A Paper Post II

Analysis: People do it everyday.  In this paper, I analyzed a speech by Hillary Clinton.  At first, I was going to show what a bad politician she was.  However, this speech was not about liberals or conservatives: It was about respecting human life, and how we are called to do so.  I felt inspired when I wrote about it, and realized that even though I may not agree with certain politicians for particular reasons, I can accept that fact that not everything they say is to be disregarded.

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                                                      Stronger Families and Countries

     When the First Lady Hillary Clinton delivered her speech entitled “Women's Rights Are Human Rights” at the fourth United Nations Women's Conference in Beijing, the audience listened with rapt attention and approval.  Clinton desired to inform people across the world, not just the citizens of the United States, that women need to feel appreciated, loved, and respected in order to fulfill their roles to the best of their ability.  Carefully constructed, her speech reassured the audience with every word she spoke. Hillary Clinton’s speech demonstrated an exceptional and unique amount of persuasive oratory because of its appeal to pathos, its organization, and its credibility.
     During the autumn of 1995, trade and social relations between the United States and China were strained.  After various events, the United States took a step towards healing the relationship.  At the same time, however, China was hosting the United Nations 4th World Women's Conference.  One of the speakers participating in this event was Hillary Clinton.  As the wife of President William Jefferson Clinton, Hillary Clinton chose this time to promote not only the rights of women, but also her own ideas.  On September 5, 1995, Hillary Clinton presented a speech to hundreds of women, mothers, and daughters.  This speech  communicated that all are created equal and that women deserve the same human rights and respect as men.
      “By gathering in Beijing, we are focusing world attention on issues that matter most in our lives - the lives of women and their families: access to education, health care, jobs and credit, the chance to enjoy basic legal and human rights and to participate fully in the political life of our countries." Essentially, Clinton started her speech by telling women that she supported them no matter what.  She appealed to their emotions and told them that she wanted to see the women of the Asian and other countries thrive, not be cast down.  During this time period, women and girls in these countries were (and still are) being taken advantage of.  Clinton stressed the fact that though the world was coming upon the twenty-first century, people in many countries were still violating the rights of women.  She continued only to state how important it is for everyone to work together and ensure the progress of lesser developed countries in order to secure the safety of women.

     Clinton used a great amount of pathos as she displayed the various examples of violation of women's rights.  In the case of China, Bosnia, and India, citizens are afraid to speak their opinion lest they be convicted and thrown in prison.  Because of this, people would take advantage of others.  In China, women could be punished for giving birth to a girl instead of a boy, and in the worst cases, the baby would be aborted.  In India and Bosnia, men would set fire to their newlywed wives merely because the dowry was not large enough.  These drastic and horrendous deeds (among many others) are what Clinton spoke out against.  She stated, “Our goals for this conference, to build up families and societies by empowering women to take greater control over their own destinies, cannot be fully achieved unless all governments – here and around the world – accept their responsibility to protect and promote internationally recognized human rights.”  In this way, Clinton appealed to people and their morality. 

    Concerning organization, the speech upheld attributes of solidity and consistency; there was never a sentence out of order or a word without meaning.  Clinton was undoubtedly genuinely concerned about this topic because her heartfelt pleas to the public were carefully crafted.  This speech could have been all about using Ad Hominem attacks against countries that still do violate women.  Instead, Clinton decided to stress the fact that women need to be encouraged and loved to perform (as she stated) the sometimes mundane tasks of everyday life.

     While the First Lady gave her speech, the Chinese and other women were not only eager to hear the message, but earnest in their desire to make a change for the better.  To keep her audience alert and engaged, Clinton's ethos appeal incorporated examples from U.S. history that ran parallel to the countries she spoke of.  She spoke of the development of women's rights in America being the reason for her support of the issue today. Passionate about this topic, she informed her listeners about every activity she was involved in to better the lives of women around the world, which made her emphatic speech more credible.  Clinton did not proclaim that the government needed more funds for a program; she focused on the fact that every person has a duty to respect and cherish the women in their lives.

