Formal, Resolute

Though it's not the most difficult text to read, the UDHR also isn't poetry. International treaties written by committee tend not to be. Like in any good declaration, there are plenty of uses of "whereas" and "therefore" to go around.

The text is the product of a committee writing process that originally involved just a few people. But the drafting committee eventually swelled to 18 representatives from countries all over the world. The drafting process was also followed by debate and amendments in meetings of the U.N. General Assembly. So unlike some documents influenced by the philosophy of human rights, such as the Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, you don't see the voice of one author. That's probably appropriate given that this text is meant to have the force of universality—that is, it's supposed to represent everyone.

Since it's formatted as a simple list, the actual style of the text is repetitious and straightforward. Most of the articles begin with the simple formulation of "everyone has the right." With so much content packed into 30 short articles, this to-the-point approach delivers a lot of material into a tight package. Like a delicious burrito of human rights. Or crepe. Or blintz. Or samosa. Or…well, you get the picture.