Audience

The speech “Women's Rights are Human Rights” was delivered in 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

The speech was addressed by Hillary Clinton in front of a live audience formed by delegates from over 180 countries, mostly women, but also men.  The speech was also recorded and televised, pointing to a global audience, which is appropriate considering the international subject matter of her speech. 

The video of the speech shows the people in the audience quite often. In the beginning of the speech, the audience simply listens, but as the speaker begins to make stronger statements, the audience starts applauding her frequently. For example, after each phrase beginning with “It is a violation of human rights when” (ll. 161-183), the audience applauds loudly, suggesting they agree with her words.

At the beginning of the speech, Clinton targets people who claim that women’s issues are not important:

There are some who question the reason for this conference. Let them listen to the voices of women in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. There are some who wonder whether the lives of women and girls matter to economic and political progress around the globe. (ll. 30-34)

Clinton uses reasoned argumentation (logos) to attempt to persuade them that women’s rights are human rights and that improving the situation of women will benefit everyone.

This was considered one of the harshest parts of the speech, because the speaker targets specific coun...