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Summary Of Florence Kelley Ap Language

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Before the days of labor laws and unions, there was a time in which laws were not able to keep up with a rapidly changing industrial economy. As machinery and technology advanced, so did the possible amount of revenue being generated. Unfortunately, this machinery made it so unexperienced workers, such as children and teenagers, could work hours on end creating products. With little legislation in place, these vulnerable workers were exploited in factories and mills. Many individuals, such as Florence Kelley, called for change by creating speeches that would be presented in large conventions and rallies. One specific example, presented by Kelley on July 22, 1905, used several forms and techniques of rhetoric to successfully convey her message …show more content…

She begins by stating that there are children in this nation who are merely “earning their bread”. From this, the audience deducts that his speech will not only be serious, but it will be a call to action. In the same paragraph, Kelley states the several professions children can be found in, such as “the coal-breakers of Pennsylvania”. By doing so, the writer evokes a sense of sympathy towards the children as they are shown to be working in conditions that are not only rigorous, but unsafe. Kelly attempts to reach the audience’s emotions once again when she later states, “while we sleep, several thousand little girls will be working in textile mills, all the night through.” By stating this, Kelley not only hopes to make the audience sympathize, but it also attempts to convey emotions of guilt and selfishness. While the reader sleeps comfortably in their bed at night, they are now left to imagine the unfair working conditions that children were going through. This technique is evident throughout the piece as later she states, “boys and girls, after their fourteenth birthday, enjoy the pitiful privilege of working all night long.” While not all children who work really stay up for the entire night, the writer states extreme situations in order to prove her point. By using the technique of Pathos through the speech, she is able to emotionally …show more content…

At the time, women were not allowed to vote, and thus had a small impact on the political aspect of their communities. In order the logically support her claim, Kelley used deductive reasoning in order to draw a relation between women’s suffrage and child labor laws. This is supported as she states, “Until the mothers in the great industrial states are enfranchised, we shall none of us be able to free our consciences from participation in this evil.” The author states that since women are loving and heavily supportive of their children, logically allowing them to vote would lead to the creation of better child labor legislature. By using the broad generalization that all women are good mothers, she applies it to the specific case of women’s suffrage in order to support her point. By not only using pathos, but logos as well, Kelley appeals to a wider range of people. Until Kelley achieves her full right to vote, she considers herself “powerless” in the U.S. political

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