Group 1

Zoe Shannon

Natalie Hof

Hokulea Rezentes

Pre AP English 9A

Ms. Woelke

8 February 2019

P.1 2/16/19

Rhetorical Precis

In Minou Tavárez Mirabal’s heartfelt speech “Violence Against Women and the Example

of the Mirabal Sisters” (11/06/06), she educates the audience about the journey the Mirabal

Sisters endure through their fight for gender equality in the Dominican Republic. She first

establishes her authority and builds rapport by founding a formal bond with the audience and

also explaining her stance on the problem; Mirabal then explores the history of gender inequality

and violence against women by including data on past and present situations for women in the

Dominican Republic. She then explores the hardships of the who worked to overcome this

discretion by illustrating the intense journey of her mother and aunts. Her purpose is to not only

inform people on the history of gender inequality, but also to persuade people to help fight

against it in order to prevent unjust treatment towards women; not only in the Dominican

Republic, but all around the world. She seems to have a formal,mature, and public audience in

mind because she not only uses powerful words, but also wants to formally explain her political

participation in the Dominican Republic.

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To start off, Mirabal introduces the claim of inequality between the genders needs to end

around the world. Mirabal shows this claim by stating how “it is clear that the changes our

country has gone through” have created “faceless women” who have been “buried by history”

(Mirabal 2). This influential language used is letting the audience know that women in this

society have been shut out and unable to create equality because they are not heard. The changes

she claims have happened in this country don’t show much affect since inequality is still a major

problem. Mirabal also tells about how the “women revolved around political participation” have

tried to start “advancing laws to grant women a share or quota” in this society and have focused

around participation being “a central focus of the political dynamic” (Mirabal 3). The speaker

has made it clear by using loaded language that having people participate is the only way an

advance with gender inequality will happen. Once all step in and help with this issue, the

problem might actually start progressing for the better and start showing an effect within this

society. Mirabal introduces the claim that gender inequality needs to end and that the only way it

will happen is if everyone contributes by using loaded language and influence speech.

(Paragraph one… Hokulea Rezentes).

Minou Mirabal strongly develops her claim that change needs to happen in order for

gender inequality to end around the world. While establishing this claim, Mirabal first uses

shocking facts to show the status of women in the Dominican Republic. According to the office

of the National Prosecutor, In the Dominican Republic within the last six years “nearly 911

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women of various ages have lost their live in ‘femicides’ committed” (Mirabal 5). Due to the

overwhelming facts that Mirabal gives that are directed towards the condition of women

presently, she makes the audience realize that there is no way there can be a peaceful democracy

in the Dominican Republic without strong voices taking a stance. Through the authors

integration of powerful statics to help support her claim, she is able to capture the attention of the

reader and make them question the society that they live in. The author also supports her claim

by giving detailed accounts from her mother and aunts who were murdered as a result of their

revolution against a higher power. Mirabal describes the sisters as “ emblematic figures in the

struggle of Dominican women to achieve their rights to political participation and the

construction of democracy” (Mirabal 5). The author’s use of loaded language in this sentence

helps to create a sense of pride and powerfulness for women everywhere who were and are

struggling. The use of strong words by Mirabal helps to emphasize that only a few people can

have a monumental impact on the society. Mirabal strongly develops the idea that necessary

change for gender equality can only occur if everyone contributes to make themselves heard by

using distressing facts and influential language.

(Paragraph 2... Natalie Hof)

Lastly, Mirabal uses emotional diction and a call to action to her audience to conclude her

speech on ending women mistreatment overall in the world and especially in the Dominican

Republic. For example, while Mirabal describes how she feels in her speech she uses the word

“primary” to describe how women organization groups are the main advocators showing effort to

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putting a stop to women violence and inequality. Also, Mirabal says the word “emphasizes”

show the importance that the ways in which to help put an end to social and political treatment

women face in the world, saying that by doing this it can “bring us [women] together today”

(Mirabal 4). Mirabal’s emotional diction helps to highlight how important it is that women stick

together in this movement due to the fact that men aren’t as involved in prioritising the stopping

in the maltreatment women face. It also provides the audience to feel that if they are to

participate in this stopping that they will feel more brought together because they share a similar

interest. Mirabal hopes that by using this emotional diction to describe how important it is that

women participate in this stopping of unfair treatment women face, that women will actually be

provoked to join the cause, because they know that they are sponsored through this dangerous

cause they are taking apart in and aren’t alone on this forward thinking way of life that women

should be treated as equal. Not only that, but they will also have a shoulder to lean on when

they’re shamed in their society for thinking and desiring something so absurd . Continuing on,

Mirabal mentions how her Mom, Minerva Mirabal, and her Aunts, Patria and Marisa Teresa

Mirabal, have made an impact on the world by figuratively fighting alongside of the fight to stop

violence on women, but by also being a constant reminder of the tragic social injustices women

face around the world today. Proceeding to then call the audience to action, Mirabal states how

by developing “strategies and set[ting] priorities and timetables” it can help guide way to a

society where women have more political decision making opportunities available to them. She

follows up this information by stating that one can raise their “voice… today and every[day]”

against theses actions that the world decides to downplay, not only that put also by continuing

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“along the path” that the Mirabal sisters have paved that lead to peace in the “countries of Latin

America and the world” will help in the cause the Mirabal sisters took part in (Mirabal 4). This

call to action concludes Mirabal’s speech on stopping the violence women face in the world

today by showing that there are already actions being made to help with the minimizing of

violence women face but also equal opportunities for women. Not only does Mirabal state these

examples, she also includes how her ancestors helped in the stopping in this unfairness in the

Dominican Republic when they were alive, which overtime came to influence the world in

stopping the inequality and mistreatment. Mirabal goes as far to show that as long as one stays

on the figurative path, it will eventually lead to the treatment that all women aim to receive and

that their time won’t be wasted. Showing that Mirabal wants her audience to understand that she

strives for a world where women aren’t mistreated and are viewed to the same respect and

standards of a man, just like her ancestors. Concluding, that Mirabal wants her audience help end

violent and derogatory treatment toward women and does this through her emotional diction and

call to action in her speech. (Paragraph Three...Zoe Shannon)

In conclusion, Minou Taváverz Mirabal’s purpose in giving this speech is to address and

inform people on the quality of life women face around the world and, specifically to persuade

people to help in ending to this type of treatment that women face. Mirabal recapitulates

information on how this treatment has affected women in the past. Leading her to address what is

being done currently to help stop this way of life but, also how her ancestors helped to contribute

to progressing this movement to be started and how it affected their lives. Mirabal finishes her

speech by leaving her audience understand that the only way stop and put end to this behavior is

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taking a stand and making your voice heard. She hopes to create a society one day where women

aren’t faced with brutality and are viewed equal to men in both political and everyday life.

Mirabal’s heartfelt speech is used to empower the audience and allow them to not only be in

control of their future, but also the prosperity of future generations.