harvey milk hope speech - rhetorical analysis

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Deane, Benjamin Dr. Graham MacPhee WRT 120/10 February 17th, 2011 You Gotta Give Them Hope In the late 1970s, a movement was taking place across America which still struggles on today, regardless of the forty years it has been active. Homosexual people have been misrepresented and refused their basic civil rights in America for years, and perhaps the first spokesperson for gay rights was a man by the name of Harvey Milk. Milk was the first out, gay politician elected to Public Office, and in 1978 he gave a speech in his represented area of San Francisco, addressing gay rights and the importance of electing gay officials into government. In his speech, Milk addresses many audiences, whether they be the gay citizens of San Francisco and America, the anti-gay right wing movement supporters led by Anita Bryant, the ill- informed masses who misunderstand the concept of homosexuality, straight allies of the gay movement, and politicians in general, whether they support or oppose gay rights. This speech became known as Harvey Milk’s “Hope” speech, and it still resonates with

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An analysis of Harvey Milk's Hope speech that I wrote in college. Do not plagiarize.

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Deane, BenjaminDr. Graham MacPheeWRT 120/10February 17th, 2011Yu Gtta Gi!e Them "#e $n the %ate 1&70', a m!ement (a' ta)in* #%ace acr'' +merica (hich 'ti%% 'tru**%e' n t,ay, re*ar,%e'' - the -rty year' it ha' been acti!e. "m'e.ua% #e#%e ha!e been mi're#re'ente, an, re-u'e, their ba'ic ci!i% ri*ht' in +merica -r year', an, #erha#' the -ir't '#)e'#er'n -r *ay ri*ht' (a' a man by the name - "ar!ey Mi%). Mi%) (a' the -ir't ut, *ay #%itician e%ecte, t Pub%ic /--ice, an, in 1&70 he *a!e a '#eech in hi' re#re'ente, area - 1an Franci'c, a,,re''in* *ay ri*ht' an, the im#rtance - e%ectin* *ay --icia%' int *!ernment. $n hi' '#eech, Mi%) a,,re''e' many au,ience', (hether they be the *ay citi2en' - 1an Franci'c an, +merica, the anti3*ay ri*ht (in* m!ement 'u##rter' %e, by +nita Bryant, the i%%3in-rme, ma''e' (h mi'un,er'tan, the cnce#t - hm'e.ua%ity, 'trai*ht a%%ie' - the *ay m!ement, an, #%itician' in *enera%, (hether they 'u##rt r ##'e *ay ri*ht'. Thi' '#eech became )n(n a' "ar!ey Mi%)4' 5"#e6 '#eech, an, it 'ti%% re'nate' (ith #e#%e t,ay, a' *ay citi2en' remain a minrity (ithut a%% their ba'ic ri*ht' in thi' cuntry. "(e!er, at the time the '#eech (a' *i!en, Mi%)4' au,ience' (ere nt a%% t -ami%iar r cm-rtab%e (ith hm'e.ua%ity7-r ,eca,e', it ha, been a 'cia% tab. "(e!er, "ar!ey Mi%) (a' a ')i%%e, '#ea)er, an, (a' ab%e t u'e rhetric t #er'ua,e #e#%e t jin, r at %ea't 'ym#athi2e, (ith hi' cau'e.Mi%) e--ecti!e%y -i%%' hi' '#eech (ith %*', #r!i,in* %*i'tica% ar*ument' an, rea'n in hi' e--rt' an, re8ue't'. "i' majr *a%' are t #er'ua,e #e#%e that *ay' are nt the chi%, m%e'ter' that #e#%e -ten a''ume they are7 that they can nt, an, 'hu%, nt, %et the *ay cmmunity be 5ju,*e, by ur crimina%' an, myth'. 9i)e e!ery ther *ru#, (e mu't be ju,*e, by ur %ea,er' an, by th'e (h are them'e%!e' *ay, th'e (h are !i'ib%e.6 Mi%) ar*ue' that *ayciti2en' mu't e%ect #en%y *ay --icia%' t #%itica% #'itin', becau'e n%y they can un,er'tan, (hat the *ay cmmunity tru%y -ee%', an, that (ithut re#re'entatin in *!ernment, the hm'e.ua% cmmunity can ea'i%y be ju,*e, an, 'terety#e,. The 'tati'tic that ten #ercent - the+merican ##u%atin are *ay i' %*ica%%y #r!en, but #rbab%y 'methin* that many are i%%3in-rme, -, an, he u'e' thi' 'tatement t #r!e h( !ita% it i' that thi' %ar*e *ru# - human bein*' recei!e their ba'ic ci!i% %ibertie'. "e u'e' %*ica% rea'nin* t in-rm #e#%e that a%thu*hthe me,ia #re'ent' a ri*ht3(in* m!ement an, te%%' 'trie' - a ri*ht3(in* m!ement, the rea% m!ement i' in the %e-t 'i,e. "e te%%' - the %e*a%i2atin - marijuana in ne 'tate, hi' (n *ay e%ectin, an, the ,ia%*ue abut 5hm'e.ua%ity6 that (a' -ina%%y cmin* t the 'ur-ace, t be #en an, ta%)e, abut #ub%ic%y in the natin, an, he 'tate' that c%ear%y, the m!ement i' t the %e-t.9ittere, thru*hut the '#eech i' a cn'tant u'e - #ath' t cnnect emtina%%y t the ,i--erent au,ience' he i' a,,re''in*. T hi' 'trai*ht a%%ie', he #rc%aim' that an a%%y can nt be e%ecte, t re#re'ent *ay' becau'e 5-rien,' can4t -ee% the an*er an, -ru'tratin. They can 'en'e it in u', but they can4t -ee% it. Becau'e a -rien, ha' ne!er *ne thru*h (hat i' )n(n a' cmin* ut.6 Thi' t#ic a%' 'tri)e' a chr, in hi' *ay au,ience, a' cmin* ut i' a ,i--icu%t an, terri-yin* #rce'' -r any 8ueer #er'n. "e a,,re''e' ther minrity *ru#', a')in* in,irect%y -rtheir 'ym#athy an, a''i'tance, a%%u,in* t the +-rican3+merican ci!i% ri*ht' m!ement - the 'i.tie', an, the 9atin +merican cu%ture4' 'tru**%e'. "e re-erence' +nita Bryant, an ut'#)en ri*ht3(in* acti!i't, an, te%%' hi' au,ience' nt t -ear her r be%ie!e her, -r 'he i' (rn* in her a''um#tin' abut *ay #e#%e7 he ta%)' - the '%an,erin* - *ay' in Da,e :unty an, Miami, an,u'e' thi' 'u--erin* t in-rm #e#%e h( nece''ary chan*e i' at thi' current time.Mi%) 'trate*ica%%y -in,' (ay' t re'nate an, cnnect emtina%%y (ith hi' au,ience', u'in* eth' t a%%u,e t hi' *, character an, #er'na%ity. The be*innin* - hi' '#eech i' %e, by a j)e; an aim at cn!incin* ,ubt-u% au,ience' that he, %i)e them, i' human an, enjy' humr. $tma)e' him mre re%atab%e an, cm-rtab%e t ,ea% (ith, an, ea'e' #e#%e int the hea!y i''ue' he (i%% %ater '#ea) u#n. "e ac)n(%e,*e' the -act that 'me #e#%e are nt 'ati'-ie, (ith hi' re#re'entatin - the *ay cmmunity, an, he a,mit' that thi' i' (hy mre *ay --icia%' mu't be e%ecte,. 1#ea)in* t the 5yun* *ay #e#%e in the +%tna, Penn'y%!ania' an, the Richmn,, Minne'ta' (h are cmin* ut an, hear +nita Bryant n te%e!i'in an, her 'try,6 Mi%) #er'na%%y cnnect' (ith 'me - hi' )ey au,ience member', (h cme -rm the'e !ariu' 'tate' an, citie' (here #rb%em' ccur re*ar,in* *ay #e#%e. The u'e - ana#hra t(ar,' the en, - the '#eech rea%%y ,ri!e' ,(n the !era%% i,ea that Mi%) (a' tryin* t #re'ent7 that i,ea i' 5h#e,6 an, he 'tate' that yu ha!e t *i!e the ne(er *eneratin' h#e that the (r%, can *et better. "e u'e' the (r, in ,i--erent in'tance', ta%)in* abut the -uture, an, a,mittin* that he a%ne cannt chan*e the #inin - *ay #e#%e. "i' e%ectin may ha!e been a '#ar) - h#e, but it i' u# t the *ay', the a%%ie', the ther #%itician', an, the i%%3in-rme, t )ee# that -ire burnin*, an, )ee# h#e a%i!e, ' that ne ,ay, *ay citi2en' can achie!e the 'ame ri*ht' a' any ther citi2en- +merica. "ar!ey Mi%) may nt ha!e 'tu,ie, t be an ratr, r ha, much e.#erience, but he ha, #a''in. "e e--ecti!e%y u'e' rhetric t ai, him in hi' cau'e, u'in* %*' an, rea'n t e.#%ain hi'#'itin7 he u'e' #ath' t re%ate t an, cn!ince hi' au,ience' - hi' be%ie-' an, i,ea'. :%ear%y ,emn'trate, i' hi' immen'e character an, eth', a man (h -i*ht' -r -ree,m an, e8ua%ity -r a%%. 1a,%y, "ar!ey Mi%) (a' a''a''inate, 'hrt%y a-ter *i!in* thi' '#eech by a -e%%( #%itician. "(e!er, hi' me''a*e -r h#e an, a 5*reen %i*ht6 t m!e n(ar, 'ti%% %i!e' n t,ay. Thu*h *ay citi2en' may nt be e8ua% yet, they are -re!er *ettin* ne 'te# c%'er t e8ua%ity. There i' ne -rce that )ee#' them 'trn* in the -i*ht -r their ri*ht', an, "ar!ey Mi%) may ha!e been the 'tart - that, by *i!in* #e#%e h#e.