Instructor: Joe Bueter
English 015.082
September 8, 2013
Final Draft
“Ain’t I a Woman”?
In the year 1851 in the town Akron, Ohio a woman delivered a speech at a women’s convention that would be forever remembered for its greatness, genuine and powerful message. In the speech Sojourner Truth talked about her experiences not only about being a women but being a black woman in that society. In the speech she uses her personal experiences to connect with her audience and provoke them physically and emotionally. Sojourner Truth uses repetitive language, personal experiences, and sacred references to connect with her audiences emotionally and invokes her audience with the power to overcome racial and gender inequality.
In her speech Sojourner Truth recognizes herself as a victim of inequality by stating how she faces discrimination everyday as a black woman. In order to provoke an emotional response in her audience she uses her personal anecdotes and invites her audience who are mostly women facing discrimination from the society. She also references to a man claiming that he says “women need to help into carriages and lifted over ditches and have the best place everywhere.” After saying the following quotes she follows an immediate denial. She says that no one is polite to her. She angrily exclaims “no one ever helps me into carriages, lifts me over ditches or gives me the best place!” By saying this quote she shows how hypocritical the society was at that time. In her speech Sojourner Truth creates the feeling of resentment in her audience by depicting the hypocrisy between men and women in the society. She also creates the feeling of empowerment in her audience. By explaining the hypocrisy in her own life Sojourner Truth invites her audiences to realize their own unfairness happening in their lives which they may want to change. She also exclaims her vulnerable state which grabs the audience’s emotions and asks for their sympathy. After