“Solitude of Self”by Elizabeth Cady

Stanton

Natalie Elizabeth WatralCommunication 101Rhetorical Criticism10 April 2000

In Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s (1815-1902) speech, the “Solitude of Self,” she

delves into the unprecedented idea of individuality as it encompasses all of humanity. As

a well-known feminist of the 19th century, she used her expertise as a woman leader and

rhetor to connect with humans on a level that transcended everyday thought. Her

reputation that developed throughout her lifetime didn’t always make it easy for her voice

to be heard. In a male-dominated culture there was little room for women crusaders.

However, she managed to emerge into the public eye as a problem-solver with a

propositional goal of practical and poetic answers to human nature. This is exemplified

in her “Solitude of Self” that was delivered on three separate occasions to three separate

audiences. Discovering the history surrounding 1892, and detailing the descriptive

content that arose from her spoken creation has shed light into a past that I never realized

existed in such drama. Studying this speech and speaker allowed me to evaluate a period

of history that has undoubtedly shaped the world I live in today 1108 years later.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped establish the definition of humanity and womanhood, in a

time when manhood was the only acceptable way. How could one individual make such

an impact on society and yet, be just a name echoed from the past?

Historical Analysis

Discussing her role in society and defining the limitations that were present at that

time can best describe the historical context in which Stanton delivered her famous

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speech “Solitude of Self.” Due to Stanton’s high involvement in a multitude of public

women’s movements, analyzing her personal contributions is one of the most effective

ways to depict late 19th century culture in reference to her speech. Her whole life was

dedicated to improving the social conditions for women as citizens and individuals.

Stanton was born into a life of privilege. Her family’s wealth and her father’s

educational training opened doors for her at an early age that were closed to most other

women at the time, since, college education prohibited women’s attendance. In spite, of

the denial of higher education she took advantage of her personal status and used it to

develop into a women’s rights advocate, feminist, suffragist, scholar and crusader. At an

early age Stanton began to evaluate the world around her. In the 1830s, reform

movements were taking shape to attack a variety of problems, all of which seemed aimed

at the improvement of the common man (Banner, IX). From slavery to strict poverty

much was needed to improve the country as a whole. Social disorder was perpetuated

with obstacles of the past that had not yet, been effectively eliminated. Stanton observed

these obstacles and then challenged them. When improving the quality of life for men,

why can’t women receive the same social benefits along the way? This is a type of

question that Stanton may have asked that drove her devotion for female liberation and

equality.

She led a long life through major periods of American history; the Civil War,

national expansion and industrialization, and a complex culture of American Women

activism at the end of the 19th century. While war and industrialization were paving ways

for females to move into the labor force, their social integration was still lacking. Stanton

became an early abolitionist and the founder of some of the most renowned movements

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in women’s history. In 1848, she met with fellow feminist friends to discuss her

discontent of limitations placed on women under American democracy. This was the

beginning of the Women’s Rights Convention that took place at Seneca Falls. The main

agenda for the convention was Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, a

framework she adapted from the Declaration of Independence. Her proposal called for

higher education and professional opportunities for women, property rights for married

women, the right to divorce, the right to custody of children, freedom from the legal

power of husbands over women, and most controversial the right to vote (Gage website,

58). After this convention backlash began in criticism of Stanton’s Declaration, but

mainly on the idea of women’s right to vote. The convention received an unbelievable

amount of press coverage (all negative, however) and soon a small convention was a

national news topic. This early speech did not evoke much change in the male-

dominated society. In 1866, Congress passed the 14th amendment, stating for the first

time “citizens” and “voters” are defined as “male” in the Constitution of the United States

(Legacy ’98, 2). Stanton was described as a radical feminist and her further works of

social reform continued to bring more criticism and constraints than ever.

After the Civil War she helped found the National Women’s Suffrage

Association, became a co-author of the first four volumes of the History of Woman’s

Suffrage with Susan B. Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage, and in an attack on the Bible

rewrote her own and called it the Woman’s Bible. Elisabeth Griffith wrote “..her

declaration of a feminist ideology of independence, her agitation for radical social

change, and her attack on the Bible provoked debate and dissention” from the

conservative population of the 19th century (XIV). She was assuming a role in society

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that was unheard of for a woman, she was becoming a revolutionary. Her fellow feminist

allies were beginning to loosen their support as the public became more and more

angered by Stanton’s determination to liberate women.

