Sojourner Truth Analysis

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Recommended: Historical context of gender inequality

“Ain’t I a Woman” is a speech that was presented by Sojourner Truth several times between the 1851 and 1863. The short speech speaks out about the struggles that Truth had to face as a woman and the struggle for equality women that deserve. Truth includes points such as the physical and mental being of women, comparing it to men’s. She went as far as including knowledge from the Bible that she had heard, tying it into equality of the sexes. In the piece, there are very valid arguments made not only for the time period, but any time period, regarding that females are as capable as men physically and mentally. Truth is not only speaking out about her struggles for equality, but essentially for all women, in the hopes of changing the perception
Born into slavery around approximately 1797, she was an African American woman who had known nothing but that lifestyle. Around the year of 1826 Truth successfully escaped from slavery (“Sojourner Truth”). With the conditions Truth had lived in, she marked her freedom by becoming an African American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Taking part in being a women’s rights activist lead up to Truths big speech regarding women being equal to men while simultaneously giving her credibility in it. The original speech took place in the 1850’s in Akron, Ohio at a Women’s Rights Meeting (“Sojourner Truth”). The speech increased Truth’s popularity as she wanted equality for all women rather than for her own race of African
Being at a women’s rights conference, assume everyone in the room is pro-women’s rights. If one knew her background, seeing that she came from being a slave and escaped it shows her hard work and determination; That was a risky thing for her to do and she successfully did it. People could understand that Truth is also a women’s rights activist, and an abolitionist, giving her a more informed perspective on what she discusses, showing her credibility in those two topics. Truth is easily relatable because although she is an African American, she clearly is fighting for equal rights of all women rather than her own race; this reaches out to all women and even men wanting equal rights for women. On the other hand, and unfortunately for Truth, some people might not have viewed her as not credible due to her race as she was a minority, but this clearly did not stop her. Her age during the 1851 speech would be nearly 55 meaning that she has lived a long life, showing she has lived long enough to speak out about women and their equality compared to men as well as why she believes they should be

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