Aren't I a Woman? Lit Response

Sojourner Truth is the very example of an inspirational speaker. She gives examples and clearly lays out what she wants to say with out having to waste a lot of words. Her use of examples help show her purpose to the reader, while at the same time inspiring them with each powerful word.

At first it can be difficult to determine exactly what Sojourner Truth's purpose is because you are so wrapped up in what she is saying, and because there is more than one purpose here. Her first purpose is to speak against racism and sexism at the same time. She starts out with racism talking about how white women are said to be treated and she says, repeatedly, that she has never been treated in that way. She uses repetition and continues with this line, "Aren't I a woman?" (Truth). This is a great tool when speaking to an audience because it sticks with them more if you repeat it but change the words around it. Also, with repition in this fashion, each time that phrase is repeated the author begins to build up the tension of the piece which keeps readers and listeners interested. After comparing her womanly experiences to that of a white woman she goes on to talk against all sexism. She uses this example in her speech, "Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman. Man had nothing to do with him" (Truth, pg. 424). This line is incredibly powerful. Not only does she use repetition again, but she uses Jesus as an example to help prove her point, and considering she is partially talking to a minister, this is very effective. But also this line is extremely clever and quite comical if never thought of before.

While reading her words the reader is taken by Truth's awe-inspiring words and it may seem obvious that her point is that women deserve rights and that black women deserve the same rights as white women. So here it seems she is killing two birds with one stone, but there is also another purpose. This purpose is to prove the inconsistancy of how society views women. On the one side there is the idea that women should be treated delicately and helped into carriges, it even goes so far as to say women deserve "the best place everywhere" (Truth, pg. 423). These are some fairly heavy statements that the minister has made in which she repeats, but then later the same minister said, "women can't have as much rights as a man" (Truth, pg. 424). But wait a minute, did he not just say that women deserve the best and should be helped into carriges? If that is true, if women are worth all those things, then why should they not have as many rights as a man? Here she finds the flaw in society's thinking and she points it right out. Sure she does it in a more flamboyant way with comparisons of Christ Jesus and Eve, but that is what works for her. She easily grabs the attention of her listeners and even with such a short speech she has the crowd with her, cheering and clapping right along with her.

Aren't I a Woman is one of Sojourner Truth's most famous speeches. Even though it is not very long she captures the audience's attention and makes them listen. She is the kind of speaker that makes people want to jump out of their seat and go act now. She had the power to inspire change and see the world for what it was. After listening to or reading Sojourner Truth's Aren't I a Woman speech, not a man, or a woman, or even a dog, could have questioned the fact that Sojourner Truth is very much a woman.