Conversations of Change

With much courage and gusto, Sojourner Truth presents her arguments for equality between genders and races at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio.  The speech, though short in length, maintains a sense of passion that evokes emotion and clearly displays the issue at hand. Truth accomplishes this by applying rhetorical strategies such as asserting legitimacy, repetition, and using a casual tone. The culmination of such tactics creates a dynamic and inspiring speech that effectively displays Truth’s points in an engaging manner.

Sojourner Truth emphasizes her legitimacy by sharing trials from her life. Because she, “could work as much and eat as much as a man,” the audience has reason to take her seriously. She especially gains recognition amongst women because she has, “borne thirteen children,” a task that they understand the difficulty of. The audience will pay more attention to a speaker with authenticity.

 Truth chooses key phrases that highlight her argument and repeats them for dramatic effect. She relays her life circumstances and afterwards reiterates the question, “Ain’t I a woman?” This tactic delineates the injustice of her situation and gradually raises the intensity to which the audience perceives her argument.

            Sojourner Truth relates to the audience and appears genuine through casual language. She refers to the audience as, “children” and addresses herself as, “old Sojourner.” Being relatable sets a tone that fosters interactions between audience members and the speaker as she becomes less intimidating. A small dialogue occurs between Truth and an onlooker as she points to her head and asks, “What’s this they call it?” The anonymous person responds, “Intellect.” If the audience member had been too afraid of Truth, they would not have spoken up. This active participation allows the audience to absorb more information from the speech.

            “Ain’t I A Woman?” by Sojourner Truth acts as a conversation rather than a speech. Her aggressive yet sensible arguments are alluring while the tone she sets creates a comfortable atmosphere for the listener. Truth’s speech thoroughly proves that quality holds greater significance than quantity.