Emma Watson Gender Equality Speech: Neo-aristotelian Criticism

Introduction

The United Nations has been the leader in conducting to eliminate gender inequality and stereotypes. The United Nations Women is an organization that goes to battle for ending gender inequality and giving women the global empowerment that they deserve (Watson, 2014). The launch of the HeForShe campaign was led by UN-women, which brings both male and females together to try and resolve gender inequality. For gender equality to be achieved, men and women need to come together as a whole and forget about the stereotypes and expectations for masculinity (Watson, 2014). On September 20, 2014, Emma Watson, a British actor launched the HeForShe campaign by giving her official speech to begin her commencement. Watson was the United Nations Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN-Women. In her speech, she established the mood of the campaign, provoking people to change. She has spoken about feminism and has fought for women’s rights for a while now, so her incentive is to put a stop to gender inequality. While defending feminism and her invention of the program, she has invited men and boys to accompany women and girls in the help to end gender inequality. This essay will apply Neo-Aristotelian criticism by using the five canons of rhetoric to interpret the power of Emma Watson’s gender equality speech. By doing this, I will contend that Watson’s speech accomplished the anticipated effect with the predetermined audience that will join the HeForShe campaign.

Analysis of Emma Watson’s Gender Equality Speech

Description of Artifact

The Neo-Aristotelian method of criticism was made to analyze speeches (Foss, 2018, p. 24). This method includes three steps: (1) recreating the context where the artifact was; (2) the five canons of the artifact; and (3) estimating the impact the artifact has on the audience (Foss, 2018, p. 24). The centrality of the audience is the main principle of rhetorical criticism. By reconstructing the context, It is important to concentrate on the motivating forces of the rhetor, why they chose the topic, and what they wanted to accomplish by producing their speech. Also, Neo-Aristotelian criticism is considered to be one of the most beneficial methods for individuals who are intrigued in communication techniques. To apply Watson’s speech to the Neo-Aristotelian method, this paper will summarize the situation of the speech, analyze her debate by using the five canons of rhetoric, and then will cover the effects on the intended audience. The five canons of rhetoric by Aristotle are: invention, organization, style, delivery, and memory. (Foss, 2018, p. 25) In the invention section of this paper, it will cover a portion on logos, ethos, and pathos that have been used in Watson’s speech. After interpreting Watson’s argument that she has made through the Neo-Aristotelian method, the rest of the paper will analyze if she chose the best way to persuade the intended audience about the changes she wants done. Application

Situation

The launch of Watson’s HeForShe campaign started in New York City in front of UN officials from across the world (Watson, 2014). She started her speech off by asking for help and wanting everyone involved in her HeForShe campaign to end gender inequality. Watson added, that she has been questioning gender inequality since the age of eight (Watson, 2014). She also said that women shy away from the word ‘feminism’ because they think it applies to hatred toward men. In Watson’s speech, she made it clear to note that females should have the same rights as men do and the beliefs she has on the word, feminism. Thus, Watson set this speech up In accordance with applicable information to advocate the HeForShe campaign. During her speech, the audience seemed engaged with a positive attitude toward her campaign. Not only did she receive support from women, but she also received support from thousands of men for the commitment of the HeForShe campaign (Watson, 2014).

Speaker

Watson is a British actor that was named the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women in 2014. A few months after, she came out with her HeForShe campaign. Watson is a strong woman that is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs on women’s rights. She is a feminist that is not worried about coming off as being anti-men, unprofessional, and too strong. She expressed that there is no country in this world that can expect gender inequality to change unless there is a fight (Watson, 2014). If Watson were to not make this issue a priority, changing women’s rights would be suppressed. Text The next part of this essay will analyze Watson’s speech by using the five canons of rhetoric.

