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Natalie Elizabeth WatralCommunication 101Rhetorical Criticism10 April 2000
In Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s (1815-1902) speech, the “Solitude of Self,” she
delves into the unprecedented idea of individuality as it encompasses all of humanity. As
a well-known feminist of the 19th century, she used her expertise as a woman leader and
rhetor to connect with humans on a level that transcended everyday thought. Her
reputation that developed throughout her lifetime didn’t always make it easy for her voice
to be heard. In a male-dominated culture there was little room for women crusaders.
However, she managed to emerge into the public eye as a problem-solver with a
propositional goal of practical and poetic answers to human nature. This is exemplified
in her “Solitude of Self” that was delivered on three separate occasions to three separate
audiences. Discovering the history surrounding 1892, and detailing the descriptive
content that arose from her spoken creation has shed light into a past that I never realized
existed in such drama. Studying this speech and speaker allowed me to evaluate a period
of history that has undoubtedly shaped the world I live in today 1108 years later.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped establish the definition of humanity and womanhood, in a
time when manhood was the only acceptable way. How could one individual make such
an impact on society and yet, be just a name echoed from the past?
Historical Analysis
Discussing her role in society and defining the limitations that were present at that
time can best describe the historical context in which Stanton delivered her famous
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speech “Solitude of Self.” Due to Stanton’s high involvement in a multitude of public
women’s movements, analyzing her personal contributions is one of the most effective
ways to depict late 19th century culture in reference to her speech. Her whole life was
dedicated to improving the social conditions for women as citizens and individuals.
Stanton was born into a life of privilege. Her family’s wealth and her father’s
educational training opened doors for her at an early age that were closed to most other
women at the time, since, college education prohibited women’s attendance. In spite, of
the denial of higher education she took advantage of her personal status and used it to
develop into a women’s rights advocate, feminist, suffragist, scholar and crusader. At an
early age Stanton began to evaluate the world around her. In the 1830s, reform
movements were taking shape to attack a variety of problems, all of which seemed aimed
at the improvement of the common man (Banner, IX). From slavery to strict poverty
much was needed to improve the country as a whole. Social disorder was perpetuated
with obstacles of the past that had not yet, been effectively eliminated. Stanton observed
these obstacles and then challenged them. When improving the quality of life for men,
why can’t women receive the same social benefits along the way? This is a type of
question that Stanton may have asked that drove her devotion for female liberation and
equality.
She led a long life through major periods of American history; the Civil War,
national expansion and industrialization, and a complex culture of American Women
activism at the end of the 19th century. While war and industrialization were paving ways
for females to move into the labor force, their social integration was still lacking. Stanton
became an early abolitionist and the founder of some of the most renowned movements
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in women’s history. In 1848, she met with fellow feminist friends to discuss her
discontent of limitations placed on women under American democracy. This was the
beginning of the Women’s Rights Convention that took place at Seneca Falls. The main
agenda for the convention was Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, a
framework she adapted from the Declaration of Independence. Her proposal called for
higher education and professional opportunities for women, property rights for married
women, the right to divorce, the right to custody of children, freedom from the legal
power of husbands over women, and most controversial the right to vote (Gage website,
58). After this convention backlash began in criticism of Stanton’s Declaration, but
mainly on the idea of women’s right to vote. The convention received an unbelievable
amount of press coverage (all negative, however) and soon a small convention was a
national news topic. This early speech did not evoke much change in the male-
dominated society. In 1866, Congress passed the 14th amendment, stating for the first
time “citizens” and “voters” are defined as “male” in the Constitution of the United States
(Legacy ’98, 2). Stanton was described as a radical feminist and her further works of
social reform continued to bring more criticism and constraints than ever.
After the Civil War she helped found the National Women’s Suffrage
Association, became a co-author of the first four volumes of the History of Woman’s
Suffrage with Susan B. Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage, and in an attack on the Bible
rewrote her own and called it the Woman’s Bible. Elisabeth Griffith wrote “..her
declaration of a feminist ideology of independence, her agitation for radical social
change, and her attack on the Bible provoked debate and dissention” from the
conservative population of the 19th century (XIV). She was assuming a role in society
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that was unheard of for a woman, she was becoming a revolutionary. Her fellow feminist
allies were beginning to loosen their support as the public became more and more
angered by Stanton’s determination to liberate women.
