Sojourner Truth Rhetorical Analysis

1. Paraphrase the speech in your words.

Sojourner Truth’s infamous speech details the inequalities women and blacks faced in America during that time. In the beginning, Truth brings up a case where a man says women should be treated with utmost care and respect. She later delineates the fact that she never receives this kind of treatment from any man and is often abused and tortured. She goes on to say that she does just as much labor and takes as many beatings as a man, but still doesn’t receive the low-level status of a woman. She then makes a reference to pints and quarts which highlights the fact that she’s only asking society to let her enjoy the little rights that she is barely granted as a black woman. In the end of her speech, Truth provides a biblical reference to Eve to encourage other women in her situation that when they come together, they can get through any situation that comes their way.

2. Why does she say the men are going to be in trouble soon?

Sojourner Truth says the men are going to be in trouble soon because of all the talk that’s going on between the African

Americans of the south and the women of the north. She’s alluding to the fact it’ll only be a short matter of time before the discriminated people will come together and stand up for a change, and take actions into their own hands.
3. List the situations in the speech that lead Truth to ask her question: Ain’t I a woman?
One of the first situations in the speech that lead Truth to ask her rhetorical question is when a man makes a claim about how woman should be treated.

The man states that women “need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and [should] have the best place everywhere” but Truth refutes this and expresses how no one has yet to perform those same acts of kindness to her. Another situation that lead to Truth asking her question is when she describes the hardships she faced and the pain she endured as an enslaved worker. She says “Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me…I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well… 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!”
4. Define repetition as a rhetorical device.
Repetition as a rhetorical device is the technique in which words or phrases are repeated multiple times throughout a text or speech. Repetition can add clarity to an idea and make it more striking to an audience. Repetition can also add emphasis to a subject and highlight that subject’s significance in a text or speech.
5. Define rhetorical question.
A rhetorical question is a literary device in which an author asks a question but doesn’t expect an answer. Rhetorical questions are often used to add emphasis to a major point that is being discussed throughout a text. Rhetorical questions can also draw attention and create a lasting effect on an audience.
6. Why is Truth’s repetition of her rhetorical question effective in this speech?
Truth’s repetition of her rhetorical question is effective in this speech because it constantly reminds the audience of her strong belief in the right to equality. She lets the audience know that she is still a woman and should be treated and respected like one, regardless of her race, ethnicity, and status in society. As Truth repeats her rhetorical question each time, she strengthens her connection with the audience on an emotional level and truly convinces them that she deserves to be free from discrimination.