Speaker

The speaker who delivers “Women's Rights are Human Rights” is Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 1995, when the speech was delivered, the speaker was the US First Lady and had already built a career as a lawyer in family law, something she alludes to in her speech: “Over the past 25 years, I have worked persistently on issues relating to women, children, and families.” (ll. 61-62)

At the time of the speech, Clinton had been the First Lady for only two years, since her husband, Democrat Bill Clinton, became the US President. This is alluded to when she mentions travelling around the world and meeting women: “Over the past two and a half years, I've had the opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing women in my own country and around the world.” (ll. 62-65)

These are the main aspects on which the speaker builds ethos, presenting herself as knowledgeable enough to discuss women’s rights and their violation.

As her husband is a Democrat, the speaker also promotes policies that are characteristic for the Democratic Party in the US (a progressive party focused on social policies): “As an American, I want to speak for those women in my own country, women who are raising children on the minimum wage, women who can’t afford health care or child care…” (ll. 103-106)

H...