Stanton became a rebel. As she matured she attacked the restrictions of female
activity she encountered in every realm of her life. The unifying factor in her life was the
idealism of independence (Griffith, XVIII). She articulated this idea in every action in
her own life and then attempted to extend her thinking to all females. “Solitude of Self”
was her last speech in 1892, and its context exemplifies idealism of the individuality of
humanity. Stanton delivered this speech at the age of seventy-six. There is no record on
the attitude of the audience members present, but one can assume from her history that
she did not stand before a group of supporters. Her last public fight for women’s rights
was delivered as a form of rhetorical persuasion much unlike her previous radical
experiences. Her address hardly mentioned the right to vote or legal equality for women.
In the last stage of her life she chose a different focus. She turned to nature and
individual solitude. She poetically went after the emotional side of her audience putting
aside harsh speech and accusations. Unfortunately, in spite of her last attempt Stanton
did not live to see women granted the fundamental equality that would allow for full
independence. The 19th amendment was passed in 1920, allowing women the right to
vote as defined by their rights as an American citizen.
Descriptive Analysis
Applying common characteristics of rhetorical speech critiques, outlined by
Campbell and Burkholder, lends a method to create a descriptive analysis of “Solitude of
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Self” (Chapter 2). This is not an easy task however, because overall the speech does not
stick to definite rhetorical characteristics, yet it does use them in an adapted sense. In this
speech the most important aspect is discussed first, the purpose and thesis. The later
points of description are used to reinforce and support Stanton’s message to her audience.
Stanton adopted a certain persona so that she could effectively reach and relate to her
audience. To act out this role she had to use a tone and language appropriate to both her
audience and her personal purpose. Together these areas are worked into a unique
structure to efficiently deliver her presentation. In Stanton’s structure ‘unique’ is the
operative word. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell would argue that “Solitude of Self” lacks any
logical structure at all (Rationale for Feminism, 305). It is true that her speech contains
no real introduction or typical body format that is generally used to describe structure.
However, Stanton does have an innovative structure incorporated with different strategies
like progression and repetition that compose the body of her speech. Like her structure
her use of supporting material is unique in form as well. She does not offer concrete
evidence to support her discourse; instead she uses examples, imagery, analogies, and
metaphors to tell stories that illustrate her argument. Her individual strategies are what
make this speech so powerful. Highlighting the various areas distinctive to this speech
first, will set the stage for further criticism and evaluation.
Stanton’s thesis is not directly stated in an introduction, but it is repeated
throughout the entirety of her speech. She begins by stating reference to the arguments in
favor of a sixteenth amendment, which was aimed at providing equal opportunities to
women in various forms like voting rights, property rights, educational rights, and basic
freedom rights as a United States citizen. However, her utmost purpose was stressing the
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importance of fundamental rights of individual human beings, and hence encompassing
women. She set out this idea in four intertwining points. The over-arching point was the
importance of “individuality of each human soul”; next she addressed citizenship and the
idea that if a woman is considered a citizen then she must have all rights as a citizen; then
she stated that equal factors in civilization lead to the same psycho-social needs of
happiness and development; and finally the “incidental relations of life” that yield rights
of a woman (1-2). The thesis of this speech may seem surprising at first because Stanton
was a well-known activist in the Women’s Suffrage Movement as well as other historical
women’s movements and protests, yet she did not target women as her direct priority but
rather an indirect product of human nature.
The role that Stanton assumed to deliver her speech was that of a commentator on
life and individualism. She did not use her prescribed role as a radical feminist to
persuade her audience to agree with her and simply pass a law in favor of women. She
simply stood as an individual and almost a philosopher and delivered a monologue on
human nature. She did not implicitly tell her audience what to think she only spoke to
arise thoughts and consciousness about the individuality of all persons. This approach
does help to infer what type of audience she was speaking to. It is learned in the opening
sentence however, that she is speaking to members of Congress on the Committee of the
Judiciary, which was all male. This is only semi-important, though. In fact, “Solitude of
Self” was delivered three different times. The first time was in front of the House
Committee on the Judiciary, the second was as a farewell speech to the American
Woman Suffrage Association, and the third was at a hearing before the Senate Committee
on Woman Suffrage (Campbell, Humanistic Underpinnings, 133-134). This indicates
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that the speech was constructed in such a way that all individuals could learn and benefit
from listening. In the copy I selected she was speaking to an all male audience, which I
only concluded from the opening remarks. Her tone and unique structure further hint to
this idea of a universal audience.
