Margaret Atwood's Speech

My interpretation of the speeches is shaped by the composer's integration of rhetorical techniques to engage and reflect their personal opinions. The notions of freedom, equality and women's rights explored within these speeches convey both composers’ perspectives influenced by their social values and beliefs. The speeches by Aung San Suu Kyi "Keynote Address at the Beijing World conference on women" and Margaret Atwood "Spotty handed Villainesses," both address the ongoing issues present within a male dominated society and desires to empower women.

In the "Keynote Address at the Beijing World conference on women", the composer empowers women by influencing an audience's interpretations on the rights and equality for women. The use of simile …show more content…
Suggested by the symbolism and literary allusion in the title "Spotty Handed Villainesses," the composer alludes to Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's Macbeth; where the spots represent moral complexity adding interest to literature. The personal anecdote and extended metaphor in the quote "when my daughter was five... The play progressed. The two characters had more breakfast. Then they had more," accentuates the tedious nature of novels and similarly, the use of stereotypical female characters. She reinforces this notion through a biblical allusion, "Adam so subject to temptation that he sacrificed eternal life for an apple," referring back to her beliefs of accurately depicting real life men as weak. As a result, the rhetorical techniques allow Atwood the ability to explore and further support her views and aspirations for the creation of stronger women in …show more content…
Her personal and cultural beliefs are reflected in her use of a Burmese proverb and symbolism, "the dawn rises only when the rooster crows." Kyi stresses upon the cultural and political problems regarding the denial of giving women proper role in government and politics, while men are represented as the "rooster" depicted as superior and powerful highlighting the inequality and lack of freedom within this patriarchal society. Aung San Suu Kyi aspires to empower women and encourage others to seek common ground; establishing a "mutual respect and understanding between men and women, instead of patriarchal domination and degration." The composer conveys her hopes and high modality for everyone, where the "world cannot fail to result in...," as she successfully engages her audience through her passionate ideas, beliefs and