “feminist” comes with “heavy baggage”. Adichie’s main idea is to get rid of the burden the word has and focus on how this can eradicate gender inequality. Adichie builds her credibility by using personal examples which demonstrate first hand experiences with gender inequality and successfully applies emotional appeals; however, the text lacks strong sources that could potentially strengthen her argument. In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TED talk, she combats the negative image of a feminist. Adichie creates this speech as a way to encourage action in the audience. Her goal is to inform her audience, about gender roles in today’s society. She wants her audience to leave her speech with a changed mind set on the word feminist. In order to create this effect, Adichie presents a speech about promoting gender equality. She has to make sure that her speech does not favor …show more content…

Ethos is seen when she makes her audience laugh, allowing them to trust her. Adichie frequently uses logos to explains how things are and differentiations them with how they should be. For examples, Adichie states “female apes bow down to male apes and that sort of thing. But the point is, we’re not apes.” Of the three modes of persuasion, Adichie makes the greatest use of pathos, using personal anecdotes from her own life to demonstrate vexation and annoyance over the sexism she and other women have