Rhetorical Analysis Of Ain 'T I A Woman'

The speech I will be playing is called Ain't I A Woman” by Sojourner Truth, an African American abolitionist and women’s right activist who was born into slavery until 1826 when she escaped with her daughter. I could not find an original recording of Sojourner Truth, considering that she delivered her speech in 1851, and recordings weren’t invented yet. The introduction used effectively draws the audience in. Sojourner Truth starts by pointing out a man in the back, which draws attention to what she is about to speak about. The speech opened clearly about the topic by starting with “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages”,which was usually what a man would do to a rich white woman, so when an ex-slave talks about topics

The speaker, Kerry Washington, which many of us know from shows such as Scandal, Fantastic Four, and many other movies and show, was very enthusiastic and took on the character of a woman who learned English in the south, hence the southern accent. Kerry Washington’s posture was very confident and almost defiant. She moved her hands to show emotion and sassily sways and puts her hands on her hips once and awhile. I don’t find any distracting mannerisms about the speaker. Kerry Washington connects to the whole audience because the receptors of the speech are all women, and some of them are black women who are still fighting for equal rights. They get less pay and have many other disadvantages. The language wasn’t appropriate for the people of our time, with many words written and pronounced different ways. Kerry Washington articulated very clearly. The speech actually gave me chills, and even though I am not of African American descent, I feel a strong connection to it. I haven’t gone through years of oppression, but many times I am told I can’t do something because I am just a child and that I don’t know any better. In a sentence, the speech empowered me. There is no way I