One of the ways Le Guin likes to get a point across is to use parallelism, which is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same (or similar) in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter. "That's great," you say, "but… what's that mean, really?" It's easier to recognize than you think.

For example, check out what we've italicized when she says:

…can't play doctor, only nurse, can't be warriors, only civilians, can't be chiefs, only Indians. (57)

Isn't that a lovely way of emphasizing her point, which is that certain professions have been off-limits to women on the basis of gender discrimination? Or how about when she writes:

You will find you're weak where you thought yourself strong. You'll work for possessions and then find they possess you. You will find yourself – as I know you already have – in dark places, alone, and afraid. (35-37)

Again, Le Guin is using parallelism to accentuate the differences between what you want in life, and how reality will actually play out. This becomes a hallmark of the speech when she uses this device in her penultimate paragraph, which really grabs your attention because of the strong language and harsh tone:

…I hope you tell them to go to hell and while they're going to give you equal pay for equal time. I hope you live without the need to dominate, and without the need to be dominated. I hope you are never victims, but I hope you have no power over other people. (65-67)

Ultimately, this literary tool helps to pull together Le Guin's commencement address, which is full of comparisons and contrasts between the two genders. Instead of sounding like a long list of complaints her speech feels more poetic, while at the same time emphasizing the points she wished to make.