Jasmine Winters 4B

Final Draft
Within her persuasive speech discussing the exploitation of the conditions of
child laborers at the Womens Suffrage Convention, Kelleys tone towards the attendees
critically shifts from the current problem the lack of child labor regulations to the
obvious solution in order to draw the crowds attention towards the greatly desired
change in child labor laws not only for the sake of the children (12) but also for the
sake of society as a whole.
Kelley places blame and guilt on the audience of the Women Suffrage Convention
in order to evoke sympathy for the children and alert the public about how their lack of
action hinders the possibilities for future growth and progress of both the children, and
their society.
She critically utilizes a rhetorical question asking would the New Jersey
Legislature have passed that shameful repeal bill enabling girls to work all night, if the
mothers were franchised? (9), to imply that the evident people at fault are those who
took no action in stopping the repeal of the bill.
With her emphasis on the use of the word shameful when describing the repeal
bill, Kelley exemplifies ambiguity to manipulate its multiple meanings. This word does
not only refer to the repeal itself being a shame, but also implies that the New Jersey
Legislature as a whole is something to be shamed as well; she also entails that a state
run by those who purposely ignore the well-being of children by removing laws that
protect them is an embarrassment that the people not just mothers and teachers
should all take action against. Furthermore what is truly remorseful about this repeal bill
is that the people at fault are intentionally subjecting children to danger by allowing
them to work long hours in such dangerous conditions. Kelley realizes this as well and
uses her credible knowledge to purposefully chide those who are to blame, for they did

Jasmine Winters 4B
not stop the government from taking away a law that benefited the children. The
wording of Kelleys rhetorical question addresses the consequences the children must
face as a result of bad decisions made by adults who are supposed to be protecting
them. In order for the audience to feel true guilt and shame, Kelley implies that because
the states judgement is clouded, young children are robbed of their childhood, their
right to education is stripped, their safety is jeopardized, and their lives are destroyed
so that they can be put to work in dangerous conditions for the benefit of the very
people that made no move to object the placement of juveniles in dirty factories to work
long, hard, night hours.
Kelley steadily magnifies the nation-wide issue of child labor by criticizing the
audience, making them guiltily aware that if they continue to sit idly and take no action
in stopping the problem, then it will further infect the future of society the one society
that the citizens all share thus crippling the potential for a better prospective.