Logan begins by defining revolutionary African-American women of the 19th century. Providing names and accomplishments of many female activists, Logan timelines the hard work the members of the movement put into the cause, and details how successful they were. Regardless of the heart-warming successes she notes, her demonstration of footsteps in the right direction is blindsided by their continued discrimination regardless of successes in the past. Proclaimed by African-American women everywhere, “This is indeed the women’s era, and we are coming” (Logan 1). This evidence of emotional turmoil that these women were forced to endure strikes the heart strings of Logan’s audience.
Logan then decided to break up the context of this revolution by dividing the overlapping issues into four categories: the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, mob violence, and racial uplift. In each section, Logan talks about what motivated the women’s discourse and why. She provides personal stories of these women to paint a reflective picture of their trauma and add to her sustained technique of pathos-style persuasion. Addressing the large amount of issues that these women addressed gives the audience a small peak into the limitless amount of effort put into the movement worldwide, thus, enlarging the issue from a single category to an internationally spread wound.
She ends the chapter by referencing the rhetorical activities of “numerous other nineteenth-century black women speakers who have not been mentioned here” (Logan 24). These women stood up to evil and cruelty with no sign of fear or recollection of consequence. Logan discusses how her timeline in this chapter seeks to document the undocumented accomplishments of all these women who do not have the honor of being recognized for there virtue. She ends the chapter with a culminating quote “Throughout the nineteenth-century, ordinary black women—unknown and well known—spoke simply to make the world better” (Logan 24).
In regards to my own organization of rhetorical discourse, I would take a similar approach to my oratory as Logan did in her book. Logan is aware of the value of emotion. She sees how any given person’s heart strings are the fastest track to getting them to be persuaded, so her arguments are structured around a heavy use of pathos-style writing. She provides evidence for these arguments with facts and explanations of credibility, of course, but she centers her rhetorical organization around the personification of her characters. Creating this structure for rhetoric allows for ample persuasion and optimized efficiency in order to persuade through discourse.
Begin with a stab to the heart to draw your audience in. Make your passion apparent while providing background on the topic. State evidence for your argument while focusing on the expression throughout your performance. Finish by providing a solution that your audience can voluntarily partake in, then let loose on the heart strings and restate your purpose for discussion.