Stanton’s attitude toward the subject of individual humanity was both sincere and
determined. She provided a very educated aura with her word choice and just the subject
in general. The subject she chose to tackle was very complex and thought provoking, and
only an excellent speaker could possibly portray this to a universal audience. She did not
attempt to dominate over her audience. She placed herself on an equal level with them.
She related to men and women by using phrases like “our Protestant idea”, “to guide our
own craft…” and “we come into this world alone…". This was very effective especially
when being presented to an all male audience. She did not directly place blame on men
for perpetuating inequality. However, she did do things like name only men when talking
about the spheres that society puts people into due to gender (2). Subtle hints that
pointed at decisions made by society (decisions that men only were making) were the
only implications of blame. More importantly she spoke about the common journey
throughout life for both herself and everyone else in the audience. She did this using
vivid language and other strategies to create a structure that everyone could follow.
As mentioned earlier she did not open her speech with a descriptive introduction
on what to expect in her discourse. Instead, she jumped right into the main body of her
discussion and started applying her thoughts to everyday life as it affects all individuals.
However, this was not planned in a neat outline form. The organization of her speech
was closely related to what Campbell and Burkholder refer to as a narrative-dramatic
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development (29). She used an organization similar to a story, in which she described
individual development from birth to death. Each part of the story was inter-related to
compose her central idea, the understanding of the importance of the solitude of self
regardless of gender. Campbell also asserts that Stanton’s structure resembled a lyric
poem in which “the lyric is intimate in tone, relies on personal experience, and uses
sensual or aesthetic materials, including metaphor, to induce a response in the audience”
(Humanistic Underpinnings, 136). The strategy Stanton applied in her structure was
meant to evoke emotion. She began by laying out that at birth people have a right to self-
sovereignty and each person must rely on himself or herself. Then she foreshadows her
narrative by stating “We come into the world alone, unlike all who have gone before us;
we leave it alone under circumstances peculiar to ourselves” (3). This quote was
common in her speech by the way it provoked thought and emotion about the
inevitability of death in solitude. It was an example of the progression that her speech
would take to prove her point that at all stages in life people are alone, and if society
takes away the rights of knowledge of any individual, then dealing with the journey of
life will be unfair.
To support the progression of life as individuals both male and female, Stanton
used comparisons, metaphors, and examples. In one account she compares the character
of a king and a prisoner (4). Though these two are completely different in status she
united them by highlighting the fact that no matter how much or how little a person has,
each has solitude in life. She did this in many areas throughout her speech. She also
used metaphors to illustrate her thesis. “To throw obstacle in the way of education is like
putting out the eyes; to deny rights of property, like cutting off the hands” (5). This vivid
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description impacts the audience emotionally and helps to support her argument. By
disguising her thesis in descriptions like this one Stanton had the power to indirectly
point at accusers without losing their respect. She was very skillful in the way she used
support material to also give herself credibility as an educated female in a male
dominated society. Alike many true scholars Stanton sought support using a
Shakespearian play as an example of women’s position in society (5). All of these
support materials reinforce her thesis without stating any evidence or factual statistics.
However, this does not make it any less convincing. It does make her structure less
traditional, but even defying some standards of rhetoric Stanton still got her goal across.
Perhaps, one way that added to her strength as a rhetor was her ability to present the same
idea repeatedly, but in a different form every time. Her use of repetition probably did not
go unnoticed, but coupled with the unique structure and variety of support material it
struck individuals in the right spot, in their subconscious. Together all of these
descriptive techniques worked together to present the importance of individualism and
made people at least realize the connection between solitude and the need for equality.
Stanton reinforces this by concluding her speech with a thought-provoking question that
is left lingering in the minds of the audience.
Critical Perspective
A critical perspective is an invented ‘grading criteria’ applied to a discourse by
the critic. The perspective should assess the major conclusions drawn from both the
historical analysis and the descriptive analysis. This section has two parts; an explanation
of why a perspective is chosen and how the perspective will be defined.
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The most important focus from the two previous analyses is a compilation of how
Stanton structures her argument using different strategies including vivid language,
examples, metaphors, comparisons and repetition. This complex structure has three main
purposes. First, the style allows Stanton to effectively reinforce her thesis in different
forms over and over again without losing attention. Second, it allows her to relate to her
audience by providing in-depth description on their level. Third, it allows Stanton to
indirectly accuse the audience for perpetuating gender inequalities without offending
them. This illustrates why I chose the perspective that follows.
