Ain’t I a Woman – Sojourner Truth

After Being Convicted – Susan B. Anthony

By:

Abbey Spiezio

Tom Gray

Sean Michael

Ain’t I a Woman?

• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• SPAM

• RHETORIC DEVICES

• APPEALS

Historical Context

• Sojourner was born a slave and gained her freedom in 1827

• Speech was made in response to a male audience member

• The speech was not generally accepted at the convention she spoke it at

Speaker

¨      Sojourner Truth in 1851. ¨      Born in 1797, she had great presence as a

result of her very low voice and tall height (5ft. 11).

¨      She was an ex-slave turned abolitionist. ¨      Truth spoke for African American rights,

but was also an advocate for Womens rights.

Purpose

• ¨      To gather women together for a common cause (their rights).

• ¨      To speak up for African American women.

Audience

• ¨      Women at the Women’s Convention

Medium

• ¨      Held at Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio.

Rhetoric Devices

• Argumentation

• Repetition

• Rhetorical Question

• Metaphor

• Biblical Allusion

Argumentation

• ¨      “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?” (2nd paragraph)

Repetition

• ¨      And Ain’t I a Woman? (2nd paragraph)

• ¨      Where did your Christ come from? (4th paragraph)

Rhetorical Question

• ¨      And Ain’t I A Woman?

• ¨      But what’s all this here talking about

• ¨      Where did your Christ come from?

Metaphor

• ¨      “If my cup won’t hold a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?” (3rd paragraph)

Biblical Allusions

• ¨      “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.” (5th paragraph)

• ¨      “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone,” (6th paragraph)

Appeals

• Pathos

• Ethos

• Logos

Pathos• ¨      “Look at me Look at my arm! I have plowed and

planted and gathered into barns and no man could head me. . .And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man--when I could get to it--and bear the lash as well and ain't I a woman? I have born 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery and when I cried out a mother's grief none but Jesus heard me. . .and ain't I a woman?” (2nd paragraph)

• ¨      “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down, all alone together women ought to be able to turn it rightside up again.” (5 th paragraph)

Ethos

• ¨      “that little man in black there say a woman can't have as much rights as a man cause Christ wasn't a woman” (4th paragraph)

Logos

• ¨      “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him!” (4th paragraph)

After Being Convicted

• HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• SPAM

• RHETORICAL DEVICES

• APPEALS

Historical Context

• She traveled through the US and to Europe giving 75-100 speeches a year for 45 years

• Anthony was one of seven children born in West Grove, Massachusetts

• She was born into a Quaker Society but left it as she saw hypocrisy in it

• Anthony joined with Stanton in organizing the first women's state temperance society in America after being refused admission to a previous convention on account of her sex in 1851

Speaker

• ¨      Susan B. Anthony in 1873.

• ¨      Anthony was born in 1820 into a strict Quaker household.

• ¨      Began a public crusade on behalf of temperance.

Purpose

• ¨      A persuasive and motivational speech arguing that women have just as much a right to vote as men do.

Audience

• ¨      New Yorkers

Medium

• ¨      Open Venue

• ¨      Stump Speech throughout 29 postal districts in Monroe County, New York.

Rhetorical Devices

• Allusion

• Anaphora

• Repetition

• Rhetorical Question

Allusion

• ¨      “The preamble of the Federal Constitution says,” (2nd paragraph)

Anaphora

• ¨      “To them this government” (5th paragraph)

Repetition

• ¨      Oligarchs--member of a small governing faction (ruling by a few). (5th paragraph)

Rhetorical Question

• ¨      “Are women persons?” (7th paragraph)

Appeals

• Logos

• Ethos

• Pathos

Logos• ¨      Susan B. Anthony primarily used logos in her work in

order to support her opinion that women had just as much a right to vote as men did.

• ¨      “It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's rights, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution, (1st paragraph)beyond the power of any state to deny.” (1st paragraph)

• ¨      “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.”(3rd paragraph)

Ethos

• ¨      “Friends and fellow citizens: I stand before you tonight under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote.” (1st paragraph)

Pathos• ¨      “It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a

hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household - which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord, and rebellion into every home of the nation.” (5th paragraph)

Questions

1. What is one thing that Anthony references in her speech?

2. How many years did she give many speeches for?

3. What does she relate this discrimination to, and is also fighting for?

4. Do you think this speech would have been as effective if she did not use anaphoras?

5. What does Anthony have against the government?

6. What are two rhetoric questions used in “Ain’t I a woman?”

7. What do you think the purpose of the allusion is in “Ain’t I a woman?”

8. Why do you think Sojourner Truth uses repetition in her speech?

9. What is the main point that Sojourner is trying to make in her speech?

10. T / F Sojourner believes that woman can work just as hard as man.