Rhetorical Comparison of speeches by Betty Williams and Alva Myrdal

Rhetorical Comparison of speeches by Betty Williams and Alva Myrdal

The speeches by Betty Williams and Alva Myrdal share several characteristics. This discussion will compare the way the authors of the speeches use rhetorical concepts to persuade their audience to agree with their ideologies. Firstly, it important to note that both speeches use ethos to sway the audience. For instance, in Betty Williams tries to convince the audience that she engaged in the peace campaign to end the cycle of violence in Norway. She goes ahead to justify her actions by appealing to the audience emotions. For instance, she states, “All the energy, all the determination to express an overwhelming demand for an end to the sickening cycle of useless violence would have reverberated briefly and despairingly among the people, as had happened so many times before … if we had not organized ourselves to use that energy and that determination positively, once and for all” (Williams 1). Besides Williams persuades the audience to embrace diversity by breaking barriers to achieve peaceful coexistence. According to the speaker, “, people must begin to breach the barriers which divide them. We are divided on the surface of this planet, by physical barriers, emotional barriers, ideological barriers, barriers of prejudice and hatreds of every kind” (Williams 4). Similarly, Myrdal tries to persuade the audience to pursue peace without using weapons such as nuclear. The author appeals to the audience to resort to the peaceful resolution of conflict. For instance, Myrdal states, “How would it be possible, even at immense expense, to inaugurate a new and happy existence for the world on the ruins of one that would be at least half-destroyed? The misconception that a victory can be worth its price has in the nuclear age become a total illusion” (2). This statement is meant to sparka discussion among the audience to help them perceive the world without violence.

Works Cited

Myrdal, Alva. “Disarmament, Technology and the Growth in Violence.” Nobel Lecture, 1982.

Williams,Betty. “The Nobel Peace Prize 1976”. Nobel lecture, 1977.

 

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