Blog Post #4!

Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?"

This is not the first time that I have read this speech. I actually got a chance to watch the video Prof. McGee showed up in class in another class. I must admit that I absolutely LOVE this speech!

One of the reasons why this spoke to me so much is because it is spoken by and to a group of women who aren't particularly educated. I feel like in order for people to be heard, there is an expectation that they have to be well educated and speak with poise and distinction. Even though this woman is not educated, or poised by society's standards, she speak with more conviction than most. She is speaking from her experience which is more powerful than any fact packed speech could ever be. 

Another reason why this speech stood out so much to me is the issue of religion that she brought up. Especially at this time, religion was something that wasn't often questioned. Truth uses something that was assumed to be static and a solid foundation and used it to prove her point. It is a simple thing to point out that Jesus was made from woman and God, but it bears so much importance and weight. She didn't bash religion, unlike some other female authors who believe the church condemns women, which made her argument that much more respectable.

I wish this occurred during a time where she could have been filmed speaking this. The women who attempt to recreate this speech are phenomenal, but to see the words come directly from Truth would've been empowering, and definitely entertaining. 

I was intrigued by her brief biography in the anthology, so I thought I'd look up a little more on her life. She was quite the individual! Here is a link to the PBS special on People of Faith. It gives a good background on her and how her faith effected her life! http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/people/sojourner_truth.html