Vanesa Bravo

January 29, 2018

English II

English II 1st Semester Final Exam

Ever came across the thought of who fought for the rights we have now? Not many have

thought about the evolution of basic rights. Throughout history, many people have fought for

what they believe in and stand by. Countless people have fought with violence but certainly not

many people can say they have fought without using any violence action. Not everyone has the

same mindset and heart as these brave souls, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai, and Martin

Luther King Jr. The common claim between these powerful individuals was fighting for human

rights.

Eleanor Roosevelt, spouse of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the leader

of the Universal Declaration Human Rights drafting committee. She was known both for

defending attacks against the UDHR and motivating supporters. Prior to the United Nation

General Assembly vote, Roosevelt gave a speech urging the assembly to adopt the declaration.

She believes that the UDRH is a great document and should be adopted by the United Nations

(UN). In the first part of her speech, she states, “The long and “meticulous” study…”. The

document was well observed and was noted in detail. It is relevant and sufficient because since it

was carefully detailed, it was well written. Roosevelt also states, “...reflects the composite views

of many…”. The document was compromised with many different points of views rather than
just one. Considering that it has many different perspectives, it makes the document much

stronger. Roosevelt uses repetition (ethos) in her speech by stating, “...comparable to the

proclamation of Declaration to the rights of the main by the french people in 1789, the adoption

of the Bill of Rights…”. She uses historical references for credibility and to compare it to the

UDHR.

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for education. At the age of 11-12, she kept a

radio blog for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) describing the conditions under the

Taliban and her efforts to attend school and to promote education for girls. On July 12, 2013, she

gave her first public speech about the issue of education after being attacked by the Taliban in

Pakistan. In the speech, Malala’s purpose is to speak “so that those without a voice can be

heard.” Malala uses pathos, appeal to emotions, to advance her purpose because she states,

“weakness, fear, and hopelessness died, strength, power, and courage was born”. She lets the

audience know that even though she got shot and attacked, she is still standing strong. Malala

gained international acclaim for her courage and forgiveness after the shooting. Malala uses

pathos let not only herself be heard but everyone else in the community. Malala continues to

repeat the phrase, “Dear sisters and brothers” throughout her speech to show respect within the

community. She tends to repeat this phrase to make the people (us) feel welcomed and part of a

family that sticks together.

Martin Luther King Jr was an American activist who became an inspiring spokesperson.

On April 1963, Mr. King, along with others, were arrested because they were protesting about
the issue of the black community in Alabama, Birmingham. He writes “Letter From

Birmingham”, explains why he should be allowed back to the town and to defend his non-violent

way of ending racism. In the beginning of his letter, he states, “...provides a moral reason for his

presence”. This specific word choice creates a respectful tone because he is politely giving out

his reasons why he should be allowed back to Birmingham and defending his rights with respect.

Mr. King uses imagery to further his claim throughout his letter to the Clergymen. He states

“The streets would be flowing with floods of blood”. The impact of this imagery is to represent

people would be dying and getting into injuries on the streets. He tells the Clergymen that if he is

not allowed back to Birmingham then the only answer people will use to fix the issue is violence.

Without Mr. King, the town will get out of hand and chaos would be roaming through the streets.

To wrap it all up, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai, and Martin Luther King Jr all

argued for the same issue, human rights. These significant individuals all used different

rhetorical devices to further advance their claim and purposes. An example of human rights

being threatened is President Donald Trump staying in office. Mr. Trump has made an impact of

the lives of immigrants and their families by changing the policy, attempting on building the wall

between the border of Mexico and North America, and separating due to the harsh deportation.

Looking over Mr. Trump's actions, we can observe that our rights as human beings are still in

jeopardy rather than being taken care of.