Burma Table

Speaker Purpose Context Themes Structure Quotes + Techniques Reception
Aung
San Suu
Kyi
“Keynote
address
at the
Beijing
World
Conferenc
e on
Women”
1995
- BURM
• !he "#r"ose of the
Beijing Conference
on Women $as to
"resent an
analytical
o%er%ie$ of the
glo&al forces
a'ecting the
(#ality of life of
the h#man
comm#nity and
the challenges
these "ose for
e%eryone and for
$omen in
"artic#lar and to
li&erate $omen
aro#nd the $orld
and hel" them to
realise and f#l)l
their role in
society*
• +lo&al forces
mentioned
incl#ded
a""roaches to
go%ernance, s#ch
as (#estions of
citi-enshi" and
"olitical
"artici"ation, as
$ell as loo.ing at
o&stacles to "eace
and h#man
sec#rity s#ch as
militari-ation,
%iolence and
"o%erty
• /he addressed
• #ng /an /## Kyi
$as an ad%ocate
for democracy
and h#man
rights,
"artic#larly those
of $omen and
d#e to her strong
ideals a&o#t
these iss#es0 she
$as sentenced to
ho#se arrest* /he
had to deli%er her
s"eech %ia %ideo
as she had j#st
&een released
from 1 yrs of
ho#se arrest 2
and feared
lea%ing B#rma in
case she $as
&anned from
ret#rning* /he
therefore had no
a#dience to
res"ond 3interact
$ith*
• /he li%ed thro#gh
most t#r&#lent
times in B#rmese
4istory
• 5ollo$ing her
father6s m#rder
7he $as a martyr
for B#rmese
freedom8, the
co#ntry $as
thro$n into
chaos, B#rma
Role of Women in
Society
•5oc#s on the role
of $omen in
society,
go%ernment and
"olitics to
‘struggle for
justice and peace’
in the $orld
•/he strongly
&elie%es that this
role sho#ld &e
centred on their
traditional,
&iological (#alities
and their
dedication to the
‘nurturing,
protecting and
caring for the
young and old’
•!hese (#alities
‘imposed on’
$omen ena&le
them to "lay an
im"ortant role in
inciting "olitical
and social change,
"ro%o.ing "rogress
and hel"ing to
‘dissipate the
darkness of
intolerance… and
sufering’
•!raditionally gi%en
the 9responsibility
of teaching
children values
Chronological
ascen!ing
la!!er
structure"
U"&eat :
enco#raging
intro 2 created
&y "ositi%e,
emoti%e $ords
‘wonderful’,
‘splendid’,
‘greatest’ 2
congrat#lates
the $omen $ho
ha%e organi-ed
the for#m
Uses ;
rd
"ara to
o#tline main
ideas*
Au!ience 2
"eo"le < the
conference*
=ater 2 a $ider
a#dience*
o /he #ses sim"le non-
academic lang#age
and "ersonal "rono#ns
o Uses strong emoti%e
lang#age $hene%er
disc#ssing the role of
$omen in society 2
‘struggle for justice &
peace’, ‘to contribute
to the betterment of
society’.
