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Rhetorical Analysis Of Sojourner Truth's Speech

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On May 29, 1851, Sojourner Truth delivered a speech at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio. She delivers this speech to attack arguments made by clergymen against women's rights. Sojourner Truth uses repetition and loaded words to make her point clear and effective, and to argue against the belief that women are inferior to men. Her use of rhetorical devices plays a big role in why her speech made such a big effect on her audience and the role it played in the fight for women's rights.

Truth uses repetition when she repeats the rhetorical question, "ain't I a woman? (Truth)" She does this to make her point clear and to appeal to logic. The clergymen at the convention make the argument that women need to be "helped into carriages, …show more content…

Loaded words play a major role in establishing pathos. Pathos is a rhetorical appeal aimed at the audience's emotions to persuade them to agree with a claim. A common argument that was made by the clergymen at the convention is that "women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman. (Truth)" This shows that most of the people at the convention were very religious, which makes words like "Christ" and "God" very impactful to the audience. Truth uses this to her advantage and asks, "Where did your Christ come from? (Truth)" This question and the use of the loaded word "Christ" appeals to the audience's emotions because of their religious beliefs, as well as the clergymen who used the Bible as a reason to discriminate against women. Truth then answers her question by saying that Christ came "from God and a woman. (Truth)" The audience cannot argue with this statement, because even the Bible confirms it to be true. This causes the statement to have a powerful and persuasive effect on the audience. The word "God" is also a loaded word because God is an extremely prominent figure to the audience, so Truth's use of that name in her speech has an emotional impact on her religious audience and the clergymen. By saying that Christ came from God and a woman, Truth drastically changes the way people view and treat

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To persuade the thought of a fresh civilization, Sojourner Truth's applies repetition of the rhetorical question "Ain't I a woman? " This proposal jabs at men's cruel demeanor and strengthens the call to action for women. The orator recites this question multiple times to forge an influential stance and to stress her message that women are as capable as men. In response, the advocated crowd reflects on Truth's demand and displays a call to action against the prejudice society.

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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.

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Also in the speech she says “ I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the whip as well! And ain't I a woman? I have had thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?”

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Sojourner Truth, a runaway slave, became an influential figure in both women’s societies and the abolitionist movement. In her famous speech, “Ain’t I a women?”, Truth argues that she is more oppressed as a woman than as a slave (Doc 7). While she campaigned publicly for women’s civil rights, others attempted to reform society from within their religious

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She repeatedly asked questions to connect with the audience and then answered the question. An example of these questions were, “What then is wrong with women? What is the problem of women’s freedom?” “How shall we approach this next feminist objective?” (Eastman 1).

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As she continues to explore the concepts of a woman being obedient to her husband, she again reinterprets scripture to prove that this oppression was not the intent of the tradition that many cited to justify it (Stanton, 4). Throughout many of her arguments, she redirects the minds of her audiences and exposes new points, all while pointing out the injustice that former viewpoints caused for women. She finally calls women to action, inviting them to join her in the fight for their very own rights. She cites the fight for the rights of colored people and reminds her

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According to Victorian standards, women are expected to be domestic, submissive, pious, and pure. Men believed that women were too delicate and frail to handle the responsibilities of making decisions. Furthermore, due to the events of slavery, African American women not only had to challenge patriarchy but also demonstrate their equality with white women during the 1860s. Sojourner Truth, a women’s rights activist and abolitionist who escaped from slavery, delivered a speech at the Women’s Convention titled "Ain't I a Woman?" to draw attention to the injustices that women, specifically African Americans, faced in the country's white, male-dominated culture. The speech underscores the importance of the intersectionality of gender and race.

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"I am a Woman" by Sojourner Truth and "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" by Frederick Douglass are two seminal texts that have played a significant role in shaping and influencing the African American and African Diaspora literary landscape. Both texts were written by former slaves and provide a firsthand account of the horrors of slavery, the fight for freedom and equality, and the experiences of oppression. They are powerful and moving works that continue to resonate with readers today, highlighting the ongoing struggle for social justice and human rights. Sojourner Truth's "I am a Woman" is a speech that she delivered at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851.

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Clinton attempts to use propaganda, empathy, and logic to present her point, that women to her audience, and succeeds at it. Overall, the speech is balanced in its argument style and use of rhetoric, such as the factors mentioned above. At this point, Clinton was not a New York senator yet, but only First Lady, yet she used her position to go to conferences, such as this conference, and speak out for women’s rights, as they are the same as human

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In Sojourner Truth’s speech at the women’s convention, she expresses her values of equality and vigor to achieve her ambition of a egalitarian society which led to the growth of the American Dream. Truth explained how she was “never helped into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gave me any best place” (Truth 2). Truth stresses over her belief of equality over race, gender, and class when she was ostracized from the society. Because of her enslavement and position in society, Truth’s American Dream was to accomplish the abolition of slavery and feminist rights. Truth worked “as much and ate as much as a man - when [she] could get it - and bear the lash as well!

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Pathos is the driving artistic proof in ceremonial rhetoric. Coretta Scott King was still mourning the death of her husband when he delivered this speech. During her speech, she references often to her husband. She targets her audience’s emotions at the beginning of her speech when she asks them to help strengthen her as she is getting through this tough time. The third artistic proof used is Logos.

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This diminishes her religious faith because she feels like God never answers her prayers which makes her turn to men. She doesn’t believe that God is real because of the issues she’s faced in her life. And if he was real, she wouldn’t be in the state that she’s in. “You know it makes one feel rather good deciding not to be a bitch. It’s sort of what we have instead God.

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Oprah’s display as an orator should not go unnoticed. Throughout the entirety of her delivery, Oprah projects herself with a clear, calm, and strong yet soft emphasis. Oprah maintains stern eye-contact with the audience, and presents herself in a strong, iron-body demeaner. These oratorical techniques coincide to further captivate the audience and continue to ease the audience into the persuasion of the viewpoint presented in her speech. Given controversies of sexual assault in recent times, as well as ideas of feminism and female

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For example Anthony says, “but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household” This is very sad since women and girls should not be ruled or told what to do because they are thought of to be less than man. The constitution is in place to have a unified country not to have an oligarchy of men lead households. The pathos appeal is used to show what suffering women are going through due to men ruling them, and not knowing how to fight back. Susan B. Anthony in her speech also says, “Are women persons?.....and no state has the right to make a law, or to enforce an old law, that shall abridge their privileges and immunities.”, which also connects with the emotions of the audience. She is trying to make people feel bad that women are treated less even though they are just as righteous as men to have the same privileges.

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At this point in the gospel, this is the first woman whom Jesus leads to minister to people by telling others what he has done. The woman was more than willing to spread the news of what she knew. The woman at the well eagerly avails herself of the opportunity provided by the return of Jesus’ disciples to hasten away and tell her news to others (Tasker

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