     The opinion on this subject could be questioned.  Some were probably skeptical, wondering if she spoke out against violators of women and their human rights merely to improve the image of herself and that of her husband.  Tactfully, Clinton addressed those who might think this speech unnecessary by encouraging them to listen to the voices of the women in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces, even if they thought that the roles of women and girls mattered little in the broad spectrum of economic and political progress around the world.  Clinton emphasized the fact that even though people may not think that women play an extremely important role in political and economic progress, women who are respected and treated properly become better people and mothers.  When that happens, families, which are the backbone of a nation, are strengthened, and when families are strengthened, countries are fortified.

     A moving speech, it encouraged not only women, but people around the world to edify their families, communities, and countries by ensuring the protection of the rights of their women and girls.  Though Clinton may not be the primary example of the best political leader, she made some excellent observations when she addressed this issue.  The rights of a woman are human rights. Though these rights should not be completely elevated in every aspect, they are important elements to consider.  Women with human rights make better families, which, in turn, create stronger communities and countries.

Works Cited

Clinton, Hillary R. "United Nations 4th World Conference Speech ("Women's Rights Are Human Rights")." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. American Rhetoric, 2001. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.                    

A Tangible Picture: A Book in Motion

Lewis Wallace

Robert Ingersoll

     When the famous atheist, Robert Ingersoll, challenged Lewis Wallace to prove that Christ is the Son of God, who knew what would come of it?  Fifteen years and many adventures later, Wallace sat down to begin an epic story considered a masterpiece in Christian literature; Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.  Ben-Hur is a combination of Wallace's love for not only romance, but geography, adventure, history, betrayal, and finally, revenge.  Written and published in 1876, Wallace's novel was a dream he wanted to materialize for his readers, a book that would show them a tangible picture of Christ, the Son of God.

Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur: 1959

     The story follows Judah Ben-Hur, (a prince of the house of Hur).  Betrayed by his childhood friend, (Messala) Ben-Hur was sent to a roman galley ship.  After five years, a new passenger by the name of Quintus Arrius, (a tribunal) noticed the young man in the galley.  Considerably younger than the rest of the prisoners, there was something about the way he rowed; he rowed with drive, ambition.  Quintus conversed with Judah and found out about how he was betrayed and how he lived, hoping to be able to find his mother and sister.  When a storm broke out and everything save Judah and Quintus were swallowed   by the sea, Ben-Hur saved Quintus Arrius, and in return, Arrius adopted Judah.  Thus, the young man regained his freedom.

Judah and the Sheik Ilderim

     In time, Quintus died and left his fortune to his adopted son. Judah went to seek out an old servant, one who had been loyal to his father.  The servant, Simonedes, was found, and he (as well as his daughter Esther) were still loyal to the house of Hur.  Judah wandered to a stadium, where his enemy, Messala, was practicing for a chariot race.  Encamped nearby was the Sheik Ilderim, who made known his need for a driver in the tournament.  Ben-Hur jumped at the opportunity, secretly vowing revenge on his nemesis, while Messala vowed revenge on Ben-Hur. 

       When the great day of the chariot race came, the crowds in the 

stadium were split between who would be the ultimate victor.  In the end, Messala was badly injured from an accident with Judah's chariot, and would never walk again.  Ben-Hur, however, won the tournament as well as the satisfaction that Messala would not cause any more strife.

     Through his adventures, Ben-Hur started to notice Simonedes daughter, Esther, whom he (much later) married.  Through the development of this tale, the story of Christ is parallelled along with Ben-Hur's.  When Judah realized that Christ was not a zealot whose ultimate goal was to overthrow the Roman Empire,  he understood that this Savior not only wanted outward allegiance, but the love that comes from a pure heart.
     While Lew Wallace's timeless classic has been read and enjoyed by countless readers throughout the ages, it also makes one think.  Christ died for a reason; some do not understand why, Ben-Hur did not in the first place.  His mistake was creating (imagining) the Savior as he wanted him to be. In the end, Judah understood that no one should ever imagine Christ the way he or she want or fantasize him to be.  That is one reason the 1959 film version never showed the face of Jesus.  He is always more to us in every aspect of our lives than we realize.                

One Gift

One job God so graciously gave me during camp was taking photos of the campers, the staff, events, games, and special moments.  Under the wonderful instruction of an excellent photographer, it was an inspiring learning experience.  My camp overview shall be posted later.  As for now, I must regenerate.