Stanton became a rebel. As she matured she attacked the restrictions of female

activity she encountered in every realm of her life. The unifying factor in her life was the

idealism of independence (Griffith, XVIII). She articulated this idea in every action in

her own life and then attempted to extend her thinking to all females. “Solitude of Self”

was her last speech in 1892, and its context exemplifies idealism of the individuality of

humanity. Stanton delivered this speech at the age of seventy-six. There is no record on

the attitude of the audience members present, but one can assume from her history that

she did not stand before a group of supporters. Her last public fight for women’s rights

was delivered as a form of rhetorical persuasion much unlike her previous radical

experiences. Her address hardly mentioned the right to vote or legal equality for women.

In the last stage of her life she chose a different focus. She turned to nature and

individual solitude. She poetically went after the emotional side of her audience putting

aside harsh speech and accusations. Unfortunately, in spite of her last attempt Stanton

did not live to see women granted the fundamental equality that would allow for full

independence. The 19th amendment was passed in 1920, allowing women the right to

vote as defined by their rights as an American citizen.

Descriptive Analysis

Applying common characteristics of rhetorical speech critiques, outlined by

Campbell and Burkholder, lends a method to create a descriptive analysis of “Solitude of

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Self” (Chapter 2). This is not an easy task however, because overall the speech does not

stick to definite rhetorical characteristics, yet it does use them in an adapted sense. In this

speech the most important aspect is discussed first, the purpose and thesis. The later

points of description are used to reinforce and support Stanton’s message to her audience.

Stanton adopted a certain persona so that she could effectively reach and relate to her

audience. To act out this role she had to use a tone and language appropriate to both her

audience and her personal purpose. Together these areas are worked into a unique

structure to efficiently deliver her presentation. In Stanton’s structure ‘unique’ is the

operative word. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell would argue that “Solitude of Self” lacks any

logical structure at all (Rationale for Feminism, 305). It is true that her speech contains

no real introduction or typical body format that is generally used to describe structure.

However, Stanton does have an innovative structure incorporated with different strategies

like progression and repetition that compose the body of her speech. Like her structure

her use of supporting material is unique in form as well. She does not offer concrete

evidence to support her discourse; instead she uses examples, imagery, analogies, and

metaphors to tell stories that illustrate her argument. Her individual strategies are what

make this speech so powerful. Highlighting the various areas distinctive to this speech

first, will set the stage for further criticism and evaluation.

Stanton’s thesis is not directly stated in an introduction, but it is repeated

throughout the entirety of her speech. She begins by stating reference to the arguments in

favor of a sixteenth amendment, which was aimed at providing equal opportunities to

women in various forms like voting rights, property rights, educational rights, and basic

freedom rights as a United States citizen. However, her utmost purpose was stressing the

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importance of fundamental rights of individual human beings, and hence encompassing

women. She set out this idea in four intertwining points. The over-arching point was the

importance of “individuality of each human soul”; next she addressed citizenship and the

idea that if a woman is considered a citizen then she must have all rights as a citizen; then

she stated that equal factors in civilization lead to the same psycho-social needs of

happiness and development; and finally the “incidental relations of life” that yield rights

of a woman (1-2). The thesis of this speech may seem surprising at first because Stanton

was a well-known activist in the Women’s Suffrage Movement as well as other historical

women’s movements and protests, yet she did not target women as her direct priority but

rather an indirect product of human nature.

The role that Stanton assumed to deliver her speech was that of a commentator on

life and individualism. She did not use her prescribed role as a radical feminist to

persuade her audience to agree with her and simply pass a law in favor of women. She

simply stood as an individual and almost a philosopher and delivered a monologue on

human nature. She did not implicitly tell her audience what to think she only spoke to

arise thoughts and consciousness about the individuality of all persons. This approach

does help to infer what type of audience she was speaking to. It is learned in the opening

sentence however, that she is speaking to members of Congress on the Committee of the

Judiciary, which was all male. This is only semi-important, though. In fact, “Solitude of

Self” was delivered three different times. The first time was in front of the House

Committee on the Judiciary, the second was as a farewell speech to the American

Woman Suffrage Association, and the third was at a hearing before the Senate Committee

on Woman Suffrage (Campbell, Humanistic Underpinnings, 133-134). This indicates

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that the speech was constructed in such a way that all individuals could learn and benefit

from listening. In the copy I selected she was speaking to an all male audience, which I

only concluded from the opening remarks. Her tone and unique structure further hint to

this idea of a universal audience.