o >ositi%e diction - to
ill#strate the %ital
contri&#tion $omen
can ma.e to the $orld
9strong and principled’,
‘emancipated..empow
ered’
o Red#ces the
contri&#tion of men
#sing negati%e,
emoti%e lang#age -
‘patronising behaviour
or eploitation’,
‘patriarchal domination
and degradation’
o Religio#s all#sions to
a""eal to the religio#s
&eliefs of her a#dience
and to j#stify her
o"inions as &eing
a""ro%ed &y god !"ord
#uddha$
o C#lt#ral references
#sing her o$n
&ac.gro#nd to "resent
an #nderstanda&le
intelligent and
h#moro#s analogy-
#riginal
?#e to the t#r&#lent
times that /## Kyi
s"o.e in, there is a
di%ided historic
rece"tion of the nation
and internationally*
In the national
historical context
7$ithin B#rma8
• 4er s"eech $as
recei%ed $ith o#trage
and fear &y
go%ernment o@cials,
$ho sa$ her criticise
and defy the
go%ernment $hile
also &eing a threat to
their "atriarchal
"o$er and system of
go%ernment*
• s she $as #nder
ho#se arrest at the
time of deli%ery of her
s"eech, the majority
of the nation sa$ her
as a threat and as
someone $ho had
engaged in criminal
and illegal acti%ities
&y )ghting against
the go%ernment*
• ltho#gh a minority
of the B#rmese
"o"#lation $ho
act#ally listened to
the s"eech $o#ld
these iss#es $hich
too. on a glo&al
signi)cance and
also targeted her
domestic a#dience
&y criticising the
go%ernment6s
fail#re to end their
o""ressi%e tactics
#sed to maintain
"o$er* /he
criticised the
go%ernment for
denying that
9women too can
play a part in
bringing the
necessary change
and progress to
their society’
• /"eech carried
$ith it the
international
"#r"ose of
cam"aigning for
the li&eration of
$omen,
moti%ating $omen
to achie%e their
f#ll "otential and
#nifying females
thro#gho#t the
$orld in the )ght
for e(#ality
• Raising a$areness
of the contin#ed
s#'ering of the
B#rmese*
• ttem"ted to #se
s"eech to ins"ire
&eing r#led #nder
military
dictatorshi"
• /he &ecame a
great )ghter for
?emocracy and
h#man rights
• 19AA - military
re-esta&lished its
control of the
co#ntry $ith the
ne$ 9"olitical
"arty6, /tate =a$
and Brder
Restoration
Co#ncil 7/=BRC8 2
&anded "olitical
gatherings,
rea@rmed arrests
: sentencing
$itho#t trial and
held corr#"t
"arliamentary
elections $ith the
eC"ectation that
there $o#ld &e
no clear res#lt*
• /## Kyi de)ed
the military in
&ecoming a
leader of the
Dational =eag#e
of ?emocracy
7D=?8 - "#rs#ed
non %iolent
"rotests and ci%il
diso&edience 2
ad%ocating
democracy and
h#man rights 2
that will guide
them throughout
their lives’ $omen
ha%e a "ri%ileged
role as teachers
and ed#cators of
tomorro$6s
generation
•Women, as
9intelligent human
beings’ $ho ha%e
"erformed highly
‘in our educational
system and the
management of
commercial
enterprises’ can
‘contribute to the
betterment of
society’ &y "laying
a greater role in
&#siness and in
go%ernment
•En order for $orld
to tr#ly a""reciate
role of $omen they
need to &e gi%en a
"olitical "latform
and a role in
go%ernment to
9participate fully %n
the decisions and
processes that
shape their lives’
Tolerance
•>resents tolerance
as the
f#ndamental
conce"t needed to
9#urmese proverb& the
dawn rises only when
the rooster crows’ By
a""ealing to the
a#diences c#lt#ral and
religio#s %al#es she
ill#strates ho$ $omen
‘too can play a part in
bringing change’
o +lo&al reference to the
Enternational Fear of
!olerance 2
demonstrates that
tolerance is a
$orld$ide "ro&lem*
o >ro%ides "olitical
statistics to add
credi&ility to her
arg#ment !'( out of
the ()* +,s elected in
'--. were women$ /
highlights the lac. of
female re"s in B#rma*
o /imiles
‘tender as mothers
nursing their newly
born’, ‘brave as
lionesses defending
their young’ - By
e%o.ing "oetic and
maternal images she
ill#strates ho$ $omen
sho#ld #se their
&iological tendency to
n#rt#re lo%ed ones to
‘work for the good of
their country’ and
create "eace*
o Rhetorical (#estions-
‘#ut is this really a
ha%e identi)ed $ith
her : admire her
e'orts to sa%e them
from o""ression*
The international
historic
interpretation
• ?i'ers as they $ere
free from fear of the
conteCt#alisation of
B#rma and $ere a&le
