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Language is one of the mightiest and most influential tools of leadership. Leaders use the power of speech and language to affect their followers, explain ideas and beliefs, and gradually change the world. Many famous leaders struggled for justice and the well-being of their people: among others were Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony and Lili’uokalani. Using strong, argumentative, and persuasive language, leaders force people to realize the inequity in societies and empower followers to confront injustice.
Interestingly, mentioned leaders used to apply the same proclamation: their speeches were based on belonging to citizenship. As concerned citizens, they claimed fair rights and justice for everybody. Mandela talked about the equity of all South African, and Anthony argued that women should vote as citizens of the USA. Lili’uokalani was fighting for the sovereignty of Hawaii, calling herself a “humble citizen” (Temmen 348). Their claims were understandably supported by solid evidence and reasoning.
Diction may be defined as the art of speaking; speech should be expressive, clear, and understandable. Mentioned leaders’ diction affected followers: they heard leaders’ thoughts and wanted to hear more. Language has significant power, and it may be highly inspiring and engaging. Leaders used rhetorical devices such as logos, pathos, and ethos to brighten and make their speeches more persuasive. Logos appeals to logic, and Anthony’s fight for women’s rights involved the usage of this device. In her speech, Anthony claimed that “any class of people without the right to vote” was a “degraded class in the labor force”, appealing to the working-class audience (Styer 405). She also used ethos, appealing to ethics, promoting fair treatment for all people, anti-slavery and social equality. Pathos, an appeal to emotion, was frequently used by Mandela before going to prison: his early speeches were sharp and passionate (Arora et al. 242). The use of rhetorical devices helped those leaders to strengthen their arguments and highlight essential ideas.
Leaders must use strong claims supported by relevant evidence and reasoning to be heard and effectively confront injustice. The examples of Mandela, Anthony, and Lili’uokalani reveal the power of speech, the opportunities, and the changes that may be reached with the help of persuasive language. Speech should consist of strong arguments supported by evidence and reasoning. While intensifying the claims is possible with the help of diction with appropriate rhetorical devices.
Works Cited
Arora, Poonam, et al. “Broadening the frame around sustainability with holistic language: Mandela and Invictus.” Humanistic Management Journal, vol. 3, no. 2, 2018, pp. 233-251. Web.
Styer, Meridith. “Susan B. Anthony’s Extemporaneous Speaking for Woman Suffrage.” Women’s Studies in Communication, vol. 40, no. 4, 2017, pp. 401-418. Web.
Temmen, Jens. “So it happens that we are relegated to the condition of the aborigines of the American continent”: Disavowing and Reclaiming Sovereignty in Liliuokalani’s Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen and the Congressional Morgan Report.” Postcolonial Justice, edited by Anke Bartels et al., Brill, 2017, pp. 333-355.
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