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Florence Kelley Child Labor Rhetorical Analysis

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United States social worker and reformer, Florence Kelley, in her speech, describes the lack of restrictions in states regarding child labor; and briefly ties in the effects of the lack of women’s rights on the subject. Kelley’s purpose is to bring awareness to the issue of states allowing young children to work. She adopts a passionate tone in order to demonstrate the severe conditions of child labor. Kelley uses a variety of rhetorical strategies, in her speech, to help men and women become aware of the issue on child labor.
Beginning in the third paragraph, Kelley uses an appeal to emotion to make her argument on child labor stronger. She explains the ¨several thousand girls¨ that will be working ¨while [they] sleep.¨ Kelley describes the working conditions of the young girls while men and women, including herself, will be peacefully asleep. She included emotion in her speech in order to speak to the parents who have children working. By describing the ominous conditions the children, specifically …show more content…

The question touches on the subject of women’s rights to vote. In asking this question, Kelley makes her audience consider whether child labor would still be acceptable if women had the right to vote. She is trying to show her audience that if women were allowed to vote, they would not want their children working ¨under twelve years of age,¨ and would try and ¨stop the work¨ of children all together . In asking this question, Kelley connects herself with her audience and makes them consider the effect on the lack of women’s rights, and how the lack of rights is hurting children. Using a rhetorical question helps Kelley briefly reveal the need for an increase in women’s rights, while helping her argument on child labor. By using a rhetorical question, Kelley’s audience can think more about the issue and consider the possible solutions, including increasing women’s

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