Invention

Watson began her speech by defining feminism. She then started by saying how she was leery about gender issues when she was as young as eight years old. When she was 15 years old, her friends dropped out of sports because they did not want to come across as being muscular. Also, when she was 18 years old, her male friends did not feel comfortable conveying their feelings (Watson, 2014). Watson uses ethos to attain credibility with the audience. For instance, she relates her own experiences of gender inequality from being a girl. She expresses that she could have helped out more in resulting equal rights for women (Watson, 2014). Watson uses pathos in her speech by engaging in the audience’s emotions. She covers the stereotypes that men have by being labeled as feminine if they express their feelings (Watson, 2014). In Watson’s speech, she notes the suffering that men face from mental illness from their fear of being ‘too weak’ and ‘not manly enough’. That being said, she makes sure to covey that her message is not only for women and girls, but men and boys too. Watson struggles to believe she is a strong candidate for the role of ambassador. She asks the audience, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” (Watson, 2014) Her intentions by asking these two questions were to convey the audience to take action in making a change. She hopes both male and female take part in her HeForShe campaign because it is going to take both genders to end gender inequality. In Watson’s speech, she provides many examples and facts that verify the purpose of the HeForShe campaign. She used logos to describe a few examples of hatred that males received during childhood, implying that gender inequality is not only pertained to women (Watson, 2014). Women have tried to conquer their rights many times, only accomplishing a little amount. She concluded that it is time to involve men and boys in her process (Watson, 2014).

Organization

Watson shows indications of organization by processing her thoughts and controversies to boost the HeForShe campaign. She starts by stating her personal gender inequality experiences when she was a child. Watson then defines feminism and expresses her perception of the word. She conveys her bitterness on how women should have equal rights, equal pay, decisions regarding their body, and overall be respected the same way as men do (Watson, 2014). Although, she is informed no country has all of these equal rights. Watson also arranges her speech, so that men can take action on gender equality. Her speech conveys many different ways that the world views gender equality. Style. Watson does a nice job at engaging the audience by not shying away from her own beliefs and experiences she once had as a child while being a feminist. She convinced the audience to realizing there is a severe need for change (Watson, 2014). During her speech, she repeats important words and phrases, so the audience remembers them. Watson’s style shows off her passion, intelligence, and strong will because she is confident enough to bring men and women together to fight for gender equality.

Delivery

Watson’s delivery successfully promotes her HeForShe campaign and expresses her devotion to gender inequality. The approach and tone of her voice kept the audience engaged, letting her words flow at a steady pace. Watson dressed in a white professional outfit that she proposed her speech in. Her speech was delivered in a formal and smoothly manner. Watson had outstanding eye contact with her audience while using her eyebrows to point out different sections in her speech. Her eyebrows rose when she discussed that men should be a part of the change she hopes to see. The confidence Watson had while delivering her speech, portrays the dedication and passion that she has for this topic. Memory. The last canon is memory. Watson makes it evident that she was extremely prepared to present her speech to the intended audience. She hardly looks at her transcript, keeping good eye contact throughout. Having an actress background may have benefited her to feel confident in expressing her experiences and beliefs.

Conclusion

Using the Neo-Aristotelian approach to analyze Watson’s speech has been effective since she has convinced the intended audience that gender equality needs to be acted upon. Watson adding her personal experiences as a feminist in her speech has helped her fit the role of being the Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. With her experiences and passion regarding gender equality, she has persuaded both male and females to take action in changing the way they view the world and by joining the HeForShe campaign. Watson’s speech presents a well-balanced structure between her personal experiences, history, and facts about equality (Watson, 2014). She wins her audience over when she adds that men and boys need to join the HeForShe campaign in order to change this issue, as well as, adding that they are the only people that can take action in changing how the world views gender equality (Watson, 2014). To conclude, Watson is an ideal candidate to represent as the UN women ambassador for the HeForShe campaign and will continue taking action in ending gender inequality.         

References

1. Watson, E. (2014). Emma Watson's speech at the United Nations: Gender equality is your issue too. UN Women. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too

2. Foss, S. K. (2018). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice. Waveland Press.

3. HeForShe. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.heforshe.org/

4. United Nations Women. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en

5. Primeau, L. (2015). Emma Watson's Impact On Feminism Has Been Powerful, But It's Not Done Yet. Bustle. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/articles/109978-emma-watsons-impact-on-feminism-has-been-powerful-but-its-not-done-yet

6. Julia, J. (2016). Emma Watson's Malawi Visit: An End To Childhood Marriage And A Push For Equality. Vibe. Retrieved from https://www.vibe.com/2016/09/emma-watson-malawi-visit-child-marriage-gender-equality/

7. Wenzler, N. (2019). Emma Watson's Fight For Gender Equality. The Borgen Project. Retrieved from https://borgenproject.org/emma-watsons-fight-for-gender-equality/

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8. University of Oxford. (2015). Gender equality: a big conversation. Retrieved from https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2015-06-10-gender-equality-big-conversation