Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Exigence in Sojourner Truth's Ain't I A Woman

Exigence refers to the urgency or demand of a text. "Ain't I A Woman," was delivered  in 1851 at a women's convention. During this time period women were did not have a lot of power, if any. There primary duties were to look after the children, cook, and take care of their husbands. Sojourner Truth is tired of the discrimination she and all women face. Her tone is pretty fed up and she doesn't understand how men can treat or see women be treated this way. She points out that were all born from a women. And to say they don't deserve rights because they are colored and/or female is wrong. She points out their hypocrisy and drops the mic because she can't stand the treatment they face. And from reading you can see her urgency, her demand, her anger. She finishes the text with the notation that women are coming to get what is rightfully theirs and the men "better let them." Sojourner Truth is over the disrespect and she demands that her voice along with others are heard.



7 comments:

  1. After reading Sojourner Truth's speech, I can really sense the anger and frustration that you've described. I believe your post is fairly descriptive, but I also would think that your post would benefit from the use of quotes from the speech itself. For some context, I read your post then proceeded to read Truth's speech and was surprised so see how much emotion that her speech had. I think quotations such as "And ain't I a woman?" and its repetition would be good to mention, especially since her language and rhetoric really conveys her emotions strongly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This post prompted me to read Truth's speech and I have to say, it's absolutely dripping with exasperation. Her utilization of certain literary devices, such as gritty diction and snappy repetition, work to fully showcase her rage. "And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman?" She's clearly on her last leg and the raw sense of urgency she has for something to change is powerfully evident.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As I was reading the speech, I could feel the anger and frustration Truth felt seeping throughout the speech. The tone used in the speech was aggressive and questioning. It perfectly portrayed the frustration almost every woman must have felt when they weren't provided the same rights as men

    ReplyDelete
  4. As I was reading the speech, I could feel the anger and frustration Truth felt seeping throughout the speech. The tone used in the speech was aggressive and questioning. It perfectly portrayed the frustration almost every woman must have felt when they weren't provided the same rights as men

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another powerful piece that displays the realizations few had in eras where women were oppressed. Her anger introduces rhetorical questions that she wants other women to begin asking. She really does a good job of inciting the feeling of urgency due to her frustration.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The tone of anger and frustration used in this piece highlights the exigence of the message even more than the words of the speech. Instead of just telling the audience about the frustration, the audience can experience it through her tone and anger which causes them to feel it themselves and increase the urgency

    ReplyDelete
  7. The tone of anger and frustration used in this piece highlights the exigence of the message even more than the words of the speech. Instead of just telling the audience about the frustration, the audience can experience it through her tone and anger which causes them to feel it themselves and increase the urgency

    ReplyDelete