5.+Tone

Tone

A formal tone is created within the “Declaration of Sentiments” through the use of language such as, “ When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a descent respect to the opinions of mankind that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course .” This style of writing creates an air of validity for men, especially lawyers that would analyze the document. The women attempted to prove that they could be men’s intellectual equals, which qualified them to be political equals. The particular wording that introduces the document, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...” contributes to the formality of the tone because of the great s i milarity to the wording of the "Declaration of Independence". This resemblance is also evident in the structure of the document as the women’s grievances are listed to create a strong argument for equality. **How would evoking the sentiments of the “Declaration of Independence” further the women’s struggle for equality?**
 * formal tone used to add credibility to argument for equal rights for women
 * writing language proves to men that women could be intellectual equals, so they deserved to be political equals
 * similar wording to the "Declaration of Independence" evokes the power of the original document to strengthen the argument for equality

However, the “Declaration of Sentiments” was not as strict and straightforward as the “Declaration of Independence”. The “Declaration of Sentiments” was much more passionate as the document asserted, “… women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States .” The “Declaration of Sentiments” appealed to the emotions of the audience as the author hoped to inspire citizens of the United States to take action to promote equality and end the suffering of women oppressed by gender discrimination. The document further inspired passion by proclaiming women should “ throw off such government ” to motivate women to take action to physically remove their oppressors.
 * passionate tone appealed to emotions of the audience to inspire the citizens of the United States to take action

Stanton uses the synecdoche “ Creator ” to refer to the whole concept of absolute powers of God and religion to create an authoritative tone in claiming “ woman is man’s equal ” because it “ was intended to be so by the Creator ”. By claiming that God decrees women are meant to be men's equals, Stanton provides additional support for her argument to grant women their rights. Yet it is ironic that Stanton states “ she should move in the enlarged sphere which her great Creator has assigned her ” because women’s place in society would still be determined by a man, while the purpose of the document was to promote women’s independence from men's authority.
 * Stanton uses the authority of God to support her movement for women's rights