Paper 1 Practice

Emma Watson presents a speech at a UN assembly in an attempt to persuade society to support the #HeForShe campaign. In doing so, she also presents an argument as to why equal gender rights have not yet become tangible, as a method of further persuading her targeted audience. The employment of the persuasive appeals pathos and ethos, as well as a variety of literary devices such as anaphora, amplifications, personal experiences as well as a great understanding of her targeted audience, are successful methods to gain the support of her targeted audience for the #HeForShe campaign.

         Firstly, Watson’s speech takes a serious and positive stance towards the issue of gender equality, as it neither condemns nor blames a specific group, but creates the mood of a welcoming and hopeful speech, in the hopes to encourage her targeted audience to support the #HeForShe campaign. The speech begins with Watson identifying herself with the term “I”, and directly addressing her targeted audience with the terms “you/your”, which allows this audience to feel comfortable with the speaker and her point of view. This use of pathos is evident by Watson saying, “I am reaching out to you because we need your help” (l. 1-2), as she directly references the audience, creating a relationship with them.

Later on in the text, this Goodwill Ambassador explains the concept behind the #HeForShe campaign by defining the word feminism as “the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes”(l. 15), as this is the overall message of the #HeForShe campaign. By defining this term and explaining the #HeForShe in more detail, Watson appeals to the audience’s ethos, allowing them to feel more comfortable with her credibility. She then chooses to recite that “the reality is that if we do nothing, it will take seventy-five years, or for me to be nearly 100, before woman can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work” (l. 103-105) as a fact relevant to the topic of gender equality. She further develops her credibility with the audience by stating, “15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children. And at current rates, it wont be until 2086 before all rural African girls can have a secondary education” (l. 106-109). By conveying these facts, the targeted audience is able to understand the effects of gender inequality and support the #HeForShe campaign.

Watson employs a variety of literary devices within her speech in an attempt to further persuade her targeted audience to support the feminist campaign. In the third paragraph of the speech, the use of the anaphora “when at (…)” (l. 18-23), is sourced from Watson’s personal experiences which allows the audience to familiarize themselves with her, and therefore feel more comfortable with her point of view. An anaphora is also used between the lines 43 and 45 to further this appeal to the emotions of the audience. Later on, she uses the rhetorical question, “why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?” (l.31), referring to the word ‘feminism’, to further the argue to those against the term and concept of feminism. The use of the imagery “imprisoned by gender stereotypes” (l. 73-74) allows Watson to support her argument about the effects of gender stereotypes.

Since the #HeForShe campaign was launched at a UN assembly, it is essential to consider her targeted audience to be of a variety nationalities and multicultural backgrounds, as well as gender. The UN ensures to employ both men and women, which allows for both genders to be part of their decision processes. In terms of the public audience of this speech, a video was launched across social media allowing mostly the newest and middle-aged generations to view the speech and reflect upon the #HeForShe message. Also, although Watson mentions her British nationality and personal experiences, this is meant to persuade her audience to broaden the audience to an international scale. She uses her British nationality as a platform to speak out against gender equality issues, such as her reference to “rural African girls” (l. 108) and "child marriage" (l. 107). This infers her acknowledgement of International issues, allowing her to gain a wider audience to persuade.

All in all, the effect of this text on Watson’s targeted audience should be considered to understand her persuasive success. The extensive use of literary techniques, persuasive appeals, personal experiences and a great understanding of her audience allow for a triumphant persuasive speech.