Aung San Suu Kyi “Keynote Address at the Beijing World Conference on Women”; Aug 1955, Read on Video-Under house arrest at the time despite 82% win of her party National League for Democracy-Burma under military dictatorship allowing arbitrary arrests, rape, poverty and Aids epidemic-Conference held by UN results: focus on universality of inequality between genders and action plan to promote “gender mainstreaming”. Held in Beijing – poor human rights record therefore more impact on audience as ASSK’s cultural references reality around venue) | Themes | Quote | Rhetoric Device | Effect | Unity | “unite us in our splendid diversity” | Inclusive language“us” “our” | Connects to and engages audience | | “global village” | Paradox | Unifies audience, constituted of different ethnicities therefore making her points seem more relevant | | “All the world’s great religions are dedicated to the generation of happiness and harmony” | Alliteration | Unites the audience, of whom are diverse. Justifying her cause as it is a common belief held by all. | | “Many of my male colleagues who have suffered imprisonment for their part in the democracy movement have spoken of the great debt of gratitude they owe to their womenfolk, particularly to their wives, who stood by them firmly, tender as mothers nursing their newly born, brave as lionesses defending their young.” | PersonalisationClichéd similes | Microcosm-representative of the greater scheme Women should embrace their inherent, motherly and tender nature as that is what differentiates them and proves to be their advantage. | | “The Buddhist parvana ceremony…there co-exists a spiritual aspiration for mutual understanding and peace” | Religious allusion | Reasons that there is, therefore, possibility of united social revolution due to this common ground. | | “People must participate fully in the decisions and processes that shape their lives…And ‘people’ include women, who make up at lease half the world’s population” | Repetition “people” | The Aboriginal problem where they are excluded from governance.Reminder that it is a prerogative for women too. | Change status quo/tradition-Tone of immediacy | “Now that we are gaining control of the primary historical role imposed on us of sustaining life in the context of the home and family, it is time to apply in the arena of the world the wisdom and experience thus gained in activities of peace over so may thousands of years. | Tone of immediacy and assertiveness | Tone causes change to be recognised as imperative for the present.Forms basis of argument that knowledge is key and after the thousands of years of restriction, enough women have gained enough knowledge today to instigate change. | | “The United Nations has recognised that ‘tolerance, human rights, democracy and peace are closely related. Without tolerance, the foundations for democracy and respect for human rights cannot be strengthened , and the achievements of peace will remain elusive”“it is not enough simply to ‘live and let live’: genuine tolerance requires an active effort…” | QuotationColloquial/Cliché Phrase | Contextualises and legitimises her criticisms of Burma’s backward society and treatment of women. Cliché highlights the inadaptability, of societies such as the one existent in Burma, to modern demands of equality of women and men. | | ‘The dawn rises only when the rooster crows…and the intelligent rooster surely realises that it is because dawn comes that it crows and not the other way round.” | Allusion and humour | Challenges the traditional and entrenched notion of superiority held my Burmese men. She uses humour, therefore engaging the audience and implying the ridiculous basis of such sexism. Dawn a symbol of women and roosters a symbol of men intervening in the prerogatives of women. | | “It is time we were given the full opportunity to use our natural teaching skills to contribute towards building a modern…
