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ATSU An Assertive Tone Can Be Seen in Sojourners Speech Discussion Responses

 

Reply to these two posts each 200 words

Sojourner began her speech by letting the audience know she is a woman’s rights, but she can do just as much as a man can. She went on to discuss how she did the same work as a man can do and even questioned if the fear of women stemmed from the fact that women could do as much as men, if not, more. Furthering gendering her experiences, she told the audience to allow women to set the world right, based upon the Bible and Eve causing man to sin, upsetting the world.

I would say the tone was assertive in nature but also gentle, as it appears there may have been a slight fear of having her speak. Her tone was to get the message across in an assertive “I demand the same respect as men” manner but making sure to be gentle in her tone and delivery as well, since there was a fear of women.

On page 246, Sojourner Truth said, “I cannot read a book, but I can read the people” (Gates Jr. and McKay, 2004). This statement alone informed everyone that Sojourner could deliver a message based upon the people present in the room. When someone implies, they can read the people, they can read their body language and can understand who their audience is. I do believe having this ability allowed Sojourner to deliver her speech in the manner which she did. Understanding your audience allows you to dictate the direction you want to take your message in, such as what Sojourner did.

Reference:

Gates Jr., H.L. and McKay, N.Y. (2004). The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. 2nd Edition. W W Norton & Company, New York, London.



Second post

1. Sojourner Truth genderized her experiences in the Adress to the Ohio Women’s Rights Convection in various aspects. For instance, the phrase “ar’n’t I a woman” was said several times. Also, she discussed the different things that a man could accomplish that she’s done too. For example, she explains all the hard physical work equal to men and being a mother of 13 children and no one has helped her.

2. The tone in this speech was highly assertive and certainly questioned individuals about their behavior towards women’s rights. The genre of this speech is political, including societal issues about women in society. Lastly, the narrative voice is directed towards individuals who don’t understand the significance of women’s rights in society and how it affects women negatively. An example of the narrative voice would fall under The Anti-Slavery Bugle, June 21, 1851. During the passage, I feel as Sojourner’s voice screams anger and frustration, making individuals question their behavior towards women.