Women’s Rights Still an Issue Today 

Women do not have the same rights as men. We have come so far, but we just are not fully equal. Whether it is in the workplace, at home or in a social setting, men and women never have the same treatment. Women are paid less than men, do not have the same political representation and are more at risk of domestic violence and rape. Women’s rights are very important to me because as a woman I experience these injustices and things need to change as soon as possible. It is mind boggling that the world has advanced dramatically in technology, education, and much more but today women are still getting paid less, experiencing harassment and rape, and are not included in the constitution. There is no equal playing field for men and women.  

The first article is “And still we rise: the global struggle for women’s rights” by Tamara Gausi from the Equal Times News Desk website. The author, Tamara Gausi is co-editor of Equal Times and has written for Time Out London and has been contributing editor for Time Out Lagos and editor-in-chief of The Bulletin (Brussels). The rhetorical situation is that the author wants to let everyone know what is really going on with women’s rights. She wants to share the truth and have everyone understand that women are still not equal to men in today’s day and age after so much has been discovered and we have advanced in every way possible: [“Humans have mastered flight, walked on the moon and created the internet but women still can’t be trusted to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies, be guaranteed freedom from violence or harassment or get paid the same amount as men for doing the same damn work.” (Gausi, Paragraph 1). The audience is the world. Women in the United States and all over the world are being discriminated against just for being women and everyone needs to know about this. Gausi writes about many situations where women were attacked or hurt for trying to stand up against discrimination so they could change their women’s lives.  

The purpose of this article is to raise awareness of the injustices between men and women and expose the cruel things that are occurring. She wants to bring people’s attention to the frightening but very real things that women face because of inequality and how it’s being mostly disregarded. Gausi includes articles throughout that go more into depth about specific events and situations around the world. “Yousafzai was shot and almost killed by the Taliban, simply for going to school and encouraging other girls to do the same; Franco was executed by still-unidentified gunmen on her way home from an empowerment event for young black women”. (Gausi, Paragraph 3). Guasi’s tone is very serious, urgent and direct, she wants something to be done as soon as possible and needs everyone to know this is real and its affecting people negatively. Gausi’s stance is that she’s an advocate for changing all the negative and unjust things happening to women. She wants equality for everyone all over the world, and she provides all the information she can to create change. The medium is a journal on a website.  She’s providing information on this topic along with factual information and research she has done from other articles and journals. The genre is a journal, Gausi writes about the injustices for women and shares real life examples and experiences. The language Gausi uses are metaphors and imagery to have the audience get into the shoes of the women that are suffering because of this inequality. The author is credible because she is a writer that has written various articles on women’s rights and has gathered a substantial amount of information from other articles and events that circulate around women’s rights. 

The second article is “18 Ways Women Still Aren’t Equal to Men” by Megan Friedman, Jenny Hollander, and Ineye Komonibo from Marie Claire magazine. The authors are all women that work for this Marie Claire magazine. The rhetorical situation is that men are always treated differently from women, no matter how big or small the differences are, there are differences that shouldn’t exist. The audience is anyone who wants to know the differences between men and women in the present day. The purpose of this article is to share the inequalities between men and women when they should be equal in every way shape and form and provide a better understanding of what feminism is: [“Somehow, “feminism” remains a controversial word, even though the definition of feminism is impossible to argue with—an effort to make sure every woman and every individual has rights equal to that of a cis white man, no matter their race, religion, gender identification, sexual preference, or anything else.”(Paragraph 1) 

  The authors tones are serious, empowering, sympathetic and formal. They empower the audience to fight for women’s rights and advocate for feminism because feminism represents equality for both men and women:[“Feminism is the hard work that both men and women have to do to level the playing field.” (Paragraph 3). The language used by the authors are metaphors and, symbolism. They use this to have the audience understand the seriousness and injustice there is between men and women. The genre is a journal because these women are listing their thoughts and findings about how men and women are different. The medium is an online magazine, where there are many other articles about women, and women’s rights. Their stance is that they are advocates and want to see something be done so women can be equal and free like men. 

