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Kyle Aerne CTAC 124 10 November 2013 Whisper of AIDS Speech Analysis Whisper of AIDS is a very emotional speech given by a woman infected with the disease herself. Mary Fisher gave her speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention in front of a very large audience and a nationally televised broadcast. Her speech went down as one of the best American speeches of the 20th Century. Mary Fishers purpose in the speech is to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. She mentions early in her speech that the topic of AIDS has been hidden in the shadows for quite some time now and the time for its silence is over. She wants to be heard and make sure that people make action for the awareness of the virus so that the problem can be solved. Other purposes are not directly mentioned inside of the speech but are implied. Fisher is speaking at the Republican National Convention which means she is trying to not only raise awareness for AIDS but also promote people to believe that Republicans want to raise awareness for AIDS and that a Republican in office is the best option for America. She also expressed that everyone know the importance of AIDS and that women and straight men can just as easily contract the virus. Someone is not safe just because they are straight or a female. People are still at risk if they dont inject needles into their body.

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As far as organization goes, the speaker is very much so prepared for success. Although she is organized, there were a couple things I thought she should have changed about her speech. Mary Fisher begins the speech with a statement that she spoke to republicans at a gathering in Salt Lake City. Opening with this information shows the audience that she has credibility in what she is speaking about. She opens with a credibility statement rather than her hook which I found interesting. I didnt like the fact that she did that because I wasnt immediately pulled into the speech and what she was talking about. She then uses her hook, providing the audience with the understanding that Mary Fisher was HIV positive which makes things serious very fast and also gives her credibility because she has had first-hand experience with the virus. The speaker does a very good job of connecting herself and her beliefs to her audience. She brings up number and statistics of HIV and how many people are affected by the virus not only in America, but all over the world. She reveals that the situation can happen to almost anyone such as herself and that people in America are dealing and coping with the loss of others and the virus itself every day. Mary Fisher expresses that the virus does not pinpoint any race or group. It does not care whether someone is a republican or democrat, whether they are gay or straight, or whether they are black or white. She assesses every aspect of the AIDS virus and also other controversial issues. She brings up interracial relationships and how she has a mixed child that she is having trouble raising. She also brings up that her husband was a homosexual who was hiding in the shadows of being gay because his family rejected his sexual orientation.

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The speaker uses her own life as a source for her very moving speech. Her second marriage to Brian Campbell occurred in 1987. Campbell was black and a closet homosexual. Campbell requested a divorce from Fisher in 1991 and shortly after told Fisher he was infected with AIDS. Fisher later learned that she had also contracted the virus. She tested their child and their child showed up negative. Fisher used experiences from her life and her own research to bring up facts and statistics during her speech. Fisher effectively uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos throughout the entire speech. Her use of logic and credibility are used together. Her knowledge of the virus and everything that comes with it comes from her own life experiences which makes her extremely credible since she has experienced it all first hand. She does not mention a secondary source once throughout the entire speech because she has witnessed all of her material herself. She recalls life experiences constantly throughout her speech. The third persuasive tool and probably the most important to the speaker, pathos, is used very effectively throughout the speech. Fisher has many troubles in her life and she has problem expressing them to the audience in order to send it her message. She constantly brings up her contraction of AIDS and her struggling family which are two very personal things to talk about which brings emotion to the audience. As far as argumentation goes, Fisher brings up very good points and backs it up with facts. She states that 200,000 Americans are dead or dying because of AIDS and that in the year of 1992, a million more people were infected. She also brings up the fact that even though research, science, congressional hearings, and White House meetings take place, it is not enough for the disease which is an epidemic in American Society. This argument is effective because it shows that without action, the deaths and infections will not go away and could very

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possibly increase. She also brings up the fact that AIDS can spread quicker than other disease because it travels, hence the reason why it is an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease). People cannot spread cancer to one another, but AIDS can be transmitted through sexual activity and needle injections. This argument is valid because it shows that the virus is on the rise and will continue to affect more and more people unless it is stopped. Fisher also brings up the argument that anyone can contract the virus, not just gay men. This argument is valid. Fisher is a white female who contracted the virus. Fishers verbal delivery was spot on and she did not miss a beat. You can tell she was well prepared for the speech and she was working off of key points rather than having the entire speech rehearsed. She did not ramble through the speech like she memorized every line. Her non-verbal delivery is also very good. Her body language is great and very persuading. Her body language also sends an emotional message to the audience. She also doesnt move around or do any involuntary body motions on stage. The speech was effective and definitely sent a message to people that action needs to take place in order to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Though Fisher was effective in that, the main reason the speech was being held at the Republican National Convention was to promote the Republican Party and George Bush in the Presidential Election. George Bush ended up losing the election to the Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton. Despite not being successful in helping win George Bushs presidency, the speech, nonetheless, will go down as one of the best and most persuasive American speeches of the 20th century. Mary Fisher was a great speaker and is known for many speeches spreading awareness of the AIDS virus including this 1992 speech at the RNC.