King’s essay topic is interesting in itself because it demonstrates the age long battle women have been fighting to secure equality with men. The stereotypical housewife is something that developed during the early 1920’s and 1930’s and then started to change during World War II. This stereotype came about due to women traditionally taking care of their children while their husbands would go to work and earn money to support their families. However, once males had to go to war women started taking a more active role in the workplace and they started to shift this stereotype. Ever since then, women have been fighting to achieve equality and show that they can do just as much as men.
King’s essay is quite the descriptive one. There is no shortage of detail and even though I didn’t read all 29 pages word for word, I can guarantee one probably felt that after they had finished reading it, they were actually at the match. Rhetorically speaking, if we look at the match itself, it was suited for both genders and conveyed the ultiamte message that women can do just as many things as men can. Billy Jean King harassed a slow, old, under prepared Riggs. She demonstrated sportsmanship at the sametime and didn’t let Rigg’s pregame mind tricks fool her. Kyle does a great job illustrating the history of the match and events leading up to the Battle of the Sexes. He showed just how important this match was for women’s rights as he illustrated that certain things were born out of it such as TITLE IX. I don’t get much of a feel for his own personal view on the subject matter, but maybe staying neutral is what he was trying to do. I would have loved to see what the criteria was for this paper.
He vigilantely demonstrated the rhetoric King and Riggs possessed by stating their on and off the field actions. Riggs was a camera man who loved to taunt and be on the TV. King was more composed and treated the match as more of a job. She inspired women throughout the world with her good temper and blissful personality. Riggs on the otherhand demonstrated just how ridiculous this internal conflict was by treating it as somewhat of a joke. He basically expressed the world’s views on feminism and women’s equality, but was bit in the butt for it. His interview during the game showed he throughouly underestimated his opponent and was in for a long evening. I am darn sure of one thing. Many viewers back home had underestimated King and were just as shell shocked as Riggs was during the match.
Overall I thought the paper was excellent although I feel like it was more of a historical piece of work rather than a rhetorical analysis. Regardless, it was very insightful and offered information on what was one of the most important topics of its time.