The Analysis of the Clare Boothe Luce's Speech to the Women's National Press

Rhetorical Analysis of Clare Booth Luce's Speech

In our society today everything is based on media which is something that is becoming more and more about what the people want to hear rather than what they need to be told. American people love hearing a good story whether it's true or not. The media is something that supposes to brings out the truth and facts to the citizens that watch it but now they are just becoming opinionated and that's where they are going wrong. With this speech given by Clare Booth Luce to the women's national press, club occurs she addresses this problem. To prepare the audience for the message she uses contradictory language and metaphors".

Clare Booth Luce's Clear Intentions in the Speech

Luce first begins her speech by telling the audience how honor she is to be in their present then she flips her original statement of how happy and flattered she is to "I am less happy than you might think and more challenged than could know " with this line luce gives off the vibe to her audience that everything that she is about to say to them isn't going to be all positive things. But with following that line she makes sure to remind the people that they were the ones that asked for her opinion on the American press. Overall the first paragraph is mainly focused on her making sure to explain to her audience about her intentions and what to expect from her. Clare Boothe Luce declares to her audience how she will be criticizing them, and their lack of honesty to the people who watch them as she says "directly to her audience, she tells them you have asked me to tell you what's wrong with you the American press".

Luce's Interaction with the Audience

Luce again continues her mind games when she tells the audience the" delicate art of giving an audience hell is always one best left to the Billy Grahams and the Billy sheens". It prepares them for how the speech would be by naming celebrities that were well known at that time and by the looks of it these people were well known for giving powerful speeches to their audiences. This should have relaxed the audience as she says that she isn't the one who gives an audience hell that its left to Billy Grahams and the billy sheens. Overall she says that she isn't going to be telling them anything that she knows that tell take hard or will affect them badly.

Luce then continues her charade and tells the audience but "you are an audience of journalists. there is no audience anywhere who should be more bored—indeed more revolted—by a speaker who tried to fawn on it butter it up exaggerate its virtues play down its faults and who would more quickly see through any attempt to do so". She says this to express her knowledge about how the journalist in the room are too intelligent to expect people to just fill their heads up with how wonderful they are she is using her audience pride to manipulate them to always be open-minded on what she is about to say to them.

Clare Booth's Criticism of Daily Media

However, at the end of her introduction, she says that "for the plain fact that u.s. daily press today is not inspiringly good; its just far and away the best press in the world". Her saying this contradicts her whole purpose of talking to the press because she says that knowing that they have many flaws but in the end, the press is still considered superior to the others. this however also helps prepare the audience because it reminds them that even though they might have flaws and faults they are still successful and have a reason to be proud of themselves. overall Luce knew what she was entering when she decided to give this speech she knew that there will be some disagreement after her speech and that was why she used the introduction to build her defense. she makes sure that she prepared the audience for what she is about to say to them that they can understand her contradictions. this preparation makes sure that she is protected form disagreement that breaks out in argument to the what she said.