"Ain't I a Woman?" by Sojourner Truth Analysis

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Ain't I a Woman?

Sojourner Truth

Ethos

Truth uses a Biblical allusion when she says “Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from?” in order to appeal to ethos by appealing to all Christians in the audience which at this time was most likely the majority.

Midway through the speech, Truth uses the metaphor of pints and quarts to discuss the rights held by black women in comparison to others: "If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?" She uses this in order to appeal to ethos by connecting with the audience, getting them to trust her which would lead to their support.

In the beginning of her speech, Truth uses juxtaposition to appeal to ethos in order to establish common ground with the white women in her audience because she needed credibility because she was a black woman. For example, she says, “I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon.”

Purpose

Summary

Sojurner opens with a statement on rights movements in both the North and the South. She points out someone in the audience, asks why he doesn't treat every woman respectfully, and tells some of her personal story. She then brings up why intellect shouldn't determine how one treats a person, and ridicules the view that women shouldn't have rights because Jesus was male. She makes other biblical references, and ends with the coolest statement ever.

Pathos

SOAPSTone

Occasion- Women's Right Convention in Akron Ohio. 1851.

Subject- Sojourner explained why women's rights are important and necessary.

Truth uses aporia when she asks "they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it?" by showing doubt about her knowledge of the topic in order to appeal to pathos by making the audience participate in her speech and sympathize with her thoughts. She does this in order to prove her point that even if she doesn't have as much intellect as someone else, she should have the opportunity to learn as much as she can.

Tone- Truth's tone was self-reliant, passionate, confident, and compelling.

Audience- Sojourner is directly addressing the primarily Christian people at the women's rights convention, but also wants her views expressed to America, particularly white males.

Sojourner uses the epistrophe with the phrase "And ain't I a woman?" in order to appeal to the pathos of her audience by making them feel anger at the injustice she reveals. She does this in order to convince the audience that all women, even black women, should be treated the same and that women can handle being treated roughly.

Speaker- Sojourner Truth was a former slave, an abolitionist, and a women's rights activist. After she escaped to freedom, Truth worked to end slavery and sought equality for all women.

Purpose- Truth justifies the fight for women's and African Americans' rights by telling her audience why they should be respected. She wants to make people understand why it is necessary to broaden rights for these groups of people.

Sojurner uses descriptions of events within her personal live such as "I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns... I could work as much as any man... and bear the lash as well" in order to appeal to the pathos of her audience by making them sympathize with the trials and injustices within her life. She does this in order to point out that she is also a human being, she is also a woman, and that she believes that everyone should have the same opportunities.

Logos

Truth uses antistrophe when she says, "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages... and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages... or gives me any best place!" in order to appeal to logos by pointing out the hypocrisy of men who praise women but don't actually treat them well.

Truth uses casual, informal diction when she says, "Then they talk about this thing in the head [intellect]... What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?" in order to appeal to logos by reminding the audience that underprivileged people deserve to live even if they need help from privileged people.

Truth makes allusions to the Bible when she says, "Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him," and "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back," in order to appeal to logos by indentifying powerful women from a trustworthy resource to show that women are powerful, and they deserve to be trusted.

Amal Elhelw, Abbie Porto, Hannah Seppala