The third article is “What do men get that women don’t? Here are a few things” by Alia E. Dastagir. The author is a woman who writes many different articles for USA today. The rhetorical situation is the injustices and struggles women face over and over again just for being women, and someone needs to inform others of this so something can change. The rhetorical situation is to create change and educate people on women’s rights. Dastagir is providing people with information so they can make a change and act accordingly. The audience is everybody. Being that this is a newspaper article online everyone can see it and search for it. It is public for everyone to see and be informed and make a difference. The purpose is to like the other articles: inform people and make sure they know what is happening so there can be a change. There are things that shouldn’t even have to be addressed because they should not be happening at all. Women should have control over their bodies, and women should have the right to healthcare regardless of their situation: [ “The women asked for affordable childcare, equal pay for equal work and that the federal government fund abortions for women who could not afford the procedure. They stressed the importance of national healthcare. They called for an end to discriminatory rape laws. They demanded the nation stop deporting immigrant mothers of American-born children.” (Paragraph 3). Dastagir’s tone is serious, empowering, honest, straightforward and formal. She is empowering not only women but, anyone who wants to make a difference for women. By writing this article she is sharing the struggles of women that people need to start supporting and changing. She is bringing down all the facts and is serious about the topic. 

  The author uses language such as metaphors and imagery to create an image in the readers mind of everything she is writes about and to make her message powerful to compel the reader. The medium is a web article. It’s an article published online for everyone to access. The genre is persuasive writing the author wants the audience to see things from her viewpoint and understand where her points. Dastagir’s stance is she’s an advocate and she want to make a difference regardless of anything. She supports women and, is providing the correct information for people to act and do something.  

The fourth article is “Demanding Women” by Laura Flanders. The author is a woman who is an English broadcast journalist that works for The Nation and Yes magazine. The rhetorical situation is providing people with information that they need and information that is usually hidden from the public and people are usually uneducated when it comes to women’s rights and discrimination based on gender. The audience is again, everyone. This article is meant for everybody to read and notify every one of the unacceptable things that are happening to women. Because we are women these things are done to us, just because we are seen as less than men when there is no real difference between us. The purpose is again to spread awareness, influence people and air out the truth that is hidden. The authors tone is serious, honest, demanding, passionate and empowering. She is providing all of the information she can so there can be a revolution in women’s rights. Women just want to be comfortable everywhere they go, want to have proper healthcare and childcare but unfortunately the government seems to not see the importance in any of this. The language she uses is imagery, and metaphors to accentuate the importance of change and the circumstances that exist. The genre is expository writing, she is exposing a lot of valuable information that needs to be shared to advise people of this discrimination. The medium is a newspaper article that is shared online for easy access. Flanders stance is being an advocate for a difference and dramatic change in discrimination based on sex. She wrote this so people can wake up and fight for what is right. 

All my articles come together and support that there needs to be a positive change in women’s rights. The use of rhetoric is very compelling in each article because the authors are credible, provide factual information that support what they are writing, and the language used clearly conveys that. They are all credible being that they are women, and many close have experiences with women’s rights and the inequalities women face. They also have done research and have gotten information from other reliable sources for their articles. Discrimination based on sex needs to end and what these articles are doing is spreading awareness and, advocating for the end of this inequality.  

Work Cited 

News Paper; 

DASTAGIR ALIA D. “What do men get that women don’t? Here are a few things.” USA TODAY. Web. March 23, 2017. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/01/2017-womens-history-month/98247518/

Magazine; 

FRIEDMAN MEGAN, HOLLANDER JENNY, KOMONIBO MEGAN. “18 Ways Women Still Aren’t Equal to Men” Marie Claire. Web. August 9, 2019. 

https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a15652/gender-inequality-stats/

Scholarly Article; 

LAURA FLANDERS, “Demanding Women” The Nation. Web. February 18, 2013.  

https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=93eb04f6-6899-4d6e-af5c-962a1a78a8fc%40pdc-v-sessmgr06

Website; 

TAMARA GAUSI, “And still we rise: the global struggle for women’s rights.” EQUAL TIMES. Web. September 8, 2018. 

https://www.equaltimes.org/and-still-we-rise-the-global#.Xkdfci3Myu7

How Are Women’s Rights Affected in the United States?

Women have been fighting for their rights for many years. Particularly in the United States there are many historical events connected to women fighting for rights such as the right to vote, right to abortion, and right to be a part of any political affairs. Women’s rights are overlooked in the United States and a difference has to made quickly because it is discriminatory. 

