Sojourner Truth addresses the discrimination black women endured in the 1800s in her lecture Ain’t I a Woman. The speech became iconic because it influenced the movement for women’s suffrage at the time. This analysis of the speech will determine the literacy she employs. By incorporating literary devices such as allegories and anaphora, Sojourner Truth amplifies the significance of her message, drawing more attention to it, whereas the inclusion of metaphors and slang help Sojourner Truth to illustrate her point.
Ethos: She connects with the minority audience by employing ethos. She uses her own experiences to illustrate. “See my arm! I planted and plowed and gathered into barns…” “And suffer the lash!” she says (Truth 1). She talked about working and being beaten as an enslaved person—this shows how she leverages her motherhood credibility to reveal her life. “I have produced thirteen children and watched virtually all sold off to slavery,” she says (Truth 1). She bonds with the mothers in the audience by narrating her experiences.
Pathos: Sojourner Truth’s article is full of pathos to connect with her audience. Mothers, Christians, minorities, and men were her friends. She hoped to evoke emotion through personal instances. She exclaimed, “I have carried thirteen children and seen most all taken off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s agony, none but Jesus heard me! Ain’t I a Woman?” (Truth 1). Sojourner Truth moves women, especially black women, with a compelling example from her life on how they want their children enslaved.
Furthermore, “Ain’t I a Woman?” features several powerful literary devices that serve to enhance the author’s voice and make her message heard. The use of anaphora, namely, continuous repetitions of key statements, throughout her speech represents one of the most effective strategies. Specifically, the titular question of “Ain’t I a woman?” is reiterated throughout the speech: “I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman?” (Truth par. 1). The specified approach serves to mark the key points in Sojourner Truth’s speech, allowing the audience to perceive it better and making it overall more palatable. Thus, in addition to representing the main argument of claiming humanity through the acknowledgment of her womanhood, the specified question allows Sojourner Truth to outline the core part of her statement while also ensuring that the core message appeals to the audience both as a statement of reason and an emotional plight for justice.
Furthermore, metaphor represents one of the main literary devices that Sojourner Truth utilizes in her speech. Serving as the means of connecting with the audience emotionally, the application of a metaphor that is easily understandable for every audience member helps Sojourner Truth transcend the boundaries of class and race. For instance, as she uses the expression to “bear the lash” when expressing her ability to contribute to the community to the same extent as men do, she captures the undivided attention and receives the unanimous empathy of people from all social classes, as well as racial and ethnic backgrounds (Truth 1). The specified expression captures the broad range of responsibilities that she has had to accept and, therefore, reinforces her plight to be recognized as a capable and independent human being with the same range of rights and freedoms as White women, therefore, promoting the need to advocate for the rights of African American women as well.
Furthermore, Sojourner truth’s speech must be appreciated for the broad range of allusions to the Bible and a variety of Biblical concepts and ideas. Supporting her argument concerning her right to claim the same range of freedoms and opportunities as White women, the specified element enhances the overall impression of her speech as it allows directing the main argument at the core ethical standards and spiritual beliefs and values of her target audience. For instance, by mentioning Eve as the embodiment of womanhood, Sojourner Truth equates her to her White female audience: “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, and get it right side up again!” (Truth 2). The specified statement addresses the problem of racism prevalent in American society at the time and preventing African American women from receiving the same amount of opportunities for fighting for their rights and agency as White women.
Another crucial component of the rhetorical framework of Sojourner Truth’s speech is represented by juxtaposition. Namely, she utilizes the specified literary device as the means of drawing attention to her plight and reinforcing her idea of African American women’s right to claim the same extent of humanity and womanhood as White women. The juxtaposition between the extent of education to which the specified groups have access to and the resulting range of knowledge that African American and White women have is outlined in the specified claim: “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?” (Truth 1). The use of the specified juxtaposition contributes to the overall argument regarding the need for equity and equality in the women’s movement. The application of implicit simile in Sojourner Truth’s speech creates the same, albeit slightly less powerful, effect: “’twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North” (Truth 1). The lesser impact that simile produces can be attributed to the absence of a stark contrast within the statement. Furthermore, the specified component is also representative of metaphor, which Sojourner Truth’s speech is rife with, also creating an impression of honesty and authenticity, as well as creating a shorthand to convey an idea to which the audience can relate immediately.
Finally, one should mention the role that informal speech and slang play in Sojourner Truth’s speech. Specifically, the specified components allow her argument to sound authentic and sincere: “and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say” (Truth 2). The integration of informal speech indicates that Sojourner Truth speaks passionately and straightforwardly. As a result, the incorporation of informal elements does not make her argument seem any lesser in value but, instead, enhances its power and effect.
Using a variety of literary devices ranging from the incorporation of key rhetorical elements to the integration of tools such as metaphors, allegories, alliterations, and slang in “Ain’t I a Woman?,” Sojourner Truth manages to convey her compelling message. She fulfilled her duty to raise awareness of the challenges women of the 1800s faced due to bias based on gender and race and to encourage others to stand up for the rights of women of color and women. As she concluded, she successfully incited a desire for change among women, leading to the long-sought-after rights for women.
Work Cited
Truth, Sojourner. Ain’t I A Woman? Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 1851, pp. 1-2.