There is no definite perspective to associate with this explanation, so I have
invented one of my own. I have borrowed ideas from two different perspectives and
compiled them into one. In Thomas Scheidel’s book, Persuasive Speaking, he outlines
the Classical Rhetorical Canons, otherwise known as Campbell and Burkholder’s
rationalistic approach (12-17). In Scheidel’s descriptions of the canons (originated by
Aristotle) the ones that apply to my perspective are invention, disposition, and elocution.
Invention is the analysis of the proposition, or scheme and the formulation of approaches
that a speaker uses. Often times the speaker’s greatest task under this idea is to convince
the audience that a problem does exist. Subordinate to invention is the awareness of the
audience needs. What point does the speaker need to focus greatest consideration, and
what is the best means of persuasion? Another concept subordinate to invention is that of
‘topics’. This answers question like “What was the cause of the problem?”, or “What
effects can be expected if the problem is not solved?”. Disposition is basically the
arrangement or structure of the speech. For example, “What order were events
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portrayed?” Elocution is the style in which the speech utilizes things like language, or
word choice and the arrangements of words into larger units.
The second perspective I borrowed ideas from was Campbell’s account of
Burke’s tragic perspective with the use of a lyric mode (Humanistic Underpinnings, 139).
This was chosen because Stanton emphasized the life of an individual. In doing so, she
used poetic language like that of a lyric. Both of these perspectives describe the same
explanations stated at the beginning of this section. However, each perspective highlights
the same aspect in a different way. Therefore, the connection between the two
perspectives exhausts almost all possible reasons for the complex structure and its
purposes.
Evaluation
Stanton’s speech has a unique structure built by vivid language, examples,
metaphors, comparisons, and repetition. The fact that there is a structure, even if it is
totally unique to this speech suggests that invention is a factor that is effectively
demonstrated. Repetition is one of the strategies applied to Stanton’s structure. She
stresses the same ideal of the importance of solitude in the development of every
individual regardless of gender. Sometimes she does this by using examples of situations
that only pertain to individuals who have developed on their own to learn how to deal
with the situation independently. Other times, she uses metaphors to construct arguments
for her structure that clearly highlight the importance of her thesis. And yet, there are
other instances where a gender comparison is used to help show the audience that if it is
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valuable for a man to stand alone, then why not a woman if we are all created equal?
Vivid language is thus, used to create these strategies with the greatest amount of impact.
This is how Stanton achieves the task of convincing the audience of the problematic
gender equalities that exist. However, it is very difficult to know what the audience was
thinking when they left her speech. In the history of the formation of the present-day 19th
amendment we know that they didn’t solve the problem right away. However, if they left
the speech with the realization that each individual lives in solitude their whole life, and
if every person is not provided with equal opportunities to tools, and therefore,
development is unfair in the favor of the individuals who did receive the tools. Then, she
achieved her task.
The first subordinate of invention is the awareness of the audiences’ needs.
Stanton knew what her audience needed. She knew that they needed a fresh way of
looking at an old argument. That is exactly what her structure provided. She used every
area of her complex structure to relate to her audience and describe her thesis in every
way possible. She spoke to rich and poor, male and female, educated and uneducated and
then used these exact descriptions in her speech. Everyone was well accounted for and
represented in her speech. She chose to concentrate on this aspect and should be
applauded for the diversity she promoted. Her means of persuasion was almost a wake-
up call. She articulated examples that expressed what would happen if every person were
limited to the constraints that women face. This especially worked well with the men in
making them realize that if someone had taken their developmental tools away they
would be helpless, much like they viewed women. The final subordinate of invention
supplies answers to what caused the inequality in the first place. This is best described in
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the facts of history. Inequality started with white European settlers enslaving people of
different ethnicities, which spawned an oppressive-hungry culture. Once, civil rights
started making this illegal, females became the next or lasting target. The effects on this
if left unsolved would have left our country ignorant to the benefits of more equal
society. It also would have perpetuated the problem further until it heightened beyond
any control, even by men.