Tamara Gausi author of “And Still We Rise: The Global Struggle for Women’s Rights” addresses many of the saddening but real issues women face daily. Women fight for protection and basic human rights when that should be a thing that is just naturally given to them. Gausi writes about how incredible it is that the world has discovered amazing things that require so much effort, intelligence and money but somehow women are still suffering and facing discrimination:[“When you really think about it, the fact that women all over the world are still fighting for equal rights defies all logic. Humans have mastered flight, walked on the moon and created the internet but women still can’t be trusted to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies, be guaranteed freedom from violence or harassment or get paid the same amount as men for doing the same damn work.”(Gausi, Page 1) Women have had to go spread awareness and get everyone’s attention on their own. With their own blood, sweat and tears they had to make moves so people would listen and see what was going on behind closed doors and right before their eyes but were too blind to see: [“When we look back on this decade, it will, in part, be defined by the multi-pronged fight for women’s rights and the incremental mainstreaming of feminism – that most revolutionary of ideas, that all people, regardless of gender, are equal. From Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s rallying cry “We Should All Be Feminists” to the galvanizing success of the Me too Movement to the global impact of the intersectional feminism practiced by gallant women and girls such as the Honduran indigenous and environmental rights defender Berta Caceres… the movement for gender equality has taken center-stage.”(Gausi, Page 1)writes about this to emphasize how feminism has developed over the last couple of years due to the unjust treatment towards women and the many things women are doing by taking things into their own hands and creating the change they want to see. Feminism has really been rising in the United States in the last couple of years because of the awareness being spread and the effectiveness of these campaigns.

Alia Dastagir author of “What do men get that women don’t? Here are a few things” written for USA today writes a small list of the unfair differences between men and women. Dastagir writes about the small steps that have been taken for change to happen for women today in the United States but that it does not amount to what it needs to. Not enough has been done. 

“Women have made undeniable advances — from American boardrooms and courts of law, to universities and sports arenas — but disparities remain, especially in poor or rural areas and in communities of color.” (Dastagir, Page 2) Alia lists some things such as Health: From gains to wait-and-see, Sexual and domestic violence: Still too common and ‘Equal pay for equal work’ and goes into detail about some of the things that have been done to fix these issues, but in reality they are not enough. For women’s health Obama signed the Affordable Care Act to expand health coverage to millions of women all over the United States prohibiting denial of services and coverage based on gender and guaranteeing access to birth control, maternity care and breastfeeding supplies. Trump and Republicans later vowed to repeal and replace the act. Just when we were taking a step forward, we are now going backwards. For sexual and domestic violence there is now a lot of awareness, but statistics say another thing. One in three women have been a victim of some form of domestic violence by an intimate partner according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and also one in six American women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Rates are higher for bisexual and trans women. Now for equal pay for women there is still a gap. Women earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Black women earn 63 cents and Latinas earn 54 cents. People say it has to do with occupation, but it does not. Comparing a female doctor and a male doctor, the male doctor makes approximately $20,000 dollars more than a female doctor. These are only a couple statistics of the many that support and reflect the inequalities between men and women. These also are not just statistics these represent the heart wrenching situations women face. 

Women face so many inequalities it is so easy to list the differences between men and women. “18 Ways Women Still Aren’t Equal to Men.” By Megan Friedman, Jenny Hollander and Ineye Komonibo is an article that lists those many differences backing them up with statistics. 

Women are unequal to men and we see this every day. These statistics highlight many of the inequalities and are eye opening for everyone. This article also highlights how the pay gap is even worse for Hispanic and black women. Black women have to work nine-teen months to make what white men do in a year, and for Hispanic women it is even worse. Minority women are affected greatly and unfairly and sometimes targeted much more than white woman. When women enter mostly male industries women usually get paid less. Women are the minority in the news media, administration, and government. There is not enough representation of women in any of these very significant ways. Women are always represented the most disgusting ways. Women are mostly used as models and seen in bikinis, but it is very hard to find women in a suit being represented fairly. Still today men are the ones you see represented in the best way, with the most power and as superior, while women are thrown in the background to not even be acknowledged. This is seen a lot in the United States. Although women are overlooked in the workplace they are never overlooked at home. Women carry most of the household burden and are responsible for cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. Forbes reported that 54 percent of women take maternity while only 42 percent of women take time from their jobs. Also, women are taking 10 times more leave then men to take care of their newborn children. Women are most likely to work from home or even just quit their job to take care of their children creating financial burdens as well. This article also highlights the scary truth that women are overall at a greater risk of rape and domestic violence. Reported by The National Domestic Violence Hotline younger women of 18 to 34 experienced the highest rate of intimate partner violence. Women everywhere experience harassment, rape and domestic violence whether it is in the workplace, at home, school and even women who are in the military serving their country experience it. A Smithsonian study reported 66 percent of women service members experience sexual assault. This is only a small list of the issue’s women face and only a glimpse of their daily lives. 

