Comparison of Letters to Catherine Beecher by Angelina Grimke and Ain't I A Woman? by Sojourner 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.

Angelina Grimke wrote a number of letters, addressed to Catherine Beecher, in response to Beecher’s An Essay on Slavery and Abolitionism with Reference to the Duty of American Females. Letter XII is titled “Human Rights Not Founded on Sex” and explicitly expresses Grimke’s views regarding female rights. Grimke’s choice of the letter format as a vehicle for her argument establishes a personal connection with the reader—though the letter is addressed to Beecher, the “you” is rather ambiguous and can certainly be read as a larger audience. A letter evokes images of continued correspondence, creating a more conversational and open-ended feeling to the piece than a traditional essay. Despite the impression that Grimke is directly writing to the reader, she maintains a formal tone over the course of her letter. Her tone ...

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...ferent approaches. In her letter, Grimke relies heavily on logic and rational reasoning to convince her reader. She makes the claim that being a “moral being” is sufficient to guarantee certain rights for all humans. In contrast, Truth’s speech seeks primarily to evoke an emotional response from the audience. Through literary devices and humor she engages the audience to successfully communicate her views. The styles of these pieces are incredibly different from each other, reflecting how different their authors are.

Works Cited

Grimke, Angelina. "Letters to Catherine Beecher." The Grimke - Beecher Exchange.

1838. Retrieved 2 March 2012 from .

Truth, Sojourner. "Ain't I a Woman?." Modern History Sourcebook. 1851. Retrieved 2

March 2012 from .