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Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation

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Submitted By tswayz
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The speech I have chosen to write about is the “1992 Republican National Convention Address:

A Whisper of AIDS” by May Fisher. Even though I did not notice any bias in the speech, I did

recognize fallacies and rhetorical devices. The following fallacies noted are:

Scapegoating: “Less than three months ago at platform hearings in Salt Lake City, I asked the

Republican Party to lift the shroud of silence which has been draped over the issue of HIV and AIDS.”

Scare tactics: “But despite science and research, White House meetings, and congressional hearings,

despite good intentions and bold initiatives, campaign slogans, and hopeful promises, it is -- despite it

all -- the epidemic which is winning tonight.”

Ad hominem: “We have killed each other with our ignorance, our prejudice, and our silence.”

I found the following rhetorical devices in the speech:

Metaphor: “In the context of an election year, I ask you here in this great hall, or listening in the quiet

of your home, to recognize that AIDS virus is not a political creature.”

Paradox/Parallelism: “If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. Because I was not hemophiliac, I

was not at risk. Because I was not gay, I was not at risk. Because I did not inject drugs, I was not at

risk.”

Alliteration: “It does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or

old.”

Rhetorical question: “Are you human? And this is the right question. Are you human? Because people

with HIV have not entered some alien state of being. They are human.”

The speaker addressed arguments and counterarguments by injecting themselves, their family

and those around them directly into the story. Real life experiences can add credibility and validate the

speaker's story in the eyes of the audience. The speaker embraces the idea of not only openly

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