Question

Read the following excerpt from Susan B. Anthony's speech

"On Women's Right to Vote" and think about the persuasive methods Anthony uses. It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people - women as well as men. And it is a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government - the ballot.
What two types of persuasive techniques does Anthony use in this excerpt?

A) appeals to reason and appeals to emotion
B) counterarguments and appeals to ethics
C) appeals to reason and counterarguments
D) appeals to reason and appeals to ethics

Answer 1

Susan B. Anthony uses appeals to reason and appeals to ethics in her speech “On Women's Right to Vote” to persuade her audience of the injustice in denying women the right to vote, by referencing constitutional principles and pointing out ethical inconsistencies. Option D is correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two types of persuasive techniques used by Susan B. Anthony in the excerpt from her speech “On Women's Right to Vote” are appeals to reason and appeals to ethics. Anthony employs logical arguments to point out the inconsistencies in denying women the right to vote, such as referencing the constitution (“we, the whole people”) to emphasize that women are also part of the polity and thus should not be excluded.

Additionally, she uses ethical appeals by highlighting the injustice and hypocrisy of granting liberty to only half the population. Furthermore, Anthony addresses the emotional aspects of this injustice, making her speech a powerful combination of logic and ethics.

The final answer to the student's question is option D) appeals to reason and appeals to ethics.