Roxane Gay: Effective ways of being heard, 2022

Audience

Young writers ,particularly women and those exploring personal experiences

Purpose

To empower those to find their voice ,confront trauma and view anger as a productive force

Context

Written in 2022,reflecting on the pandemic's collective trauma and ongoing conversations about feminism,body image and mental health

Genre

Speech

Mode

Spoken

Voice and Tone

Conversational yet authoritative tone. Accessible, engaging, encouraging, and empowering

Structure

Her speech is organised logically and progressively. It shifts from the personal to broader societal issues.

The structure is linked to how many people will begin to think and process: they will see their personal stories and then shit to look for other people who they can relate to and share stories and advice.

Repetition of trauma -mirrors how trauma can dominate thoughts and conversations

Conversationional tone -makes the message accessible and relatable

Open -ended conclusion-leaves the audience with a question to reflect on rather than a fixed answer

'A lot of times...'

Voice-metaphor for self -expression and identity.Suggest that voice is not something to be found but something to be developed

Inclusive language 'we' makes the message universal addressing the audience directly

Empowerment -encourages the idea that everyone has the right to to be heard

'I started writing ...'

Personal anecdote-establishes her authentic connection with writing from a young age

Highlights the inmate human desires to tell stories ,reinforcing that storytelling is a natural part of self -expression

'I think and write quite ...'

Repetition of 'trauma '-emphasise in significance in her work

Highlights the messiness of healing and the lack of language to articulate those experiences

'When i wrote my memoir ....'

Vulnerability-shows the emotional risk involved in writing truthfully

Breaking stereotypes-rejects the common 'weight loss journey'

Honesty -by sharing her discomfort ,she connects with readers facing similar struggles

'I think a lot of people ...'

Collective experience-suggest that personal stories help others articulate heir own pain

Language as a power- reinforces the importance of finding words to express difficult experiences

'In general...'

Paradox -self contradictory statement/argument

Paradox 'I tell myself....' Highlights the internal conflict between fear and the need to write

'Despite the fear ' emphasis the importance of courage in writing

Great writing as connection -shows how personal stories can create solidarity (unity ) among diverse people

"A lot of times people ask me about voice"

Presents her ethos and reasoning for writing and presenting this piece.

She subtly highlights her own credentials and authority without having to do so explicitly

'as if they can go on some sort of search, and find voice waiting for them'

' as if' - dismisses the misconception that it is something external that must be "found." Gay challenges the conventional notion that one's voice is something elusive or difficult to grasp.

'find a voice waiting for them'

This use of personifying 'voice' in terms of a romantic sense of destiny, and the use of defamiliarising it as something we might tend to take for granted, is intriguing. The listener is invited to question how the approach to 'voice' begins in the first place; their a priori assumptions are being tested.

'we tend to already have our voices'

she empowers her audience, emphasising that finding one's voice is about acknowledging its existence and learning how to use it confidently. This rhetorical shift reframes the idea of self-expression, making it not an abstract search but a process of self-empowerment.

' knowing that we have every right to do so'

Gay validates the audience's questions and exploration into the process of self realisation of how to 'use our voices' and encourages it.

'I started writing when i was four years old.'

- Shift to past tense to explain her backstory and early experiences of writing

- She's been writing for a long time and has seen her way of writing evolve, that builds her credibilty to the audience

'I would draw little villages on napkins'

'little villages' - her voice started in a small way for just herself and people close to her in her village but has now grown and can be expressed nationwide on the PBS news.

'napkins' - your voice doesn't have to be big and in your face, it's okay and still valid to have a smaller and more common voice to some. Gay's voice started small and expressed in an insignificant way but it later grew.

'four years old'

She has learnt, from experience, that finding and expressing your voice doesn't need to be this overly intellegicial and romaticised thing, but instead is perfectly still accessible for a young child.

'I would write stories about the people living in those villages'

Started sharing her voice through fiction at a young age but now as shes grown up she retells the more important true life stories that have personal meaning to her. - presents that idea that the 'voice' can grow and evolve and how it is expressed doesn't have to be in one single way.

"I think and write quite a lot about trauma"

The shift back into present tense connects the use of 'voice' across Gay's life experience; the fact that she has developed and grown in her use of 'voice' shows that it is an organic and ongoing feature of humans' creative capacity.

'very little language for trauma'

Irony - there are so many words in the English language but we struggle to even collect a few when talking about trauma.

'you have suffered and you're healed, but things are maybe also not okay.'

Gay talks with a level of vunrablity and validates the continued grief that stays with us beyond the 'normal' grieving period.

'There are things that we really do....'

Rhetorical question-encourages the audience to reflect on their own experiences

'Sit with' -implies the need for patience and reflection rather than quick solutions

Repetition of 'us' and 'we'

Direct address to the audience to include them and make the speech feel more personal. Connects the audience to her and makes the topic of trauma not feel so isolating and that it is instead a shared experience.

'required a level of vulnerability I found extremely uncomfortable'

Sharing her concerns and worries about opening up. Uses this to connect to the audience who find trust in her for being brave and standing up to present her stories despite being uncomfortable. Encourges others to do the same and spread their stories and often it will help more that are also uncomfortable.

'not only in this country, but all around the world'

Parenthetical clause to shift perspective to global. Gay expands her target audience to the wider world; seeing as YouTube (via PBS) is the platform on which she is speaking, she acknowledges the mode in which she is speaking.

' I'm often asked ....'

Direct address to young women -positions Gay as a mentor figure

Reclamation of anger -challenges the idea that women should suppress their own emotions

Anger as power-reinforces the feminist message that anger can be a productive force

"everybody lives in a body that is complicated and that they struggle with at one time or another."

[...]"the deaths of 800,000 people"

Logos

Logos (logic appeal )

Gay's arguments are underscored by logical reasoning. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity in storytelling and the impact it has on societal perceptions. By highlighting how personal narratives can challenge stereotypes and foster understanding, she presents a rational case for embracing one's voice as a catalyst for change

Ethos (credibility )

Gay establishes her credibility through personal anecdotes and professional experiences. She reflects on her journey as a writer and professor, sharing insights into how she has navigated the complexities of self-expression. This self-disclosure not only humanizes her but also positions her as a relatable mentor. Her role as a mentor to many further solidifies her authority on the subject of effective communication.

Pathos (emotional appeal)

Throughout her speech, Gay taps into the emotional currents of her audience. She discusses the challenges of articulating personal trauma and the liberation that comes from embracing one's voice. By addressing the fears and vulnerabilities associated with self-expression, she creates an empathetic connection, encouraging listeners to confront and share their own stories.