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

From United States history, it is easily seen how there has always been a group of minorities facing inequality, despite the changes the country has made to end that injustice. Looking back in history,  it can be easy to overlook the importance of the order in which equality rights were established. How many people realize that racial equality (in terms of voting) was established before gender equality? How many acknowledge how that might have affected our society? One must assume that this injustice might have affected women; but most importantly, one must also realize this directly impacted black women. Sojourner Truth black female shares the struggles this specific group of minorities faced in a time before racial equality was established. In her speech “Ain’t I a Woman,” she addresses the overlooked struggles women of color faced using rhetorical moves such as ethos, colloquial diction, and counterarguments.

Appealing to an audience by sharing one's personal experiences is most effectively carried out by the usage of ethos. Sojourner Truth was a woman of color who faced the injustices of being both female and black. During her early stage of life, the Slave Act was still in place. This led her to work as a slave for most of her life, which further created experiences of cruel and unequal treatment. This always bothered Sojourner, but it was not until May of 1851 where she finally had enough. She attended the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio where she delivered the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech. In that speech, she reveals “I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off to slavery.” As one may assume, by sharing this heartbreaking moment of her life, Sojourner can appeal to the mothers’ listening to her speech. This experience also allows for her to gain sympathy by sharing how even motherhood, a womens’ role, was taken away from her because of the color of her skin. Provoking sympathetic feelings often leads people to take a course of action. Although Sojourner acknowledges her feelings were not validated when she “cried out with [a] mother's grief, none but Jesus heard [her];” she hopes to grasp a listener’s attention at the time of her speech. Sojourner expresses the suffering she had to endure as being part of both minority groups. With the hope of conveying to her audience, Sojourner turns her attention to those directly affected: women.

When persuading a specific audience, it is important to use the appropriate diction. In her speech, Sojourner chooses to use colloquial diction, a type of conversational language that her audience could relate to. Her main audience at the Ohio convention was women. Women at the time were not considered equal to men; therefore, one can assume they did not receive the same opportunities in life. One of the opportunities women had been stripped away from was having an education. The lack of education caused women to mostly speak in a conversational rather than proper language. Sojourner fell into the category of “uneducated” people. When she says “Ain’t I a Woman” repeatedly in her speech, she is using colloquial diction unknowingly to work in her favor. By her choice of words, she is relatable to the women in the audience, creating a bigger impact in their hearts. Being relatable allows her to gather an audience who will stand with her in her fight for equality. She persuades the women in her audience to be successful in the fight by emphasizing, “women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again.” Sojourner is dictating words of encouragement that these women could understand. It didn't matter if her word choice was not proper or grammatically correct. What matters to her is being able to relate through her diction to raise the spirits of those affected by the ongoing issues. 

Compelling the targeted might have been an easy task, but convincing the privileged was not; therefore, Sojourner addresses counterarguments in her speech so her audience could see the conflict from both sides of the problem. Towards the end of her speech Sojourner points out, “that little man in black there, he says women can't have as many rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman.’” The man mentioned argues that women should not be considered equal to men since God’s image was of a man. In other words, he was trying to persuade others to support the unequal treatment of women by his beliefs.  Amusingly Sojourner debunks that macho mentality by saying, “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!” Sojourner emphasizes that the reason for God’s presence on this earth was only made possible through female birth. By the usage of counterarguments, her audience experiences both the mindset of the targeted and the privileged. This wrongful thinking for inequality is abolished by the use of counterarguments. This not only humbles the privileged, but it allows for a step towards the future.

 By the usage of ethos, colloquial diction, and counterarguments, Sojourner Truth was able to share the struggles she faced as a black woman. Being a woman in her time must have not been easy due to the egoistic characters of men. Women were seen as below men; furthermore, being a black female immensely lowered one in society even more. Sojourner Truth did not want to keep carrying the burdens she had due to the society around her. That is why she gained the courage to speak out. Ultimately, her speech serves as a reminder that equality should be given no matter one’s gender or the color of one’s skin; for we were all created equally.