A speech can be given by anyone doesn’t matter their gender, education, age, etc. In 1851, an illiterate African American woman, gave a speech at the Women’s Convention that had a powerful message. This speech was delivered by Sojourner Truth. She talks to the audience as if they were children. She talks about women’s rights and racial inequalities. Sojourner talked about the many hardships she had not just as a woman, but as a black woman. She used her experiences and references to the Bible to evoke the reaction of her audience. She advocated that women and blacks are equal to white men and should not need to be considered less. She talks to her audience directly to appeal to their personal beliefs on slavery and women’s rights. She uses several rhetorical questions throughout her speech to convey that women are worthy. Finally, she uses repetition to get a better connection with her audience.
The experiences she had as a slave inspired her to become a prominent abolitionist for slave rights and women’s right. She felt that it was her God given duty to spread the cruelty, hypocrisy, and wrongness of discrimination against slaves and women. She claims that she “found Jesus” in 1827, which led her to change her name and be more religious. Her actual name was Isabella, but she chose to change it to Sojourner, she was to travel up and down the land showing people their sins and being a sign unto them ( “Sojourner Truth”). Sojourner had experienced loss that motivated her to speak to African American mothers who lost children to slavery. Sojourner’s children were all sold off to slavery. She suffered a lot from this because she knew that her children were going to be broken, a term used by white slave masters to strip a slave of th...
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...his helped improve slave and women movements.
Sojourner was able to effectively captivate her audience’s attention with the multiple rhetorical devices she used. She delivered a powerful and meaningful message that was well accepted and understood by the audience. She appeals to her audience emotionally through her personal experiences, allusions to the Bible, repetition, and rhetorical questions to accomplish her message of the unfair treatment to women and slaves. She was able to provoke the response she wanted from her audience.
Works Cited
Sojourner, Truth. "Ain't I a Woman." Women's Convention. Akron, Ohio. Dec. 1851.
Modern History. Ed. Paul Halsall. Fordham University, 26 Jan. 1996. Web. 5 Mar.
2014. . "Sojourner Truth." Historic World Leaders. Gale, 1994. Biography in Context. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Overall, Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a convincing speech on women’s rights at the U.N. World Conference by using the key rhetorical techniques ethos, pathos, logos, and anaphora’s. The use of these techniques helped the audience believe in the cause of which Clinton was speaking about, sympathize for situations females were being put through, and working to strive towards equal rights for everyone. Clinton used the same stance throughout her speech and raised her voice at points in her speech that needed
Over the centuries, society’s had influential speakers who have incited change for the better. These speakers had the same ambition to sway the public masses to believe in their cause, but how they delivered their message and the action they took is where they differ. Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Keynote Address to the Seneca Falls Convention on July 19, 1848 and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 were impactful speeches on the public masses during their era; however, they both had similar goals of achieving rights for their respected groups, there were key differences in the way they went about seeking change. Stanton’s Address was in the nineteenth century, before woman had the right to vote, but the white women had
Sojourner set out on her mission, to educate all people on the subject of slavery, and became a very powerful speaker. She became an influential speaker for women’s rights, as well for the abolishment of slavery all over the country. She became famous for being the first black women to speak out against slavery.
Individuals like Sojourner Truth did not receive fair treatment like the white women. In the speech, “ Ain't I a Woman ?” Sojourner Truth states, “ Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles ,or give me any best place! And ain't I a Woman?” Black women were not treated like white women, instead they were treated more like animals. Every individual should be entitled to freedom and human rights equally. Sojourner Truth speech brought awareness to others by informing them that equality did not play a role within women's rights. Both black and white women are humans, therefore their skin color should not matter and they both deserved to be treated fairly. Sojourner Truth struggled for change to inform the listeners to be mindful of the type of treatment these African American women
In the speech, “Aint I a Woman”, Sojourner Truth expresses her opinions on the discrimination of women, especially as a black woman. Sojourner Truth uses personal experiences and reference to deliver her message. Her speech makes a resilient link to the audience to show that racism and sexism is occurring everywhere, though men are rejecting it. Sojourner Truth alludes to what men say about women. She strikes men, saying that whatever they say does not happen. Sojourner Truth points out a man in the crowd, claiming that he says, “Women need to
Deborah Gray White was one of the first persons to vigorously attempt to examine the abounding trials and tribulations that the slave women in the south were faced with. Mrs. White used her background skills acquired from participating in the Board of Governors Professor of History and Professor of Women 's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University to research the abundance of stories that she could gather insight from. It was during her studies that she pulled her title from the famous Ain’t I A Woman speech given by Sojourner Truth. In order to accurately report the discriminations that these women endured, White had to research whether the “stories” she was writing about were true or not.
Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Olaudah Equiano all have extremely interesting slave narratives. During their lives, they faced plenty of racist discrimination and troubling moments. They were all forced into slavery at an awfully young age and they all had to fight for their freedom. In 1797, Truth was born into slavery in New York with the name of Isabella Van Wagener. She was a slave for most of her life and eventually got emancipated. Truth was an immense women’s suffrage activist. She went on to preach about her religious life, become apart of the abolitionist movement, and give public speeches. Truth wrote a well-known personal experience called An Account of an Experience with Discrimination, and she gave a few famous speech called Ain’t I a Woman? and Speech at New York City Convention. In 1818, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland. When he was older, he made an escape plan by disguising himself as a sailor and going on a train to New York. When he became a free man, he changed his name to Frederick Douglass and married Anna Murray. He went on to give many speeches and he became apart of the Anti-Slavery Society. Douglass wrote his story From My Bondage and My Freedom and became a publisher for a newspaper. In 1745, Olaudah Equiano was born in Essaka, Nigeria. Equiano and his sister were both kidnapped and put on the middle passage from Africa to Barbados and then finally to Virginia. He eventually saved enough money to buy his freedom and got married to Susanna Cullen. Equiano wrote his story down and named it From the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. He spent the rest of his life promoting the abolition movement. Throughout the personal slave narra...
One of the most influential speeches ever given on the earth was given on a podium at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28th 1963. The great speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. who dedicated his time on earth to prove that all people are equal. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didn't repeat things in the past.
Sojourner Truth is an American legend. She began life as a slave and ended her life as an outgoing speaker and free woman. Sojourner led a very disadvantage life but was able to rise above her hardships. Truth was a motivational speaker even though she was not able to read or write. Sojourner Truth continues to impact lives today through her works.
Slave Rebellions were becoming common and one of the most famous was Nat Turner’s Rebellion. Led by slave preacher Nat Turner, who “became convinced that he had been chosen by God to lead his people to freedom”, a group of almost 80 slaves murdered over 60 white men, women, and children (Slave Rebellions). Maria Stewart was the first black women reported to have delivered a public speech (Coddon). She wrote a manuscript to a black audience that encouraged them not to “kill, burn, or destroy”, but rather “improve your talents… show forth your powers of mind (Coddon).” She wanted black people to know that both God and our founding documents affirmed them as equal with other men (Coddon). Being a black woman herself, she addressed other black women stating “ O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! Awake! Arise! No longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties (Coddon).” Stewart believed that the world wasn 't going to change for the blacks, that the blacks had to change for the world, but by changes she meant show the world their worthiness and fight for their equality. Another woman fighting for equality was Sojourner Truth. Truth, formerly known as Isabella and former slave, was singer and public speaker against slavery (Coddon). SHe was the only black delegate at the Worcester, Massachusetts women’s rights convention in 1850 (Coddon).
Harriet Jacob had spent seven years in hiding in hopes to make it to the northern states to be free. She finally achieved it when the Dr. Flint had died and way followed by his daughter’s husband in Boston to have her buy her freedom. I have heard her say she would go to the ends of the earth, rather than pay any man or woman for her freedom, because she thinks she has a right to it. Besides, she couldn't do it, if she would, for she has spent her earnings to educate her children."(Incidents, pg. 180). She would never give up and there was no way that she would give in and pay for her own freedom. She had devoted her life to raising her children and educating them. While Sojourner Truth continued to persuaded people about the women’s rights. These women worked to get the truth out about the treatment they had received while in slavery. The Life and Incidents of a Slave Girl would be more convincing then the speeches of Sojourner Truth. Harriet had been fighting for a case for herself and a better life of her children where they would not have to live like she
Speeches are a method of persuading people to do something. For Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their speeches were to bring equality for the people of color. However, their approaches are different. Consequently, the effects may be different. An example of their contrasting differences is a speech from each, King’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Black Revolution”. Their speeches used pathos, a central metaphor, and a warning, but was presented differently.
Angelina Grimke and Sojourner Truth were both prominent American civil rights activists of the 19th century who focused on the abolition of slavery and women’s rights issues, respectively. While both of these women challenged the societal beliefs of the United States at the time regarding these civil rights issues, the rhetorical strategies used by each of these women to not only illustrate their respective arguments but also to raise social awareness of these issues was approached in very different fashions. Angelina Grimke promoted the use of white middle-class women’s positions in the household to try to influence the decision makers, or men, around them. On the other hand, Sojourner Truth, a former slave turned women’s rights activist,
Her parents nurtured the background of this crusader to make her a great spokesperson. She also held positions throughout her life that allowed her to learn a lot about lynching. She was fueled by her natural drive to search for the truth.
The 19th century was a time of great social change in the United States as reflected by the abolitionist movement and the women’s suffrage movement. Two very influential women leaders were Angelina Grimke and Sojourner Truth. Grimke was born a Southern, upper class white woman. She moved to the North as a young woman, grew involved in abolitionism and women’s rights, and became known for her writing, particularly “Letters to Catherine Beecher”. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree; she escaped to freedom, changed her name, and became an active speaker on behalf of both the abolition and women’s rights movements. Truth’s most famous speech is “Ain’t I a Woman?”. While both Grimke and Truth use a personal, conversational tone to communicate their ideas, Grimke relies primarily on logical arguments and Truth makes a more emotional appeal through the use of literary strategies and speech.