TOW #11: Ain't I A Woman by Sojourner Truth

            The first time I came across this monumental speech was when I was online shopping a couple of years ago, searching for a plain graphic tee. As I was scrolling the page of a shop that I’ve found myself revisiting countless times, I was confronted by a hit-you-in-the-face yellow shirt with an unrecognizable (at the time) quote that read, “Ain’t I A Woman?” Of course I had to buy it as I loved the rhetoric. Little Bo, as curious as she could be, had to know where this saying originated, and with a little research (quick search on Google), I doused myself in the short yet poignant delivery of words that still affects me today. As I have never really delved deeper into the meaning behind Truth’s purpose nor have I considered Truth’s audience, I was ecstatic when I was assigned her text to analyze.

            Sojourner Truth had delivered her speech to the Women’s Convention as she addressed her primarily female audience about the inequalities that both women and African Americans faced during the time period when slavery was prevalent. In order to make aware of the wrongs of gender inequality, Truth utilizes personal experiences and repetition of rhetorical questions. When a man claims that “women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and have the best place everywhere,” Truth juxtaposes his ignorant declaration by exclaiming that no one has ever performed these chivalrous manners for her, saying, “nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me the best place!” As a subject of both minority being a black woman, Truth establishes her credibility by recounting her own experience in discrimination.

            As Truth spoke with anger and resentment, she repeated the increasingly impactful phrase, “and ain’t I a woman?” As I’ve mentioned before, this speech was delivered to the Women’s Convention, an event in which the audience were predominantly female. Taking this into account, she brought the rhythm of the repetition to a close with an explicit account of her life: “I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?” By purposely ending this section with a lasting impression of her position as an African American woman in the midst of slavery, Truth was successful in relaying the immoral wrongs of inequality. As her audience were probably mothers with their own loving children, Truth allowed her audience to relate with her on a personal and emotional level.