In the last paragraph of the document “Declaration of Sentiments,” written mainly by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the words that hold strong emotional connotations are those that sharply, clearly, and dramatically speak to the issues that concern Stanton and the early women’s rights movement.

Words like “degradation,” “aggrieved,” and “oppressed” carry strong emotional connotations, since they keenly portray the unequal state of women in the United States. If Stanton had chosen different words, if she’d selected milder nouns and adjectives, her speech might change, and its emotional tenor might be less impactful. In a sense, Stanton uses hyperbole to get her point across. She has to use riveting words, as her task is to illuminate the extreme marginalization and humiliation that many women have suffered.

Stanton’s word groups pair emotion with the supposed democratic values of America. Women should have access to “sacred rights” such as voting because they are “citizens of the United States.” Stanton could have made a speech saying that women deserved fair treatment because they are people, and no person should have to endure humiliation and persecution. Instead, Stanton positions her argument within the context of the United States, which, arguably, separates American women from women in general.