Give until it hurts: the speeches and letters of Mother Teresa

Although Mother Teresa has been described as one of the most publicized women of the twentieth century, her speeches have often been criticized and/or unexamined due to their perceived rhetorical inadequacies. This thesis examines four speeches and letters by Mother Teresa using a close textual analysis. Through close textual analysis, this study finds that within the simplicity of her discourse lies a multi-faceted way of expressing her complex faith to an array of audiences. She selects from a few consistent tools of persuasion, such as the redefinition of regularly used terms such as love, poverty, and giving. She tackles multiple moral and theological matters, but explains each of them by how they relate to the topic of giving. Her words mirror the theological ideas of her religious counterparts of the twentieth century, such as Pope John Paul II. However, her discourse is unadorned, and reflects the simplicity of the life that she lived and her worldview on life.