Rhetorical Analysis of Stan Grant's Speech

The given extract may be a speech delivered by Stan Grant on Racism and Australian dream in 2016 at the Ethics Centre, Sydney, Australia. He primarily targets the audience belonging to Australia. With the utilization of a sarcastic and confronting tone speaker expresses his disappointment and serves his purpose to tell the audience about the historical brutality suffered by the aborigines with the employment of rhetorical questions, anaphora, and juxtaposition.

Stan Grant at the beginning of his speech uses the statement “Who are we? What variety of country can we want to be?” and alliteration “We heard a howl. We heard a howl of humiliation” to state his arguments that made the audience reflect back on their actions and made them conversant in the suffering the aboriginals.

He constantly quotes verses from the anthem, but then, immediately also quotes historical events, and his own personal experiences, which contrast heavily with the verse. The juxtaposition present allows the audience to work out the various faults, the numerous differences between the apparent “Australian Dream” and reality, as, after all, the anthem could be a representation of an Australian’s dream. The attack combined with the juxtaposition also isolates the reader if they commit to pain Grant, because of the strong, negative language won’t to describe the Australian Dream, because it acts as a mirrored image of Australians themselves and positions the reader to side with.

It compels the reader to imagine matters those, subject to racism must face. It forces readers to look at the soldiers within the “War of extermination” all told about their blood lust and hate. It forces disgust upon the readers.

Grant used such language in conjunction with emotive language, to colour an image. This appeals to an audience’s sense of sorrow, of empathy, and of disgust. A listener or reader is in a position to feel empathy for those Grant described, weakening any opposing view, and manipulating them to side with Grant. Further, combined with the various attacks mentioned earlier, and now the feeling of disgust, the opposition is further alienated, with such emotions as disgust and hate now coming from them, Grant’s position is solidified.

He concludes by returning to the road from the Australian that he referenced at the start. He thus contains a circular ending. But, more so, he also states that while it's true that his argument has been that "The Australian Dream" isn't what it makes itself intent on be, he has hopes that it might be. “And in some unspecified time in the future, I need to face here and be able to say as proudly and sing as loudly as anyone else in this room, Australians all, allow us to rejoice.” He even emphasizes the "all" show that even he believes it could happen.

The juxtaposition present allows the audience to determine the numerous faults, the various differences between the apparent “Australian Dream” and reality, as, after all, the anthem may be a representation of an Australian’s dream. The attack combined with the juxtaposition also isolates the reader if they conceive of afflict Grant, thanks to the strong, negative language accustomed to describe the Australian Dream, because it acts as a mirrored image of Australians themselves and positions the reader to side with. A listener or reader is ready to feel empathy for those Grant described, weakening any opposing view, and manipulating them to side with Grant.