Le Update

Since at Camp, I have not been able to post on this blog.  Essentially because I am writing for the Camp blog.  Here is the link.

http://2012youthsummercamp.blogspot.com/

~Elleanna

I Participate in a Nationwide Event

On June 9th, Saturday, 2012, I participated in an amazing, nationwide event.  Thousands of teens across America jumped out of bed at 6:00, eager to put their "best foot forward".

The event?  It was none other than the ACT.  I admit that teens were probably not as excited to test as they were to be done with testing, but altogether, they did participate in a nationwide event.

But I was probably wrong on one point: I do not think they jumped out of bed.

I (as I hope I have made clear) love writing.  Thus, I scheduled to take the essay test, which I was genuinely  anticipating.  The proctor was a near elderly man who looked like a teacher (and probably was).  However nice he may have seemed, however, did not hurry that process of reading the rules.

FILL IN ONLY ONE OVAL PER QUESTION!  (Duh.)
Do not look around while testing.
If your watch beeps you will be excused and your answers will NOT be scored.
Electronics, if found turned on, will be confiscated.  (I turned off my iPod.)
Do not even think about helping anyone.

I waited, wanting to begin, and knowing I could not until he said so.  I am not a person who becomes "bored" easily, but just sitting there was driving me to insanity land.  I thought of a solution.

"Write, Elleanna," I thought. "That might be what you need."

I scrounged in my small bag, if scrounging is possible in such a small carry-on, but found no paper.

No paper?!  I was shocked.  I always carry paper.  Like I always carry water! Which is another story.

I looked at my desk, strategically placed three feet from any other student, just as the ACT gestapo prefers, and remembered my admission ticket.  There it sat, folded neatly, sitting calmly.   Letters do sit calmly, you know, it is just we never notice them.

So I wrote:

This is the only paper I have at this moment, and they can't keep me from writing.  They can't.  It is in my blood.  It always will be.   
I am exceedingly excited to see how my writing improves after this ACT.  I can honestly not wait for that part at all.  There is nothing to describe it.  This pent up writing urge I have will come out it that 30 minute essay.
I am fresh as a daisy: I woke up at 6:00, as many of the others, but I do not think they are as excited as I am to be here, in this room, right now.
The only other activities I would rather be doing at this time would be practicing piano or writing.

What a nut! Some might think, or perhaps, say out loud.  But I am not done yet.

I had forgotten something, a procedure the proctor had yet to complete.
He straightened and pushed his large glasses up his nose.  With an eyebrow raised, (Oh! An ablative absolute! Latin makes you notice all kinds of pretty grammar) he cleared his throat.

"I will now collect your admission tickets."  His voice boomed throughout the small, freezing room, and I started.

"Delightful." I thought, sarcastically, "He is going to take away my passage!"

There was no way I was turning on my iPod to take a picture.  I seriously thought about it.  However, the tall, almost stern, scary, grandfatherly proctor ambled over and swiped the ticket off my desk.

I was embarrassed.  I sounded like the nerd that I am and I let someone know.  But I was also trying not to laugh.  An experience like that (apart from the yearning to write) would surely carry someone through five hours of sitting.

Whenever I was frustrated over a complicated math problem or a weird science graph, the passage I wrote popped into my mind and I sped on through the questions.  I could imagine that the proctor thought I was a crazed person for sure.  He probably read what I wrote, as he was friendlier later, but it was comical just thinking about what his expression was while reading my passage.

However, it was really God's grace that carried me through.  He continuously succeeds at making me laugh at myself, as well as distracting me from taking myself so seriously.  I also drew the conclusion that some parts of life, though seemingly annoying, are meant to be enjoyed.

Enjoy the ACT? With God, all things are possible.  He did not, for one moment, let me forget that when I participated in this Nationwide Event.

A Paper Post

Research:  A word that deals blows to some when it falls on the ear.  I, however, enjoy it.  Because I had excellent Professors who helped direct my writing, I was able to channel the research and create a short research paper that centred itself around one of my other passions:  Dance.
I enjoyed this project immensely, and am very glad it did not turn out with a proud, pompous air.  If it had, it would not persuade anyone, least of all young men, that ballet is worth pursuing, for more than one reason.