On March 22, 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. This amendment, otherwise known as the ERA, stated that lawful rights should not be denied based on gender. Unfortunately, the ERA has yet to be ratified by enough states to be added to the Constitution. Equality among races and genders has evolved throughout history, but the lack of equality continues to present numerous problems. Many celebrities and speakers lend their voices to the greater cause of impartiality. These orators include historical figure Sojourner Truth and modern philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. Both of these women expressed their beliefs through speeches that concern ideas that challenge the cultural maladies. Although …show more content…
Last, Sojourner Truth and Oprah Winfrey use the rhetorical technique of flashbacks to create emotion so that their audiences can relate to their hardships and overcoming of prejudice. For example, at the beginning of her speech, former slave Sojourner Truth, talks of how she endured her fair share of difficulties which includes “hav[ing] borne thirteen children” and watching them being “sold off to slavery” while she cried out with “mother’s grief” (Truth 2). Essentially, for a woman, childbirth is one of the hardest things a mother has to endure. The pain for some is unimaginable and is just as painful with every child that is birthed. Also, the “grief” of watching a child be “sold” is psychologically draining and is a difficult process to go through. That being said, Truth emotionally associates herself with her listeners by telling her story and showing that she has gone through immense pain, though she is still is not considered to be as strong as a man. Truth endured as many or even more hardships than many people give her credit. Specifically, she wants to start off on the same level as her audience and show that she is no different than them.