            “Citizenship and the Right to Birth Control” by Linda Gordon is about the importance of birth control and how it’s not necessarily only for women. It’s important for everyone’s safety in the United States. It’s almost like citizenship in the United States, it needs to be respected and available to everybody. Birth control is essential for everyone and it’s a way to protect women from pregnancy and everyone from sexually transmitted disease. “True, birth control does affect women disproportionately, because women still take primary responsibility for raising children. But everyone needs access to birth control. It is, first, a matter of public health, in that unsafe and irresponsible sex affects us all. More fundamentally, it is a requirement of modern citizenship. I mean by citizenship not a set of documents but the power to participate in democracy, to defend and expand it. “(Gordon, Page 1) Gordon is explaining the universal importance of birth control, not only women need it and it should be a right for anyone to have it. Women fight for so much and birth control is definitely one of the things that creates the most issues and problems for many women all over the United States and people usually just make the assumption that its only beneficial for women and its women being selfish. Gordan emphasizes that the republican party is trying to defund Planned Parenthood and this will affect everyone and will impact the whole United States negatively. The Republican Party overlooks the fact that this is beneficial for everyone not just women and this is why they are looking to do this. Defunding planned parenthood isn’t just going to affect the women of the United States, both women and men will be affected. 

            Women are thought of taking on the role of staying home while their husband works, but the fact of the matter is women work too. Women are sometimes the only source of income in their family. The number of women working in the United States has changed drastically in the last couple of decades. Women are immediately who shouldn’t be working and are considered to not have a career. “Attitude Towards Women’s Work and Family Roles in the United States” talks about the enormous changed in the women’s work and family roles in the United States. In the last couple of years women have become more supportive or working mothers while men did not. Women of lower income communities and low income have to work much more than middle class and upper class women and they have to work as well as their partner.“Many feminist scholars have pointed out that the majority of Black women have always worked and thus did not shift in their attitudes as much as White women did (e.g., Landry, 2000) or that racially distinct stigmas may exist towards women’s work (Boustan & Collins, 2013). SES could also affect changing attitudes over time. For example, intensive mothering, which may suggest less egalitarian attitudes, is more prevalent among middle-class families than poor or working-class families (Lareau, 2003). Finally, whether or not one’s own mother worked outside the home could influence perceptions and attitudes towards working mothers (Goldberg et al., 2012; Jacobs & Gerson, 2004).” (Donnelly, Page 1) Women are still to this day stereotyped and believed to not be the ones who should be bread winners. People still believe that women should not have a career or a good paying job. It’s sometimes difficult for women today to get a job in a male dominated field. Women face many hardships when it comes to careers and employment still today! 

            Violence against women is not a rare thing. Unfortunately, domestic violence happens daily to women all over the United States. It’s unfair that women are still facing this violence and inequalities today. After many years of struggles and inequalities it’s still hard to get the proper protection and support. The Violence Against Women Act drafted by former senator Joe Biden drafted by former senator Joe Biden and signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994 provides a critical support to survivors of violence. This article is about this act being due and needing to be put into effect as soon as possible. All women are vulnerable to violence this act helps those facing poverty and many other influential factors such as race, ethnicity that can heighten women’s vulnerability and make them a bigger target. Its saddening that today there has to be laws protecting women from these attacks and violence but they need to be put in the correction action and taken very seriously for them to be effective and truly keep these women safe and provide a big help. 

Women’s rights movement in the United States have been on a rise since 2013. Women have been fighting for gender equality including pay equity, sex discrimination against women; reproductive rights, women’s healthcare. “Demanding Women” by Laura Flanders talks about the difficulties for many lower income women being that they cannot afford healthcare and the struggles women face on a daily basis for just basic human rights. Many women are unable to pay for healthcare and get access to reproductive services, women need help and coverage. Women are demanding coverage and services for whatever and everything they need. 

