Pluke 1

Daniela María Pluke Santos

Prof. Nicole K. Deliz Swoboda

AP Lang

21 March 2023

Rhetorical Analysis of the Hope Speech

Rhetorical Analysis of the Hope Speech

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in California, and he gave a speech

called The Hope Speech. He did this during a pride parade in San Francisco on June 25, 1978,

and the primary audience of this speech was the people attending. The speech covered topics like

his election, discrimination against minorities, and hope. His purpose in this speech was to

highlight the discrimination that minorities face, focusing on the LGBTQ community. He also

wanted to convey hope despite that, and him being in office is an example of a step forward

toward a better future. The exigence behind his speech is the discrimination he and his

community have faced and his election into office. He excellently achieved his purpose with the

masterful use of ethos, pathos, and anecdotes.  

Milk starts with a clever anecdote that acts as his hook. The anecdote goes as follows;

“Anita Bryant in her speaking to God said that the drought in California was because of the gay

people. On November 9, the day I got elected, it started to rain.” The anecdote not only furthers

his purpose but highlights the irrational logic of the discriminators. He calls back to the anecdote

later in the text by using it as an example of what gay people are faced with. Harvey Milk

effectively uses ethos and pathos throughout his speech. An example of his use of pathos can be

found when he describes the lack of hope many people in his community and other minority
 Pluke 2

faces. As in this quote, “I can’t forget the looks on faces of people who’ve lost hope.” Then he

uses pathos again towards the end of the speech but this time to empower his audience and fuel

them with hope about their future. His use of ethos can be seen in his repetition of the pronouns

“we” and “us.” He makes it known he is part of the community he talks about, which provides

him with more credibility on the problems discussed.  

The Hope Speech was a brilliant speech delivered by Harvey Milk, the state of

California's first openly gay public politician. He gave it on June 25, 1978, during a pride march

in San Francisco, with the attendees serving as his main audience. His speech touched on a

variety of subjects, including his election, prejudice toward minorities, and hope. His speech was

motivated by the discrimination he and his community have experienced and his election to

office. Milk expertly used ethos, pathos, and anecdotes to achieve his purpose of drawing

attention to the prejudice that minorities, particularly the LGBTQ population, must contend with.

Then despite that, he also wanted to impart hope, and the fact that he is in the office is a sign of a

move in the right direction for a better future.