Stanton’s attitude toward the subject of individual humanity was both sincere and

determined. She provided a very educated aura with her word choice and just the subject

in general. The subject she chose to tackle was very complex and thought provoking, and

only an excellent speaker could possibly portray this to a universal audience. She did not

attempt to dominate over her audience. She placed herself on an equal level with them.

She related to men and women by using phrases like “our Protestant idea”, “to guide our

own craft…” and “we come into this world alone…". This was very effective especially

when being presented to an all male audience. She did not directly place blame on men

for perpetuating inequality. However, she did do things like name only men when talking

about the spheres that society puts people into due to gender (2). Subtle hints that

pointed at decisions made by society (decisions that men only were making) were the

only implications of blame. More importantly she spoke about the common journey

throughout life for both herself and everyone else in the audience. She did this using

vivid language and other strategies to create a structure that everyone could follow.

As mentioned earlier she did not open her speech with a descriptive introduction

on what to expect in her discourse. Instead, she jumped right into the main body of her

discussion and started applying her thoughts to everyday life as it affects all individuals.

However, this was not planned in a neat outline form. The organization of her speech

was closely related to what Campbell and Burkholder refer to as a narrative-dramatic

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development (29). She used an organization similar to a story, in which she described

individual development from birth to death. Each part of the story was inter-related to

compose her central idea, the understanding of the importance of the solitude of self

regardless of gender. Campbell also asserts that Stanton’s structure resembled a lyric

poem in which “the lyric is intimate in tone, relies on personal experience, and uses

sensual or aesthetic materials, including metaphor, to induce a response in the audience”

(Humanistic Underpinnings, 136). The strategy Stanton applied in her structure was

meant to evoke emotion. She began by laying out that at birth people have a right to self-

sovereignty and each person must rely on himself or herself. Then she foreshadows her

narrative by stating “We come into the world alone, unlike all who have gone before us;

we leave it alone under circumstances peculiar to ourselves” (3). This quote was

common in her speech by the way it provoked thought and emotion about the

inevitability of death in solitude. It was an example of the progression that her speech

would take to prove her point that at all stages in life people are alone, and if society

takes away the rights of knowledge of any individual, then dealing with the journey of

life will be unfair.

To support the progression of life as individuals both male and female, Stanton

used comparisons, metaphors, and examples. In one account she compares the character

of a king and a prisoner (4). Though these two are completely different in status she

united them by highlighting the fact that no matter how much or how little a person has,

each has solitude in life. She did this in many areas throughout her speech. She also

used metaphors to illustrate her thesis. “To throw obstacle in the way of education is like

putting out the eyes; to deny rights of property, like cutting off the hands” (5). This vivid

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description impacts the audience emotionally and helps to support her argument. By

disguising her thesis in descriptions like this one Stanton had the power to indirectly

point at accusers without losing their respect. She was very skillful in the way she used

support material to also give herself credibility as an educated female in a male

dominated society. Alike many true scholars Stanton sought support using a

Shakespearian play as an example of women’s position in society (5). All of these

support materials reinforce her thesis without stating any evidence or factual statistics.

However, this does not make it any less convincing. It does make her structure less

traditional, but even defying some standards of rhetoric Stanton still got her goal across.

Perhaps, one way that added to her strength as a rhetor was her ability to present the same

idea repeatedly, but in a different form every time. Her use of repetition probably did not

go unnoticed, but coupled with the unique structure and variety of support material it

struck individuals in the right spot, in their subconscious. Together all of these

descriptive techniques worked together to present the importance of individualism and

made people at least realize the connection between solitude and the need for equality.

Stanton reinforces this by concluding her speech with a thought-provoking question that

is left lingering in the minds of the audience.

Critical Perspective

A critical perspective is an invented ‘grading criteria’ applied to a discourse by

the critic. The perspective should assess the major conclusions drawn from both the

historical analysis and the descriptive analysis. This section has two parts; an explanation

of why a perspective is chosen and how the perspective will be defined.

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The most important focus from the two previous analyses is a compilation of how

Stanton structures her argument using different strategies including vivid language,

examples, metaphors, comparisons and repetition. This complex structure has three main

purposes. First, the style allows Stanton to effectively reinforce her thesis in different

forms over and over again without losing attention. Second, it allows her to relate to her

audience by providing in-depth description on their level. Third, it allows Stanton to

indirectly accuse the audience for perpetuating gender inequalities without offending

them. This illustrates why I chose the perspective that follows.

