When we think of a hero, of a great person, we think of those who have fought endless battles. But, what if the battle was not fought on solid ground? Think of it…in our everyday life: Ignorance, prejudice, hatred…those are battles, too; maybe the toughest we have yet to overcome. I want to share with you a woman who is fighting this same battle: Mary Fisher, Republican, speaking out on the battlefield of the Republican National Convention, Houston, TX, 1992. Mary Fisher, a woman avid for allies, battling against AIDS. In Mary Fisher’s “A Whisper of AIDS,” Mary, a mother, who is HIV positive, speaks out about how awareness is the key to finding a cure. Her speech will be analysed using Aristotle’s approach to rhetoric. By applying logos, pathos, and ethos, Mary’s speech can be best understood. What is her logic? What passion does she want you to feel? And what makes her credible? Those questions will be answered in this speech today.

Mary Fisher’s logic is very clear– without awareness we cannot move forward in fighting the battle against AIDS. We should fight with our words and not our silence. If AIDS is viewed as a homosexual disease then we have no hope in finding a cure. Mary’s logic in her speech calls us “to recognize that AIDS virus is not a political creature. It does not care whether you are Democrat of Republican; it does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or old.” This powerful logic helps redefine who the real AIDS’ victims/survivors are. In the beginning of her speech, she uses statistics on how millions of people are infected and how, “[t]wo hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying.” Logically, one cannot ignore there is a present problem that needs to be addressed. AIDS is not a disease trapped in the impoverished places of Africa or between the sheets of a Shanghai prostitute’s bed.