All of these sources have provided an in-depth description and examples of women’s rights being violated in the United States. This last source provides direct and quotes responses from Kerryanne Bell, a woman born in the Bahamas and raised in the United States. I asked her some personal questions based on discrimination and struggles women face on a daily basis. My first question was: Is there one specific moment that you remember that you experienced discrimination just for being a woman? Women experience a lot of discrimination just for being a woman. Women are seen with many stereotypes and assumptions. Kerryanne answered saying that she experienced most of her discrimination as a woman in her personal relationships. She said that men in her community did not value her as an educated woman just because she is a woman. This made it very difficult for her to find a relationship with a man in her community. She grew up in a Caribbean household where the man worked, and paid bills and the mother cooked and cleaned. This demonstrates how women are mostly viewed in the United States: “Definitely in relationships. Employment was not evident as personal relationships. A lot of men in my community saw me as educated, but never valued my experience as an educated professional just because I was a woman. I grew up in a very Caribbean based family, raised here and born in the Caribbean. The man runs the home. My stepfather worked and paid bills while my mother cooked and cleaned.”  I then asked her: Has there been a time where you wished you weren’t a woman? Sometimes being a woman is so difficult and you experience discrimination so much, women have sometimes said they wonder how it would be to be a man and they want to experience something other than being a woman. Kerryanne told me that she loved being a woman. She appreciates the characteristics of being a woman and how precious it is to be a woman: “No, women are built differently. Different hormones and bodies. Women offer unique perspectives and different views. I think being a woman is actually pretty amazing.” I also asked her: What is one injustice you face on a daily basis as a woman? Women are undergo different treatment from men on a daily basis. It’s very difficult to experience this pressure and inequality daily. Kerryanne answered by saying that she feels more responsible for the children sometimes and takes on more of the household burdens. “As a mother I feel like I am more responsible. Everyone looks to the mother for most of the responsibilities. I remember one time, school called the house and asked for my husband and I said this is Mrs. Bell. Teachers seemed surprised I picked up because they thought mom wasn’t present. Now they contact me all the time.” My last question for Kerryanne was based on harassment and fear women feel because of their gender and them being a target. Do you feel that you’re afraid more often because you’re a woman? Women report harassment daily. Kerryane explained one time she experienced harassment herself: “Yeah, sometimes especially if I see a group a guys. Society sees women as weaker sex. I’m seen as more of a victim because I am viewed like that. I remember that I was coming home late one night, and a guy slapped my butt. I was younger, around 19.” It’s important to remember that the statistics that are shared about women being harassed, inequality between men and women and women’s rights being overlooked are absolutely true. Here we have direct quotes from a woman who has experienced these things, and most likely has experienced all of this more than once in her life. Discrimination of women and violation of women’s rights is very real, and it needs to stop. 

Women’s rights are overlooked in the United States every single day. Women face discrimination like it’s a normal thing. The United States is one of the most advanced nations and somehow women and men still don’t have the same rights. All of these sources highlight this and make it very clear that women don’t have the same treatment as men. There are many statistics and information supporting the fact that women are greatly discriminated against in the United States and something needs to be done. 

Work Cited:

News Paper;

DASTAGIR ALIA D. “What do men get that women don’t? Here are a few things.” USA TODAY. Web. March 23, 2017.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/01/2017-womens-history-month/98247518/

Magazine;

FRIEDMAN MEGAN, HOLLANDER JENNY, KOMONIBO MEGAN. “18 Ways Women Still Aren’t Equal to Men” Marie Claire. Web. August 9, 2019.

https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a15652/gender-inequality-stats/

Scholarly Article;

KRISTEN DONELLY, JEAN M. TWENGE, MALISSA A. CLARK, SAMIA K. SHAIKH, ANGELA BEILER-MAY, NATHAN T. CARTER. “Attitudes Toward Women’s Work and Family Roles in the United States, 1976–2013” Psychology of Women Quarterly. Web. 2016.

https://journals-sagepub-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0361684315590774

Scholarly Article;

LAURA FLANDERS, “Demanding Women” The Nation. Web. February 18, 2013. 

https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=93eb04f6-6899-4d6e-af5c-962a1a78a8fc%40pdc-v-sessmgr06

Scholarly Article;

LINDA GORDON, “Citizenship and the right to Birth Control.” Dissent. Web. Fall 2013. https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=16&sid=dee4e502-0a17-4393-9959-d7d004162f5e%40sessionmgr4006

Scholarly Article;

MONTGOMARY BROOKE E. E., “Human Rights: The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Is Due” AJPH Prespectives. Web. November 2018.

https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=744785b9-012e-4923-b43d-3fb84e2f6619%40sdc-v-sessmgr03

Website;

TAMARA GAUSI, “And still we rise: the global struggle for women’s rights.” EQUAL TIMES. Web. September 8, 2018.

https://www.equaltimes.org/and-still-we-rise-the-global#.Xkdfci3Myu7

Interview;

Morales, Maria. “How are women’s rights overlooked in the United States?”, April 2020. Interview with Kerryanne Bell. 

