Jake Nef

Mrs. Balka

Pre-AP English 9

21 January 2018

HeForShe Speech Rhetoric Analysis

Emma Watson effectively uses the two rhetoric appeals logos and ethos to persuade men

and boys everywhere to stand for feminism.

Emma Watson uses the rhetoric appeal ethos in her speech to help create a compelling

argument. When Watson utilized the quote, “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is

for good men and women to do nothing,” (3) by Edmund Burke, she increased her own

credibility and authenticity by referencing a famous, well known and trustworthy source. Ethos

is the rehtoric appeal that deals with the writers or speakers integrity and trustworthiness.

Edmund Burke’s quote helped to push her and her argument further because of it’s fame and

authenticity. Emma Watson uses ethos once again in her speech, asking the audience, “Who is

this Harry Potter girl, and what is she doing speaking in the U.N?” (3) she suggests that she isn’t

as experienced as the others at the meeting, humbling herself. This aspect of ethos may not make

a lot of sense, but it does make the audience more compelled to listen to her point. This is

because by admitting she’s not the best and doesn’t have all the answers, she seems more

genuine and human. Her inexperience with politics forms a bond with the audience because it is

unlikely anyone listening to her speech is perfect. The connection convinces others that she is

human too, and therefore they are more willing to listen. In her speech, Emma Watson does an

incredible job of utilizing the rhetorical appeal of ethos to connect to the audience and improve
her argument’s credibility by backing it up with a famous saying from a famous person.

Emma Watson’s speech also effectively used the rhetoric appeal of logos to persuade her

audience to step up and take a stand against gender inequality. Watson utilizes shocking numbers

in her speech when she reveals that “it will take seventy-five years… before women can expect

to be paid the same as men for the same work,” (3) to convince people that something needs to

be done about this problem. Logos is the appeal to facts and statistics, or in this case, rates. The

rates she mentioned in her speech are shocking and they give the audience a sort of wake-up call

to the issue. The numbers remind people that the problem is real and needs to be resolved.

Watson uses logos once again when she states that “feminism by definition is the belief that men

and women should have equal rights…” (1) the definition is a form of logos because it is a clear

fact. The definition aids her in conveying her argument by clearing any confusion on what she

supports an stating what exactly her organization supports. This is important to her speech

because today feminism is viewed as something completely different that what it actually is. The

indisputable definition can help to open the audience's minds toward the subject. Therefore,

Emma Watson’s use of logos helped her display her argument in a fashion that enabled her to

persuade her audience.