Analysis Of Sojourner Truth's Speech 'Ain T I A Woman?'

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It is hard to believe that someone who is illiterate can produce a compelling and inspiring speech. However, despite her illiteracy, in Sojourner Truth’s speech, Ain’t I a Woman?, Truth delivers an awe-inspiring speech on human rights. In her original 1851 version, she talks about injustice and the lack of rights women face in society. She begins her speech by getting right on message. She begins by saying, “I am a woman’s rights”. This statement implies that she is a feminist and is fighting for equality of the sexes. Following her position statement, she begins to elaborate on her ability to physically match any man. She states that she “can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too”. She asserts this claim to form a basis for her conclusion of gender equality. Despite being a woman, Truth is able to compete physically with men. Following this assertion, she uses a metaphor by comparing pints and quarts to the rights of women and men. Truth uses this metaphor to compare the size of each volume to the amount of rights each sex has in society. Truth also uses stories in the bible to defend her position. She claims that men should stop oppressing women’s rights because of the role of women in Jesus’s life. According to Truth, Jesus has to have been born from a woman. Because of the pivotal role of a mother, Truth claims that women deserve fair treatment in society. Stylistically, throughout …show more content…
Whether the difference is race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, or any other innate difference, societal oppression is linked by the basis of who is in power. In the first speech, the audience has no understanding about how both race and gender play a role in restricting Truth’s rights. However, by demonstrating how both race and gender oppression coincide, Truth is able to highlight social
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Analysis Of Sojourner Truth's Speech 'Ain T I A Woman?'

women as inferior beings especially African American women. Sojourner Truth’s speech Ain’t I a Woman? portrays women as strong and independent people that can handle themselves through various situations such as being threatened by brute force or having to take care of their families on a fixed income. She goes in depth with having equal rights for African American women that white women have the opportunity to have. Overall Truth’s speech speaks to every type of women which allows her to give empowerment…

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