"Ain't I a Woman?" Rhetorical Analysis - Courtney Blackstock

1. Speaker in video: Kerry Washington

1. Direct Quote
   1. Effect
      1. Asking this question throughout the speech emphasizes the importance of equality for women. This is done by making the audience think about the difference in treatment of women due to race and ethnicity. It also helps the reader understand Sojourner Truth’s point of view clearer.
   2. “Ain't I A Woman?” (Title; Paragraph 2)
2. Effect:
   1. Direct Quote:
      1. “That little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman!...Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.” (Paragraph 4)
   2. Sojourner Truth uses a little humor to explain how men are not as “important” as the world as treated them because man did not contribute to the birth of Christ. She says, only God and a women, no man. Which is true in a sense but by saying this she creates an impression that me are not as important as they have been perceived.
3. Direct Quote
   1. Effect
      1. Sojourner Truth, once again, uses a personal story as an example of how black women or certain women, were treated back then. This quote supports the speaker’s message by providing a comparison and insight on the side of inequality.
   2. “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?” (Paragraph 2)

1. Physical Characteristics
   1. Effect
      1. By doing this Kerry Washington emphasizes Sojourner Truth’s words and brings the words to life, performing as she feels Sojourner did all the way back in 1851.
   2. Kerry Washington stands with her hand on her hip and points her her finger when she speaks.
2. Direct Quote
   1. Effect
      1. This quote shows an example of pathos by using the words children, slavery, grief, and cry. The way Sojourner Truth used these words in her speech, made the audience emotionally reach out to her. By her sharing this experience, she shows the effects of women not being as respected as they should be.
   2. “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?” (Paragraph 2)
3. Direct Quote
   1. Effect
      1. This portion of the speech makes the women in the audience feel empowered and want to seek equality for all women. It gives them the courage to change the way women are being treated, no matter race or ethnicity because as a whole, women are seen as less than men.
   2. “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again!” (Last Paragraph)

1. Physical Characteristics:
   1. Effect:
      1. By doing this, it pushes the main ideas of the speech forward, engaging the audience more into what she was saying by how she was presenting it.
   2. During the speech, Kerry Washington using many hand gestures as she describes the details within the speech.
2. Direct Quote:
   1. “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?” (Paragraph 2)
   2. Effect:
      1. This part of Sojourner Truth’s speech references ethos because she is using her own personal experience as a comparison to how different (unequal) women of color are treated versus the privileges of white women.
3. Direct Quote:
   1. Effect:
      1. Sojourner Truth gives a description of how she looks to emphasize that she is just as strong as any man. She tells what she does and what she can do, comparing it to what a man does or can do. She says all this to emphasize how, she can go head to head against a man in any of these jobs and come out on top and still be treated unequally because she is a woman. She accentuate that she can do all of this and yet she is still a woman.
   2. “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? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?” (Paragraph 2)

Annotations:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SQNeZKUh38   http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month/videos/aint-i-a-woman

1. Audience: Women // Women's Conference 1851
   1. Goal: To inform people of women's rights in that time. To show an example of how some women were being treated versus other women. Sojourner Truth shared a part of her life story as an example of how women should not be treated, essentially taking a stand on women's rights.
   2. Audience Reaction: Should feel empowered and want to seek equality for all women