June of 1990, Wellesley College invited first lady Barbara Bush to speak at the school’s commencement ceremony. Generally considered a normal occasion, this graduation proved opposite. Controversy about gender roles and what types of women are considered respectable were argued prior to her arrival on campus. The women’s college had reservations concerning Bush’s traditional values and believed that a true feminist aligns with their standards. After a close analysis of the rhetorical situation, defined by both Lloyd Bitzer and Richard Vatz, I concluded that Bush’s speech exhibits qualities of an adequate response according to Vat’z perspective because rather than using rhetoric to meet a variety of constraints, she created a situation and its …show more content…
The school initially requested feminist author Alice Walker to speak, but she declined, so the invitation was sent to Barbara Bush. This immediately became controversial because students perceived her beliefs as contradicting to members of the college. Mostly because Barbara’s husband, President George H. Bush, and his honor to conservative ideologies (Friedersdorf). Additionally, groups condemned her for choosing to end her education for marriage and a traditional lifestyle, declaring her reputation rooted from her spouse. For this reason, 150 members of the graduating class protested their discontent and announced that the first lady did not align with the ‘type’ of woman that Wellesley represents (Butterfield). Regardless of the negative context, Bush strategically highlighted the school’s atmosphere in order to introduce the exigence of feminism’s ambiguous definition. She provided a compelling argument to build a unique situation and create meaning for her audience to depict. Therefore, Barbara Bush’ commencement speech was a fitting response according to Vat’z perspective of the rhetorical situation because she made Wellesley’s culture of acceptance salient in her discourse, as a result, she redefined feminism for the audience and alleviated their