to a""reciate the
#ni%ersal %al#es of
freedom, e(#ality,
democracy and "eace
and $ere not
threatened &y her
and her ideas in any
$ay*
• !he s"eech
rea@rmed her
"osition as a glo&al
"olitical acti%ist and
s#ccessf#lly &o#ght
more attention to the
h#man rights
"ro&lems in B#rma &y
&ringing it to the
international frontier*
$o!ern
• Kyi6s s"eech, and her
"ersonal story of self-
sacri)ce, is an
enco#ragement and
ins"iration to all*
• /he is recei%ed as a
freedom acti%ist and
ho"e that change
is "ossi&le thro#gh
non %iolent "rotest
$ithin B#rma
• /#ggests that it is
the nat#re of
$omen to &e the
"eacema.ers and
that there needs
to &e more of a
&alance of "o$er
&3n men and
$omen* !0o war
was ever started
by women$
• /he %al#es
democracy, and
$omen6s role in
the "olitical
s"here* 4er aim is
to enco#rage and
ins"ire $omen of
the $orld to #se
their talents and
feminine (#alities
for "eace and
"olitical dialog#e*
/he does not
necessarily
s#""ort feminist
ideologies, &#t
see.s to ma.e
more di%erse
notions of gender
• !rying to increase
"ress#re on the
#ndemocratic
go%ernment in
B#rma* Bn them
her $ords ha%e
elected into go%
in 199G 2 AHI of
%ote &#t /=BRC
military leaders
ref#sed to hand
o%er "o$er to her
2 they "laced
greater
restrictions on
her
• $arded Do&el
>eace >ri-e
• /"eech
addressed iss#es
rele%ant to
$omen
thro#gho#t the
$orld, yet
dri""ed $ith
sarcastic
references to the
r#ling of the
/=BRC
• B#rmese
contin#e to
end#re endless
s#'ering -
ar&itrary arrest
and ra"e, dire
"o%erty, ids
e"idemic,
maln#trition and
malaria*
esta&lish
democracy, "eace,
e(#ality and e(#al
h#man rights
•By #nderstanding
the di'erences
&et$een "eo"le
7race, religion,
gender8 many of
the atrocities in
her nation : the
$orld incl#ding
$ar and the
discrimination
"resent in her
co#ntry co#ld &e
"re%ented
•Refers to the
United Dations to
arg#e that
‘without tolerance,
the foundations for
democracy and
respect for human
rights cannot be
strengthened, and
the achievements
of peace will
remain eclusive’
•s"eech con%eys
that tolerance isn6t
sim"ly the
a&sence of
intolerance and
insec#rity &#t an
acti%e e'ort to
‘understand the
point of views of
others’ 2 arg#es
that $omen
weakness1 2ould it not
be in fact a strength1’
‘3ow much more could
they not achieve1’ /
as.s for the o&%io#s
tr#ths, as.s a#dience
to (#estion
themsel%es*
o Uses a direct (#otation
from UD 2 “tolerance,
human rights,
democracy & peace
are closely related$ 2
UD is a int "eace
.ee"ing org : their
a""ro%al of her ideas
adds credi&ility to her
arg#ment as &eing for
the greater good of the
$orld*
o /tarts many sentences
$ith conj#nctions-
9#ut’, ‘4nd’& creates a
Jo$ of ideas "ro%ides
dramatic "a#ses 2
allo$ing a#dience to
contem"late the
arg#ment she is
ma.ing*
martyr for h#man
rights*
• 4er s"eech is still $ell
recei%ed in the
$estern $orld as they
%al#e the ideals of
freedom and
democracy $hich she
raises in her s"eech*
• !oday in #stralia, $e
are still lac.ing
female re"resentation
in >arliament, and are
s#'ering from the
horri&le e'ects of
terrorism and lac. of
international
dialog#e*
• /## Kyi6s s"eech
"ro%ides a "ossi&le
ans$er to o#r
"ro&lems of
intolerance and hate,
and foregro#nds the
im"ortance of gender
e(#ality*
• lso that her "oetic
and rhetoric talent
"ortrays her as an
intelligent and
emanci"ated ne$
$oman*
• /ince the gender
re%ol#tion, the
s"eeches "ortrayal of
the 9em"o$erment of
$omen6 g#arantees
its timeless
a""reciation
little e'ect as she
contin#es to &e
harassed &y
/=BRC as she tried
to "romote her
acti%ities for
democracy
• /he eCem"li)es
the discrimination
that $omen s#'er
and the limited
freedom they ha%e
across the $orld
and ho$ they are
contin#o#sly &eing
"ersec#ted for
their gender*
sho#ldn6t j#st &e
tolerated &#t
%al#ed for their
contri&#tion to the
$orld
%eminist Rea!ing
• s /## Kyi )ghts for
the rights of $omen
in her s"eech, it
incl#des a feminist
inter"retation*
• /he )ghts for the
li&eration of $omen
and their freedom
from the !shackles of
prejudice and
intolerance$ $hich
allo$s her to &e
recei%ed as a national
and international
"ioneer of $omen6s
rights*