In this discussion assignment, I will be exploring the message behind Sojourner Truth’s speech that was delivered at the Women’s Convention in 1851. Before analyzing the speech, I would like to provide a brief background on who Sojourner Truth is. I find that her story is significant in understanding the impact of her words, particularly considering the time in American history that she existed.
Sojourner Truth was an African-American abolitionist and women's activist who lived from 1797 to 1883. She descended from Africans who were captured from the Gold Coast (also known as Ghana) (Estoric, n.d.). She was sold multiple times throughout her childhood, and upon marriage and having children, she escaped with her infant in 1826 (Estoric, n.d.).
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A core aspect of this speech that stood out to me was how she rebuked common talking points made by men and the patriarchal society trying to justify a woman’s powerlessness in society. She stated how men claim that women have to be carried everywhere, lifted into carriages, and taken to the “best place” because they are weak (Truth, 1851). However, no man has helped her up a carriage, carried her, or taken her to the “best place” (Truth, 1851). She follows this up by asking “Ain’t I a woman?”. She then exclaimed how her arms are strong enough to plow and farm, and no man could “head” her (Truth, 1851). Again, she follows this by asking “Ain’t I a woman?” (Truth, …show more content…
Sojourner’s use of rhetorical questions left a strong impression on me because she guided the audience into realizing the biases and baseless news of many of the prejudices in society. The following is an excerpt from her speech that I felt was vital to relay the power she displayed in her