Following the canon of disposition is effectively completed when Stanton outlines
her speech in a progression of solitude from birth until death. She says that all people
start at the same place, live their life and gradually become out-of-balance because men
are given more opportunity, and in the end everyone dies alone. However, it is the
middle part of life that she dedicated the majority of her structure in describing. This is
evident in the fact that her speech lacks an introduction and has a very simple conclusion.
The final canon utilized in Stanton’s speech is elocution, or style. This is
achieved by the use of vivid language and metaphoric language to illustrate the structure.
Stanton chooses words that target all audiences. If she tells a story one way and someone
doesn’t understand, they are bound to hear the exact same story in another form that may
be more fitting to the individual. Her arrangement of words into larger units helps to
chunk the speech into comprehendible sections. If the whole speech just flowed without
these chunks, or stories the audience would have had a harder time grasping her purpose.
The second half of my perspective deals with issues Campbell raises in her
Humanistic Underpinnings of Feminism (136). The vivid language, example, metaphors,
comparisons, and repetition are presented in a way much like that of a lyric poem. This
means that they evoke an intense emotion within audience members in either a conscious
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or subconscious way. Consciously, the structure lures people into listening about the
solitude of human self by describing it in an interesting manner. There is no dull story in
Stanton’s techniques. Even if a person is unfamiliar with a story she uses as an example
of the gender inequalities, one is intrigued to figure out how it fits into the speech’s
purpose. Campbell writes about natural rights philosophy and its affect on human beings
(136). Stanton becomes a philosopher and a commentator on life by solitude. Therefore,
she accurately fulfills the requirement when she delivers her speech in such a way as to
make people think. Subconsciously, repetition ingrains in the audience’s mind Stanton’s
delivery of this lyric. Even if people were left pondering a story she told, a comparison
she made, or a relation into a metaphor she made them think. This realization is the first
step on her way to achieving her ultimate goal of equal social and legal rights of women.
The realization is not however, one of happiness. This is where the tragic perspective of
the individual factors into play.
Stanton gave an account of how human nature develops into and individual that is
inevitably confronted by the fate of death. As Campbell stated, “…feminism could not
change the human condition” (139). Stanton was well aware of this fact and as a result
did not set out to change human nature in her speech. All she wanted to do was discuss
the existence of human pains and shed light on how further pain can be avoided. She also
used this chance to put men (mainly) back in their place. They are not Gods and
therefore, have no right to attempt to tinker with nature. They cannot control it no matter
how hard they try they can only artificially manipulate it. However, they can only do this
for so long and in the end, nature always wins. Therefore, Stanton’s call for overall
human welfare and humanistic concern was meant to find ways to even the playing field.
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Even though the playing field offers wins and losses it is only natural that each individual
faces these consequences alone.
In conclusion, Elizabeth Cady Stanton exceeded the expectations of a rhetor by
transforming from a speaker to a philosopher. Her persuasive tactics and historical
reputation posed challenges that many speakers never face. She successfully
accomplished the delivery of a complicated structure to emphasize her purpose to a
universal audience. Her descriptive elements reinstated the quality of her message and
allowed it to linger in the minds of all humanity.
“To guide our own craft, we must be captain, pilot, engineer; with chart and compass to stand at the wheel; to match the wind and waves and know when to take in the sail, and to read the signs in the firmament over all. It matters not whether the solitary voyager is man or woman” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1892).
It is because of the efforts of revolutionary women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton that I can
live today as a woman, as an individual, and as a captain.
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Bibliography
Banner, Lois W. Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women’s Rights. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980.
“Biographical Dictionary of Women and Pro-feminist Mentioned on the Matilda Joslyn Gage Website.” <www.pinn.net/~sunshine/gage/features/dict.html> (5 April 2000).
Campbell, Karlyn. Man Cannot Speak For Her: A Critical Study of Early Feminist Rhetoric. “Humanistic Underpinnings”. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
---. “Stanton’s ‘The Solitude of Self’ A Rationale For Feminism.” The Quarterly Journal Of Speech. 66 (1980): 304-312.
Campbell, Karlyn, and Thomas Burkholder. Critiques of Contemporary Rhetoric. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997.
Griffith, Elisabeth. In Her On Right: The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. New York: Oxford University Press,1984.
“Legacy ’98: A Short History of the Movement.” < www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html> (4 April 2000).
Scheidel, Thomas. Persuasive Speaking. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1967.
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Solitude of Self.” Delivered before the Committee of the Judiciary of the United States Congress. 18 January, 1892.
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