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Ryan Jones

Ms. Kretzer

CCP English 1101: Rhetorical Analysis Final Draft

23 October 2020

“A Whisper of AIDS”

For decades, the silent terror of HIV/AIDS has haunted America. Although

modern medicines can minimize its effects, we still have no cure for the disease. In the

early 90s, political activist Mary Fisher contracted HIV. On August 19, 1992, she

delivered a speech to the Republican National Convention with the hopes of bringing

the HIV epidemic, a topic largely swept under the rug by American society, into the

national spotlight. Her choice in venue was very intentional, as back then many

conservatives had dismissed the virus. Some still believed in a widespread myth that

HIV/AIDS only affected homosexuals, even after this was proven false. Fisher’s goal, in

her own words, was to ““lift the shroud of silence which has been draped over the issue

of HIV and AIDS.” Through excellent use of the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos,

and logos, Fisher succeeded in her goal spectacularly and her speech would later be

ranked the 50th best speech of the 20th century. Via pathos and ethos, she was able to

deconstruct the commonly held stereotypes of those infected and reminded viewers that

the disease can and will infect anyone including herself. Mary’s use of logos exposed to

her audience the morbid reality of the epidemic and just how bad the situation had

become.
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Mary starts off her main argument with an appeal to logos, or logic. She does so

by presenting the audience with the death toll and infection rates of HIV/AIDS. “The

reality of AIDS is brutally clear. Two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying. A

million more are infected. Worldwide, forty million, sixty million, or a hundred million

infections will be counted in the coming few years.” Her choice to start with the facts

first sets the tone for the rest of the speech. By stating the staggering death toll right off

the bat, she ends any debate over how serious the disease really is. When she

proclaims that infections could rise exponentially greater every year, she shows that this

is a clear and present danger that requires immediate action before things get any

worse. Starting off with logos grounds her speech and allows her to build later

arguments off a basis of fact rather than opinion alone.

Fisher uses ethos, or experience, to show the audience everyone is vulnerable.

She begins her speech by proclaiming “I would never have asked to be HIV positive, but

I believe that in all things there is a purpose.” Establishing that she is infected with HIV

creates a very personal connection between her and the epidemic and shows that she

has an honest reason to want to see her message spread. Although she isn’t a scientist,

Mary shows she can be trusted because she has the same odds of dying as every other

infected person, and therefore has nothing to gain from lying. She goes further, saying

“Though I am white and a mother, I am one with a black infant struggling with tubes in a

Philadelphia hospital. Though I am female and contracted this disease in marriage and

enjoy the warm support of my family, I am one with the lonely gay man sheltering a

flickering candle from the cold wind of his family’s rejection.” As seen in this quote, Mary

also uses her ethos to prove the point that no one is immune from this virus. Being a
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white mother didn’t give her some magical shield, she is in as much danger as every

other infected person. Mary Fisher also lives a life much like her target audience, so if

she can be infected, they can too.

Pathos is the most prevalent appeal in the speech. It means appealing to

emotions. The core of Mary’s argument is found in this quote. “We have killed each

other with our ignorance, our prejudice, and our silence.” Rather than say our actions

have worsened the spread, she goes all the way to say that society at large is to blame

for these deaths. This accusation adds a layer of guilt and blame into the equation.

Without our constant perpetuation of prejudice and bigotry, the disease wouldn’t have

been nearly as bad. Mary also makes use of an allusion to the famous “First They

Came...” poem by Pastor Niemöller, a figure who strongly opposed the Nazis during

their rise to power. “If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. Because I was not

hemophiliac, I was not at risk. Because I was not gay, I was not at risk. Because I did

not inject drugs, I was not at risk.” Drawing parallels between denial of HIV and the rise

of Nazism evokes a strong image in the mind of her viewers. In both cases, people

thought they couldn’t possibly be the victims, and by the time they realized the truth, it

was far too late. In doing so, she gets her audience to examine their own beliefs and

acknowledge they are all in danger. This final quote is of Mary’s message to America.

“To the millions of you who are grieving, who are frightened, who have suffered the

ravages of AIDS firsthand: Have courage, and you will find support. To the millions who

are strong, I issue the plea: Set aside prejudice and politics to make room for

compassion and sound policy.” Using words like courage, support, and compassion

adds some well needed levity into an otherwise bleak speech. This quote serves almost
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as a rallying cry for all Americans to come together and overcome this crisis. It is very

inspirational and meant to convince the audience to advocate for a much stronger

response to HIV. Overall, Mary’s use of pathos was extremely effective and served her

goal of banding the audience together very well.

Mary Fisher’s goal was to expose her audience to the severity of the HIV

epidemic and convince them to put aside their beliefs and come together to fight the

disease. Through excellent use of the three rhetorical appeals, she accomplished this

goal masterfully. Using logos, she provided her audience with the facts of the pandemic.

Through ethos, she established her credibility and reminded the audience that no one is

immune. And with pathos, she opened the eyes of her audience to the damage dealt by

their ignorance and called on the crowd to help support one another as the disease

rages on.
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Works Cited

Fisher, Mary. “A Whisper of AIDS.” Speech. 1992 Republican National Convention. 19 August

1992, Astrodome, Houston TX. American Rhetoric. Accessed 23 Oct 2020.