Nine years. It took nearly a decade and more than two hundred thousand deaths in the United States before a brave soul spoke up to encourage people to talk openly about AIDS. “A Whisper of AIDS” was written to encourage people to “pierce the veil of silence surrounding the issue of HIV/AIDS” (Fisher). The effectiveness of this speech lies in the fact that it addresses an issue that affected many people not only in the 1980s, over thirty years ago, but has continued to do so even into the 21st century, and through the use of numerous rhetorical devices, it allows for a compelling and heartbreaking speech. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These two conditions have caused so much heartache and pain since the 1980s. One of the first signs of AIDS in America was in 1981 and was discovered in a gay man with Pneumocystis pneumonia, a fungal pneumonia. Upon inspection, the doctor found that the man had no auxiliary cells; cells that would help the sick young man fight the infection. As a result, several other young gay men were hospitalized with the same problem. The following year, it was found that hemophiliacs faced the same problem and this disease finally received a name: AIDS. The year 1983 allowed the identification of the virus, HIV. Even to this day, AIDS remains a problem that continues to affect many people. Mary Fisher was the stepdaughter of multimillionaire Max Fisher. She worked as a television producer and assistant to President Gerald Ford, as well as a successful entertainer. The year after her divorce from her second husband, she quickly learned that she had contracted HIV from him. Following this... middle of paper ......h.html>."Organic." Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation. Np, and Web. April 16, 2014. .Fisher, Mary. “A Whisper of AIDS.” Republican National Convention. Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas. August 19, 1992. Speech. “Gifts of Speech - Mary Fisher. » Gifts of speech - Mary Fisher. Np, and Web. April 3, 2014. “Mary Fisher's murmur of ethos, pathos and logos.” » Clburdett writes. Np, and Web. April 15, 2014. “Mr. Newman’s Digital Rhetoric Symposium.” : Analysis of the speech “A Whisper of AIDS” by Mary Fisher. Np, and Web. April 15, 2014. .PBS. PBS and Web. April 15. 2014. .