Sojourner Truth's Speech 'Ain' T I A Woman

Sojourner Truth’s ‘Ain’t I a woman” speech had many things in common with Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Truth gave her speech to help people better understand why women need rights that are equal to men. She listened to what everyone had to say about women’s rights then when it was her time to speak she used everyone’s arguments and flipped them so that she could make the audience think. Truth used ethos, pathos, and logos when she gave her speech so that she could reach out to each audience member. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King wrote to the clergy men to help persuade the clergy men that African Americans deserved to be free. King also read what the clergy men had to say first then in he used their arguments and

Sojourner Truth uses many devices in her speech. Some of these devices are rhetorical question ,ethos and logos. Sojourner uses these devices to discuss the struggle for women's equality in a male dominant society. Truth’s experiences as a black woman in America suitably provided her with the understanding and motivation to speak on women’s rights. She also states questionable facts to make a strong argument.

In the edited version of Sojourner Truth's speech, “Ain’t I a Woman” the writer Frances Gage really enhances the rhetorical appeal by changing some things. Firstly, she changes the way she started it. In the original she said, “May I say a few words? I want to say a few words about this matter.”

Sojourner Truth was a strong, courageous woman. She was born into slavery and lived a difficult, unbreakable life. After many years of being a slave, she was finally freed. Sojourner faced many hardships in her life. She learned to obey her masters and she was promised by many who never kept their word.

Sojourner Truth, the writer of An Account of an Experience with Discrimination and speaker of Ain’t I a Women and Speech at New York City Convention, faced many difficulties and oppressive times in her life. She went through several different owners and homes. When Truth got older, she had at least five kids, most of which were sold into slavery, with a slave named Thomas. Truth was granted freedom after the 1828 mandatory emancipation of slaves in New York and finally was emancipated. She began preaching on the streets about her religious life. Truth changed her name from Isabella Van Wagener to Sojourner Truth because she wanted to “sojourn” the land and tell God’s “truth.” She moved to Northampton, Massachusetts to become apart of the abolitionist movement. During this time, the Civil War was occurring. The North was opposed to slavery and the South was for slavery. Truth addressed women’s rights repeatedly. She pointed out that the meetings about women’s suffrage were racially segregated. Truth gave many public speeches throughout Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas. Truth used an approach when giving speeches called rhetorical strategy. She was extremely opinionated and pointed out a good argument about slaves creating the country and receiving no credit for it. She also made a good point when talking about women’s rights: “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world

Sojourner Truth played a vital role in inspiring people to stand up against slavery and injustice. She stood up for herself and every African-American. She had the courage to stand up and leave her slave owner. She stood up for herself and her son in court when he was sold illegally to a slave owner in a different state. She had the moxy to become a public figure and talk about injustice against women and African-American slaves. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, no one had ever heard of a woman slave taking a stand to control her and her family’s life. Sojourner Truth was before her time.

Sojourner Truth was a strong, courageous woman. First, Sojourner Truth was a slave that was worked like a man. Next, Sojourner had thirteen children, and they were all sold into slavery right after they were born. Lastly, while Sojourner was a slave, she was brutally beaten and treated horribly. All in all, Sojourner Truth was a strong, courageous woman.

The first time I heard “Ar'nt I a Woman?” was freshman year of high school, during our annual African-American Heritage assembly. The crowd, always restless and inattentive, chattered and snapchatted away as the speech and presenter were announced. A lanky girl shuffled on stage, folding in on herself as she walked, arrived center stage, and began to speak. As she went on, her spine straightened, her murmurs turned to phrases enunciated so clearly her tongue seemed to be working three times as hard as a normal person’s. By the end of the speech, she had the undivided attention of the audience, all holding their breath because of how passionately and honestly she presented this glimpse into life as a black woman. Both Chapter 4 of A Shining Thread of Hope by Darlene Clark Hine and Kathleen Thompson, and Sojourner Truth’s “Ar'nt I a Woman?” speech serve the same general goal: showcasing the mistreatment of African American Women by society . While Truth’s speech is from her perspective, full of rage and frustration, A Shining thread gives her experiences important context. .

Through Truth’s numerous rhetorical questions used in this speech, she has made a strong impact on her audience. Each question either precedes or follows a strong truth. By questioning herself, and being able to answer each question, Truth shows her understanding of society, and the mistreatment of women. She never wanted the audience to answer her questions, because the honest answers should be obvious.All of her hardships as a slave, and she is a women. When discussing intellect, she even asks, “What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes rights?” Her rhetorical questions were a unique way of bringing up obvious points, and forced her listeners to fill in the answers themselves. It would have grabbed their

Through Truth’s numerous rhetorical questions used in this speech, she has made a strong impact on her audience. Each question either precedes or follows a strong truth. By questioning herself, and being able to answer each question, Truth shows her understanding of society, and the mistreatment of women. She never wanted the audience to answer her questions, because the honest answers should be obvious.All of her hardships as a slave, and she is a women. When discussing intellect, she even asks, “What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes rights?” Her rhetorical questions were a unique way of

Sojourner Truth is now known as a Catalyst for change. When Sojourner was born her name was Isabella Baumfree. However, “On June 1,1843, Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth, devoting her life to Methodism and the abolition of slavery.”(4) Sojourner to many means to travel. So, you could say that Sojourner Truth was a traveler of Truth. The next major event that makes Sojourner Catalyst for change was “In May of 1851, Truth delivered a speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron. The extemporaneous speech, recorded by several observers, would come to be know as “Ain’t I a Woman?” The first version of the speech, published a month later by Marius Robinson, editor of Ohio newspaper The Anti- Slavery Bugle, did

Sojourner Truth’s words in her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” served as an anthem for women everywhere during her time. Truth struggled with not only racial injustice but also gender inequality that made her less than a person, and second to men in society. In her speech, she warned men of “the upside down” world against the power of women where “together, [women] ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” Today, America proudly stands thinking that Truth’s uneasiness of gender inequality was put to rest. Oppression for women, however, continues to exist American literature has successfully captured and exposed shifts in attitude towards women and their roles throughout American history.

Sojourner Truth once declared, at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again” (“Sojourner Truth” Encyclopedia). This statement brought a wave of protest from the men in the crowd and left most women with renewed hope for receiving equal rights. Sojourner Truth was a woman’s rights activist and African American abolitionist, on top of being a freed slave. Sojourner Truth had the “worst of both worlds” being that she was African American, and also a woman. She spoke at a countless amount of conventions, largely inspired by Lucrietta Mott. Rather than using weapons, Truth

" I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail." Said Sojourner Truth during one of her battles for freed slave rights. Truth was born as a slave in which after 30 years she escaped. After she dedicated her life to helping freed slaves get their rights along with women's rights. Sojourner Truth is a hero to not only women, but to everyone because she changed America for women and color people by being brave, determined, and Godly.

Isabella Baumfree was her real name, but she was known as Sojourner Truth. She was an African American born into slavery, but escaped to freedom in 1826. Years later, she joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry. “Founded by abolitionists, the organization supported a broad reform agenda including women's rights and pacifism” “Sojourner Truth”. I included this to show how involved she was. She wanted to make a difference and the only way to do that was to get involved with the people who are in charge. She had strong beliefs supporting women’s rights. Abolition was one of the few changes she addressed throughout her life that she could actually witness happen. Sojourner Truth grew up in a place where everyone was not