On February 9, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he obtained a list of 205 individuals that were alleged members of the American Communist Party who all of which just-so-happened to be people in the State Department (Oh and Latham). With McCarthy making numerous false accusations about innocent people, the nation was spiraling out of control. It was coming to the point where it seemed history was repeating itself; during the time of the witch hunts, anyone could point their finger to a random individual and their name automatically associated with witches. People lived in fear of being called a communist, knowing there could be no chance of escaping the accusation. Many people did not agree with McCarthy; seven of which were known as “Snow …show more content…
Smith utilized anaphora throughout the speech, which puts it above and beyond the rest. In the speech, she orated the following: “The right to criticize; The right to hold unpopular beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought” (Nolo). By spouting off four of the rights that seem to have been forgotten during McCarthyism, she helps people realize when someone is labeled derogatorily without proof, their rights as an American are stripped. This nation has always had an emphasis on being proud to be an American, especially since World War II ended a mere five years prior to the time of McCarthyism. By reciting the four rights that have been taken away from the alleged Communists, she basically delivers a newsflash to Americans that when they falsely accuse someone, their rights in which they have had all their lives can be withdrawn in an instance. Smith utilizes other rhetorical tropes such as asyndeton, polysyndeton, and caesura; she also used a few other literary devices such as alliteration, metaphor, and repetition throughout. With the combination of these literary devices, Senator Smith attempts to obtain the audience’s attention and sway them to her opinion on