Sojourner Truth's Ain T I A Woman?

During the nineteenth century, many women lived their lives as if they were inferior to men, especially African American women. Every day became a struggle for women as they were mistreated based on their gender and skin color rather than their character. For example, they were seen as weak and unable to work as hard as men. Instead, women were expected to cook, clean, and watch the children. This is exactly what Sojourner Truth, an African American slave, was dealing with. Although, instead of letting this continue Truth decided to stand up against this and be one of the first women to ever fight for women’s rights. This motivation encouraged Truth to become a women’s rights activist and an African American abolitionist. Soon after, in 1851 …show more content…
To explain, in the beginning of her speech, Truth explained how she was treated differently than other women due to her skin color. Then multiple times Truth asked, “Ain't I a woman?” to prove that she is a woman too and skin color does not differentiate women (Truth n. pag.). Truth’s use of rhetorical questions and repetition, in this case, makes the audience think well on what she is saying. Furthermore, it then leaves the audience thinking that she is right. The repetition also causes people to remember her key point that skin color does not define who someone is. Truth also exemplifies rhetorical questions towards the end of her speech when questioning, “Where did your Christ come from?” (Truth n. pag.). She repeatedly uses this phrase to prove her point that Christ would not be alive without a woman. Christ is also important to many people; therefore, frequently asking about Christ creates an emotional appeal to her listeners. To conclude, Truth’s strategy of using rhetorical questions conveys the impression that she is correct, while the repetition helps the audience to remember her main