Isabel Baggett

Justice

English III

11 January 2019

Timed Essay Albright

Albright starts her speech by giving two options. Two ways in which America ​could​ have

gone. Her diction is especially powerful as she chose words like “betray and “selfishly” to

describe the path in which America ​could ​have taken, but did not. Instead she used the antithesis

to portray America as doing the ​right ​thing. The ​just t​ hing. Instead we made the “right choice.”

This helps set up the rest of the speech as it states the idea the we must have courage to fight for

the right thing.

She then uses parallelism to create the next find paragraphs. She explains what America

“could do”, and then what the did instead. “We could relax. . . we could turn our backs. . . we

could stop there. . .”. This repetition helps to further her case that America doesn’t stop when it’s

easiest to. They keep going, they keep pushing. “Instead, we are working. . . Instead, we are

pursuing. . . Instead, we are renewing. . . Instead . . . are standing up, spreading the word. . .”

Instead, we are making America, the world, better.

This speech, however, was not written in order to praise America & talk about all of its

accomplishments. It was, is, meant to move, to inspire the graduates of Mount Holyoke college.

So, Albright then moves into her own experiences as a woman. She talks about the “uncommon

woman” -- the woman, we assume “that fights, overcomes, and perserveres. She names women

she has met that have shaped her life, who have inspired her. “These women have in common a
determination to chart their own path.” (line 64) She is challenging the graduates to create their

own path as well, to make change for the good of the people.

Albright then goes back into the use of parallelism again. After a paragraph of talking

about what doubts, challenges, hardships you may face in the world, she ends each with “have

courage still-- and perservere”. This repetition makes her message all the more powerful as she is

implementing the idea over and over and over again that we ​must ​be strong and face the

challenges ahead. “. . . you will, if you aim high enough, meet resistance.” (line 69) She does not

make life sound perfect and all flowers and rainbows, but instead analyzes the realness of it. The

truth. That women are going face hardships and that we are strong enough to overcome them.

She ends with an imperative sentence, to tell us, women, what we need to do. “I summon

you in the name of this historic college. . . (line 98)” She implores them to “. . . explode outward

the boundaries of what is achievable on this earth” (line 106). Albright’s message is for all

women, that we must do all that we can to break the boundaries of what women “can” do and

explore all the things possible that women ​could d​ o.