Women’s Rights in The United States

Women face inequalities every day and so many people have no idea that it’s going on. Men and women are treated differently in so many ways, and after many years of fighting, protests and movements there still hasn’t been enough done. It seems as not enough people know what is going on. Women need support and these changes to be made as soon as possible. It’s unfair that women still aren’t paid equally as men even though they are doing the same job, it’s unfair women have to live in fear because men view them as weak and they become a target whenever they are walking alone, it’s unfair women don’t get to do as they please with their bodies and if they do they get judges for it. It’s is just unfair! Women’s lives are at risk more than men, women just face so many more struggles when it shouldn’t be this way. Everything should just be equal in every way. The number of women that are raped, abused and harassed is much higher than the number of men. There’s not enough being done for women all over the United States. It’s not enough for just some states to make a change and respect women enough to provide the proper protection and care for them. All of the states in the United States need to make women feel safe and protected. The United States is one of the world’s most advance nation and still to this day women are fighting to be equal. 

The author of this project is me, Maria Morales. I created this pamphlet and these poems to have everyone all over the United States understand the hurt and injustices women experience. My stance is that passionate and sincere. I’m an advocate for women’s rights in all over the world. I’ve faced many inequalities as a woman, and I know how hurtful and challenging it is. I have to say I am lucky that I haven’t been a victim of rape or domestic violence but there are many women out there that are, and we cannot just sit back and look. There are women that have lost their life to lack of support and protection. There are many women that could have been alive today if there was the protection and support, they needed. I have seen women being abused and I know women that have been raped and its heart breaking to see these things. Minority women face much more of these things. Black and Latina women get paid less than a white woman in many states, and I ask myself; Why? My tone is very serious and sad. This is something that cannot be taken lightly, and something needs to be done. Every day we should be taking a step forward to how women deserve to be treated. My audience is the United States. Everyone needs to hear this, in every state and spread the word. It shouldn’t only be women concerned with this. Everyone who has a mother, daughter, sister or just knows a woman should be advocating for action to be taken and change to be established in every way needed. The purpose of my project is to inform and create awareness. The people that don’t know what’s going on need to wake up and fight for women’s rights as well. The people who don’t realize what they are doing, and they may be hurting women will realize that they need to stop. The people who need support during this time will know that they are people fighting for them as well. People need to stand up and taken action now, before any more lives are taken and before more women are hurt. The time is now. 

This topic and project are very important to me because I’m a woman. I have seen how women are affected by this and I’ve experienced it myself. It’s scary and unfair to women all over. Regardless of where a woman is in life, she faces some type of discrimination and inequality. I hope that many people realize what is going on and start to make a difference to change women’s lives.

What My Writing Means to Me 

Writing to me is a great way to express all of your thoughts and feelings. I write to express myself often. The most interesting thing about writing is that there’s so many ways you can write. You can write poems, articles, novels, essays, speeches and so much more. There’s endless ways to express yourself in writing and there’s so many ways to organize and categorize different types of writing. Non-fiction or fiction, so many genres and tones. Writing is the perfect way to express your thoughts, ideas and feelings to the world. Writing is so freeing. When I write I just let my thoughts flow and pour them onto my page. I figure out whether I what I want to write and a topic and just lets my thoughts run wild. What I know about writing helps me keep myself organized but it doesn’t set any boundaries. I make sure to write in a way that my message is clearly understood. What contributes to my theory of writing the most is what I’ve learned about rhetoric, language and tone. I write with my heart and soul most of the time, and it’s important to know how to keep that organized and written in a way others will understand.The reader will be able to see it in your point of view and understand it all as well.

