Rhetorical Analysis Of Ain T I A Woman

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York and fled to freedom in 1827. She toured throughout the mid-west in the 1850s singing songs, and engaging large crowds. Sojourner Truth gave a speech at the Women’s Convention may of 1851, in Akron Ohio (NYC Schools). In this speech she speaks on the inequalities that both women, and blacks faced at that time in the United States. That speech entitled “Ain’t I a woman?” would later be remembered for its powerful message. Ain’t I a woman is an amazing piece, I love it more each time I read it. It amazes me that someone who people called illiterate, knew so very well how to work the crowd. Within this speech you’ll find that she uses rhetorical questions and repetition to rebut opposing arguments;

“Well Children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter” (Truth). I feel by her starting out the entire speech, calling everyone “Children” again is motherly and a God reference. Being Christian myself my first thought when one uses children in a speech is Galatians 3:26(For you are all the children of God by Jesus Christ). By calling them “Children” she’s saying that in her eyes that they are all equal despite their differences. Which is not only what we’re taught is God’s love, but its motherly love to love your children no matter what. “I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon” (Truth). Right off the bat she introduces her intention of finding harmony among everyone men, women, blacks, whites. Finally she ends the speech with a powerful tool for inspiring her audience to act on this topic of inequality, saying “ if the first women 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, and get it right side up again!” (Truth). Saying that if these women stand together for what they believe, for what they feel is right they cannot fail. Sojourner Truth lastly