There is no definite perspective to associate with this explanation, so I have

invented one of my own. I have borrowed ideas from two different perspectives and

compiled them into one. In Thomas Scheidel’s book, Persuasive Speaking, he outlines

the Classical Rhetorical Canons, otherwise known as Campbell and Burkholder’s

rationalistic approach (12-17). In Scheidel’s descriptions of the canons (originated by

Aristotle) the ones that apply to my perspective are invention, disposition, and elocution.

Invention is the analysis of the proposition, or scheme and the formulation of approaches

that a speaker uses. Often times the speaker’s greatest task under this idea is to convince

the audience that a problem does exist. Subordinate to invention is the awareness of the

audience needs. What point does the speaker need to focus greatest consideration, and

what is the best means of persuasion? Another concept subordinate to invention is that of

‘topics’. This answers question like “What was the cause of the problem?”, or “What

effects can be expected if the problem is not solved?”. Disposition is basically the

arrangement or structure of the speech. For example, “What order were events

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portrayed?” Elocution is the style in which the speech utilizes things like language, or

word choice and the arrangements of words into larger units.

The second perspective I borrowed ideas from was Campbell’s account of

Burke’s tragic perspective with the use of a lyric mode (Humanistic Underpinnings, 139).

This was chosen because Stanton emphasized the life of an individual. In doing so, she

used poetic language like that of a lyric. Both of these perspectives describe the same

explanations stated at the beginning of this section. However, each perspective highlights

the same aspect in a different way. Therefore, the connection between the two

perspectives exhausts almost all possible reasons for the complex structure and its

purposes.

Evaluation

Stanton’s speech has a unique structure built by vivid language, examples,

metaphors, comparisons, and repetition. The fact that there is a structure, even if it is

totally unique to this speech suggests that invention is a factor that is effectively

demonstrated. Repetition is one of the strategies applied to Stanton’s structure. She

stresses the same ideal of the importance of solitude in the development of every

individual regardless of gender. Sometimes she does this by using examples of situations

that only pertain to individuals who have developed on their own to learn how to deal

with the situation independently. Other times, she uses metaphors to construct arguments

for her structure that clearly highlight the importance of her thesis. And yet, there are

other instances where a gender comparison is used to help show the audience that if it is

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valuable for a man to stand alone, then why not a woman if we are all created equal?

Vivid language is thus, used to create these strategies with the greatest amount of impact.

This is how Stanton achieves the task of convincing the audience of the problematic

gender equalities that exist. However, it is very difficult to know what the audience was

thinking when they left her speech. In the history of the formation of the present-day 19th

amendment we know that they didn’t solve the problem right away. However, if they left

the speech with the realization that each individual lives in solitude their whole life, and

if every person is not provided with equal opportunities to tools, and therefore,

development is unfair in the favor of the individuals who did receive the tools. Then, she

achieved her task.

The first subordinate of invention is the awareness of the audiences’ needs.

Stanton knew what her audience needed. She knew that they needed a fresh way of

looking at an old argument. That is exactly what her structure provided. She used every

area of her complex structure to relate to her audience and describe her thesis in every

way possible. She spoke to rich and poor, male and female, educated and uneducated and

then used these exact descriptions in her speech. Everyone was well accounted for and

represented in her speech. She chose to concentrate on this aspect and should be

applauded for the diversity she promoted. Her means of persuasion was almost a wake-

up call. She articulated examples that expressed what would happen if every person were

limited to the constraints that women face. This especially worked well with the men in

making them realize that if someone had taken their developmental tools away they

would be helpless, much like they viewed women. The final subordinate of invention

supplies answers to what caused the inequality in the first place. This is best described in

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the facts of history. Inequality started with white European settlers enslaving people of

different ethnicities, which spawned an oppressive-hungry culture. Once, civil rights

started making this illegal, females became the next or lasting target. The effects on this

if left unsolved would have left our country ignorant to the benefits of more equal

society. It also would have perpetuated the problem further until it heightened beyond

any control, even by men.

