C: Sojourner Truth’s speech was affected by her audience because it was “dominated by impassioned arguments from men who believed that women were not capable of doing the things men did and were not made equal by God”. One of the reasons these men believed men and women were not equal was because women should be treated more politely. This causes Truth to give a speech explaining how she has been treated in every way but politely as a black woman and raises the question “Ain’t I a woman”? Her audience fills her with anger, but she uses that emotion to paint a picture of her painful life, proving that just because you are a woman does not mean you should not have the same rights as a man. It is important to note the contemporary accounts of her speech. During the 1850s, slavery was …show more content…
She says she has not been treated fairly all her life, works as much as a man, has given birth to many children, and has lost all her children to slavery. What she says is very compelling because it can relate to many listeners. The women relate to her knowing the pain of childbirth. The men also work in the same way. Black people relate to life as slaves. Her speech is very persuasive and causes many people an emotional response. Her opponents state, “women can’t have as many rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman”. They believe God made men stronger than women. Truth argues this by stating that God is not a man, since he is not created by a man and woman. Thus, God’s will is that men and women are created equal. I do not have much knowledge of the bible and religions, but from what I do know, many things are up for interpretation. If both opposing parties are stubborn and refuse to listen to the other side, they will always believe what they believe. I am sure people, hearing Truth’s argument about God, considered the idea. Although, there were probably plenty of others who would refuse to consider
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
Truth starts her speech by pointing out a man in the crowd, claiming that he stated, “women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches,
Sojourner Truth used diction and figurative language to argue that women, specifically black women, deserve equal rights. Sojourner Truth’s choice of diction makes the speech more personal. With her diction choices, the audience can trust the speaker more. In the title, “Ain’t I a Woman”, the word “woman” connects the speaker to the
In “Ain't I Woman” Truth effectively builds her argument using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Through the use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, Truth argues that all women deserve the right to vote. Through the use of rhetorical devices, Truth builds a convincing argument. Truth Uses Ethos to make her argument that women deserve the right to vote more effective. Truth uses allusions when she writes, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back.”
In an era of strict social values, black enslaved women faced inhumane treatment while working in the most grueling conditions. Her use of parallelism and repetition highlights the dichotomy between African American women, and the freed white men
To start with in the speech, “Ain’t I a Woman” spoke by Sojourner Truth she exclaims how the negro women are treated differently. The men in the town say that men started it all and women have nothing to do with the world. In Source A Truth speaks, “That man over there says that women need to be helped into
In Sojourner Truth’s most famous speech Ain’t I a Woman follows a story of an African American woman speaking at a Women’s Convention at Akron, Ohio in 1851. However at that time, African Americans had no right to speak to an audience, let alone women themselves. Sojourner uses the three rhetorical devices: ethos, pathos and logos in order for the participants of the women’s convention to have the feeling that they are not alone thinking that women should be treated as a human. When Truth uses her own experiences as evidence of social injustice, the audience automatically knows that she is an African American slave. Sojourner states out “ I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most sold off to slavery–”(Truth).
Sojourner Truth's compelling speech, "Ain't I a Woman?" adeptly utilizes rhetorical questions, religious comparisons, and audience engagement to effectively convey the message that women and African Americans deserve equal rights. The recurrent rhetorical question, "Ain't I a Woman?" serves as a powerful tool throughout the speech, evolving in meaning and impact with each repetition. In the opening lines, Truth employs the rhetorical question to expose the double standards faced by African American women. By juxtaposing the expectations of white women to be treated with delicacy and reverence against the harsh reality she experiences, Truth sparks contemplation within her audience. This strategic use of ethos challenges societal norms and compels
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
Slavery was a prominent issue throughout the United States in the 1840’s. The antislavery and proslavery were two conflicting groups that disputed in every aspect possible. Since slavery was evident in every decision made by the government, this caused several issues with literature and religion as well. Slavery affected the previously existing differences between the North and South, making them more disengaged from one another. The issue of slavery in American history was regularly debated between writers.
This shows that Truth is courageous because she is brave enough to bring up religion in her arguments for women's rights. When she mentions how Jesus came from God and a woman, she risks angering many people because of their religious
From God and a woman!” This is a fact that no one could argue about, which makes the audience to believe that her argument is legit, and should be taken under consideration.
Sojourner Truth, in her speech Ain’t I a Woman, develops a simple argument advocating for not only women’s rights but also those of African Americans alike. Her argument is embellished with rhetorical questions that highlight her natural rights as a black woman. Truth employs a witty tone arguing for personal autonomy by drawing a metaphor for intellect and then proving its absurdity. She illustrates her “cup won’t hold but a pint,” so there lies no harm in offering “yours [that] holds a quart.” In this sarcastic analogy, she disproves the idea that women should be subservient to men for their general lack of intellect. In regards to her argument, human rights are natural privileges independent from a person’s intelligence. Furthermore, she
Hearing a speech from a man in Akron, Ohio she felt offended and attended the convention. She gave her speech at The Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron. She stood with courage alone, standing before the audience with her head held high and her pride. Sojourner spoke with a mighty voice full of confidence and bestowed her experiences upon the people saying what she believed in and told of God and his meaning for men. At that many people rose and sided with her, supporting her to prove their rights and freedom (Morgan, Thad 2013).
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