My writing has evolved since I’ve been in this class. I try to keep myself more organized and I include new writing strategies into my what I’m writing. This class helped me better understand the nine rhetorical terms, genres and how to put together a research paper without it being boring. A lot of the time English was boring in school, but this class brought a little twist to it. I enjoyed writing in this class and bringing together all of my pieces of writing. I considered most of my school writing to be boring, but in this class I got a chance to see that I can make school topics and writing fun to read and write. Depending on my tone, and use of words you can make almost any topic fun. Also getting to read other writers work helped me evolve my writing and develop/figure out my writing voice. All together this semester was very successful in this class, and gave me the extra help I needed to make my writing and myself better as a writer.

I’m not a very organized writer when I’m writing outside of school work. Only when I write for school I read and edit so I can keep it organized all together. I mostly free write and come back to my writing to edit and organize it when I’m texting, or writing for fun. My theory of writing can be applied to my daily life and how I organize my life. It’s important to think about what you have scheduled for the day or even week and then organize according to what needs to be done first and then so on and so forth. My theory of writing is all about getting my thoughts and ideas out and later organizing it all. The most important thing is to express yourself and write what stands out to you in your piece of writing.

Commencement Address by Michelle Obama 

In 2016 The City College of New York was privileged to have Michelle Obama give the commencement address. Michelle Obama shared how honored and overjoyed she was to be at the commencement and celebrating the graduating class. The address was very moving and inspirational for everyone who heard Michelle’s significant message.  

The rhetorical situation is Michelle Obama gives her very last commencement speech as First Lady at The City College of New York and describes it as the perfect place to do so because of the college’s diversity. Michelle’s tone is very humble, happy and empowering all throughout the speech. The medium is that the speech is delivered in person and was also recorded to be shared with the world. She also goes on to explain why she specifically chose the City College of New York: “I really want you all to know that there is a reason why, of all of the colleges and universities in this country, I chose this particular school in this particular city for this special moment… Just look around. Look at who you are. Look at where we’re gathered today… at this school, you represent more than 150 nationalities. You speak more than 100 different languages — whoa, just stop there. You represent just about every possible background -– every color and culture, every faith and walk of life. And you’ve taken so many different paths to this moment.” (Obama, 2) The City College of New York isn’t like many colleges. It’s a melting pot of different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. It’s a public college that is extremely affordable for students with lower incomes, and frankly that is very rare to find in America. Michelle Obama is an African American woman who struggled to pay for college, and she can relate to many of the things students in the City College of New York go through. She understands how difficult paying for college education can be for low income and immigrant students. The purpose of this speech is for Michelle to share her story and create a positive impact on the graduates and the audience. She wants to change people outlook on immigrants, diversity, and struggle because of the antagonism around it.  

The audience is America. It’s important that everyone hears this speech because many people have the wrong concept of immigrants. Immigrants are what make this country. This country is built on immigrant success even after all the struggles and difficulties they face. Many immigrants have accomplished prodigious things. Some people in America look at immigrants as a threat instead of an advantage and an opportunity for advancement when they need to open their eyes and realize how hardworking immigrants are: “They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped. They tell us to be afraid of those who are different, to be suspicious of those with whom we disagree. They act as if name-calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate, as if anger and intolerance should be our default state rather than the optimism and openness that have always been the engine of our progress.” (Obama,4) Michelle uses language that captivates the audience. She expresses herself by using metaphors and anecdotes to make a powerful impact on the audience and the graduating class. She inspires, empowers, and brings up the graduating class by her significant message and gives them the strength and courage to take on the real life. She reminds everyone that the struggles are what make them stronger and equipped for anything. 

Michelle delivers this message by speaking formally to an audience therefore making its genre a speech. Michelle’s stance on her message is very real and serious. Everything she shares and speaks about is very sincere and is the cold hard truth about what is going on in America and the challenges that immigrants unfortunately face. She advocates for the students and lets them and anyone who listens know that they need to strut their stuff and be great regardless of their background. 

Michelle’s use of rhetoric is very effective. She’s very credible and compelling and tells the audience everything they need to hear to understand her. Her message exudes empowerment and courage for the graduates and anyone that can relate to them. Her message is also perfect for the rest of America that needs to understand the worth and the positive influence immigrants have all over America. Michelle conveys her message perfectly.  

Works Cited: 

Obama, Michelle (2016) Commencement Address by First Lady Michelle Obama. 

 Retrieved from CCNY Database https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/commencement/commencement-address-first-lady-michelle-obama 

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