Following the canon of disposition is effectively completed when Stanton outlines

her speech in a progression of solitude from birth until death. She says that all people

start at the same place, live their life and gradually become out-of-balance because men

are given more opportunity, and in the end everyone dies alone. However, it is the

middle part of life that she dedicated the majority of her structure in describing. This is

evident in the fact that her speech lacks an introduction and has a very simple conclusion.

The final canon utilized in Stanton’s speech is elocution, or style. This is

achieved by the use of vivid language and metaphoric language to illustrate the structure.

Stanton chooses words that target all audiences. If she tells a story one way and someone

doesn’t understand, they are bound to hear the exact same story in another form that may

be more fitting to the individual. Her arrangement of words into larger units helps to

chunk the speech into comprehendible sections. If the whole speech just flowed without

these chunks, or stories the audience would have had a harder time grasping her purpose.

The second half of my perspective deals with issues Campbell raises in her

Humanistic Underpinnings of Feminism (136). The vivid language, example, metaphors,

comparisons, and repetition are presented in a way much like that of a lyric poem. This

means that they evoke an intense emotion within audience members in either a conscious

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or subconscious way. Consciously, the structure lures people into listening about the

solitude of human self by describing it in an interesting manner. There is no dull story in

Stanton’s techniques. Even if a person is unfamiliar with a story she uses as an example

of the gender inequalities, one is intrigued to figure out how it fits into the speech’s

purpose. Campbell writes about natural rights philosophy and its affect on human beings

(136). Stanton becomes a philosopher and a commentator on life by solitude. Therefore,

she accurately fulfills the requirement when she delivers her speech in such a way as to

make people think. Subconsciously, repetition ingrains in the audience’s mind Stanton’s

delivery of this lyric. Even if people were left pondering a story she told, a comparison

she made, or a relation into a metaphor she made them think. This realization is the first

step on her way to achieving her ultimate goal of equal social and legal rights of women.

The realization is not however, one of happiness. This is where the tragic perspective of

the individual factors into play.

Stanton gave an account of how human nature develops into and individual that is

inevitably confronted by the fate of death. As Campbell stated, “…feminism could not

change the human condition” (139). Stanton was well aware of this fact and as a result

did not set out to change human nature in her speech. All she wanted to do was discuss

the existence of human pains and shed light on how further pain can be avoided. She also

used this chance to put men (mainly) back in their place. They are not Gods and

therefore, have no right to attempt to tinker with nature. They cannot control it no matter

how hard they try they can only artificially manipulate it. However, they can only do this

for so long and in the end, nature always wins. Therefore, Stanton’s call for overall

human welfare and humanistic concern was meant to find ways to even the playing field.

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Even though the playing field offers wins and losses it is only natural that each individual

faces these consequences alone.

In conclusion, Elizabeth Cady Stanton exceeded the expectations of a rhetor by

transforming from a speaker to a philosopher. Her persuasive tactics and historical

reputation posed challenges that many speakers never face. She successfully

accomplished the delivery of a complicated structure to emphasize her purpose to a

universal audience. Her descriptive elements reinstated the quality of her message and

allowed it to linger in the minds of all humanity.

“To guide our own craft, we must be captain, pilot, engineer; with chart and compass to stand at the wheel; to match the wind and waves and know when to take in the sail, and to read the signs in the firmament over all. It matters not whether the solitary voyager is man or woman” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1892).

It is because of the efforts of revolutionary women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton that I can

live today as a woman, as an individual, and as a captain.

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Bibliography

Banner, Lois W. Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women’s Rights. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980.

“Biographical Dictionary of Women and Pro-feminist Mentioned on the Matilda Joslyn Gage Website.” <www.pinn.net/~sunshine/gage/features/dict.html> (5 April 2000).

Campbell, Karlyn. Man Cannot Speak For Her: A Critical Study of Early Feminist Rhetoric. “Humanistic Underpinnings”. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.

---. “Stanton’s ‘The Solitude of Self’ A Rationale For Feminism.” The Quarterly Journal Of Speech. 66 (1980): 304-312.

Campbell, Karlyn, and Thomas Burkholder. Critiques of Contemporary Rhetoric. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997.

Griffith, Elisabeth. In Her On Right: The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. New York: Oxford University Press,1984.

“Legacy ’98: A Short History of the Movement.” < www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html> (4 April 2000).

Scheidel, Thomas. Persuasive Speaking. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1967.

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Solitude of Self.” Delivered before the Committee of the Judiciary of the United States Congress. 18 January, 1892.

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