#2 – Construct a rhetorical examination of Grimké’s “Appeal to the Christian Women of the South.” What assumptions does she make about her audience, and how does she attempt to connect with them? How does Grimké answer the question, “Why appeal to women on this subject?” Why appeal specifically to Christian women of the south rather than men, or all people? Does limiting her targeted audience strengthen or weaken the overall impact of her argument? What does she want women to do? Finally, briefly summarize the four instructions she lays out for women.
The assumption I think Grimké makes about her audience is that they are not only all for the end of slavery, but also strong enough to stand up for the end of slavery. She attempts to connect with them by listing seven reasons as to why slavery should be illegal. On top of that, because she can directly relate to the women, since she was from the south and obviously is a woman, that helps her connect with her audience as well. Grimké answers the question, “Why appeal to women on this subject?” by saying that she realizes that women do not have the power to vote and thus cannot over throw the government, but they do know men; such as their husbands, brothers, fathers, etc., and those men can vote and can overthrow the system. Grimké wants to appeal specifically to southern Christian women rather than men or all people because she can directly relate with them and by using the Christian women’s religious beliefs, it will help them realize that slavery is sinful. I think that limiting her targeted audience strengthens the overall impact of her argument because she doesn’t have to persuade multiple demographics with different reasoning, also because, like I said earlier, she can directly relate to Christian women.
Grimké wants women to be educated in the subject of slavery and to do everything they c=]]an to put an end to slavery. To do those things, she gives four instructions to women,