A Critical Examination of Carrie Chapman Catt's 'The Crisis' Speech

This essay provides an analysis of Carrie Chapman Catt's influential speech, 'The Crisis,' delivered in 1916, which aimed to galvanize support for women's suffrage. The essay examines Catt's use of rhetorical devices, including rhetorical questions, imagery, and metaphors, to persuade her audience. It explores how Catt framed the fight for suffrage as a 'last crusade,' emphasizing the progress women had made and the importance of their continued efforts. The analysis delves into Catt's strategic use of rhetorical questions to engage the audience, her comparisons of democracy to an unstoppable wave, and her analogies of war money to an earthquake, highlighting the potential for societal change. Furthermore, the essay discusses Catt's framing of the suffrage movement in terms of a 'final battle' and 'final conflict,' designed to instill enthusiasm and courage. The speech aimed to create a vision of a triumphant battle for women's suffrage, motivating her audience to take action. The essay references relevant sources like Amidon (2007), Catt (1916), Du Bois (1917), and Rupp & Taylor (1999) to support its analysis.

Carrie Chapman Catt
The Crisis
delivered 7 September 1916, Atlanta, Georgia

The speech of Carrie has been influential in a way that she attempts to reach out to the audiences
to motivate them for joining hands to fight against the suffrage of women. She has been able to
work on explaining how the women are making progress mainly because of the work in war and
still there is more to come. Through this, Catt makes use of different devices like the rhetorical
questions which are ending in an exclamation, or the imagery and metaphors to conclude about
the last crusade. The emphasis is on the goals about women suffrage which depends on the
women and their reactions. One of the ways to gain the support from audience is through the
rhetorical questions and then properly responding with compelled explanations. The speech of
Catt explains that there is no change which is made in the system, but it is always effective to
make the changes. She needs to require her audience to properly think about how she has been
able to propose and then give answers (Amindon, 2007). It will mainly highlight on the points
through stating the actions which need not to be taken and no harm will be there due to this.
Catt also discusses about the different metaphors which are included in her argument. The
instances are about mentioning the democracy, where the comparison is made to “a might, an
oncoming wave” this is considered or destined for sweeping over the world. By using this, Catt
allows the audience to picture the democracy with inevitability which cannot be stopped. This
can urge the audience to properly join the suffrage fight mainly because it seems to be
unavoidable (Catt, 1916). The strength for it depends mainly on the followers and their
enthusiasm. Catt makes comparisons of war money to an earthquake, where she makes a
description about describing how the organized societies are able to take the idea so that the
money is poured in the war. The results of this includes how one would be able to “bring the
untold changes” in the same manner, that includes the suffrage of women. Catt makes use of the

different reactions in her speech like “organized society” which clearly depicts the idea that the
money poured in the war, could have been used for a better living of poor people.
Catt finally compares the war which is going in the society to the last crusades. The reference is
made to World War I, where the nations involves “fighting to make end of wars”. The wars are
likely to be seen to continue with the statements about desire of nations. The repetitive focus is
on the women’s suffrage to the last battle of the world. The example is about how Catt
acknowledges that women gain suffrage must hold a “gigantic final conflict”. There is a use of
diction where she has been able to put the apprehension about stating the audience to go through
major trial before one is able to win the vote (Du Bois, 1917). However, she has been able to put
a sense of triumph in the spirit with emphasizing on “They only await the bugle call to learn that
the battle is finally on”. There are terms of “final battle”, “final conflict” and “final victory,” Catt
focus on enthusiasm and motivation into hearts of audience by creating a vision that the suffrage
of women will be considered as a final battle (Rup, Leila & Verta, 1999). The connotations come
with creating image of a triumphant, courageous battle that will have to be fought and the
women should be completely prepared for it.
Through Catt’s speech, she has been able to highlight to her audience, her thoughts, which
invoke enthusiasm and courage in the hearts of people and their minds. The speaking to audience
of women allow Catt to sympathize with audience. This is mainly because she is in a same
position where the women desires more out of life than the minimum, where many people think
that she is only capable of. The imagery is destined to sweep over the world, where Catt also
allow the audience for putting the picture democracy. She is a lady who urges her audience to
join and work on the suffrage mainly because it cannot be avoided or lessened till proper efforts
are taken for it.

References
Amidon, Kevin S. "Carrie Chapman Catt and the evolutionary politics of sex and race, 1885-
1940." Journal of the History of Ideas 68.2 (2007): 305-328.
Catt, Carrie Chapman. "The crisis." The Woman's Journal and Suffrage News 16 (1916).
Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt, ed. The Crisis. Vol. 15. Crisis Publishing Company,
(1917).
Rupp, Leila J., and Verta Taylor. "Forging feminist identity in an international movement: a
collective identity approach to twentieth-century feminism." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture
and Society 24.2 (1999): 363-386.