Women’s rights activist and abolitionist, Sojourner Truth, in her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” gives light to controversial issues surrounding the rights of women. Truth’s purpose is to emphasize how much she believes it to be ridiculous that a man can deny a woman certain rights when she is just as talented, if not more, than he. She adopts a powerful, matronly tone in order to efficiently instill her opinion on social issues in her activist listeners.
Truth begins her speech by directly addressing her audience as “children” and speaking informally, as she would a close friend, setting the motherly tone that is consistent for the rest of the passage. She establishes a near familial bond with her audience, implying that she is as a wise person who is to be looked up to. Not only does her use of colloquialism set a tone, but it shows her as a relatable figure to her audience. She is seen as not a politician or noble, but as a person--like them.
Truth consistently reiterates the phrase “And Ain’t I …show more content…
This analogy is targeted at the privileged men in the audience, and is used as an effort to help them to understand how equality itself woks. She tells them that, “...if my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean to not let me have my half measure full?” By this, she’s arguing that it shouldn’t matter how smart or how strong somebody is, they still deserve the same rights as everyone else.
The fourth and fifth paragraphs are both heavily influenced by the Bible. The allusion to the sacred Christian text will allow the audience to relate more efficiently to the point Truth is trying to get across. This was an especially sharp move considering the speech was delivered at an Ohio convention in 1851, and Christian was the dominant religion.
Sojourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman” still stands as a powerful piece battling against modern day misogyny and
Truth begins her speech by directly addressing her audience as “children” and speaking informally, as she would a close friend, setting the motherly tone that is consistent for the rest of the passage. She establishes a near familial bond with her audience, implying that she is as a wise person who is to be looked up to. Not only does her use of colloquialism set a tone, but it shows her as a relatable figure to her audience. She is seen as not a politician or noble, but as a person--like them.
Truth consistently reiterates the phrase “And Ain’t I …show more content…
This analogy is targeted at the privileged men in the audience, and is used as an effort to help them to understand how equality itself woks. She tells them that, “...if my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean to not let me have my half measure full?” By this, she’s arguing that it shouldn’t matter how smart or how strong somebody is, they still deserve the same rights as everyone else.
The fourth and fifth paragraphs are both heavily influenced by the Bible. The allusion to the sacred Christian text will allow the audience to relate more efficiently to the point Truth is trying to get across. This was an especially sharp move considering the speech was delivered at an Ohio convention in 1851, and Christian was the dominant religion.
Sojourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman” still stands as a powerful piece battling against modern day misogyny and