Ain't I A Woman

“I think that ’twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon.”

Truth alludes to the complex civil rights struggles of her time. A political system dominated by white men was under pressure both from abolitionists and women’s rights advocates. Civil rights leaders of her time disagreed on whether both goals should be pursued at the same time. Truth, as a Black woman, sees the two struggles as inextricably linked.

“Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place!” 

By including her point of view, Truth directly refutes her antagonist’s argument that women are too weak to participate as equals in society. Truth aims to refute the popular stereotype of the era that only men are strong enough to lead society. Truth’s personal experience, by including the experience of being an enslaved woman, establishes that the category “women” is diverse, complex, and powerful.

“And ain’t I a woman?”

This phrase, repeated throughout the second paragraph of Truth’s speech, invites listeners to question both what it means to be a woman and what women deserve as members of society. The repetition of this phrase four times in one paragraph builds a sense of urgency and despair, as though Truth fears that nothing will ever be done.

“I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I tried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me!”

Truth uses pathos (an appeal to the emotions of the audience) to win her audience’s interest and sympathy. Truth believes that women’s suffrage and abolition should take place at the same time. By providing an anecdote that details the experience of both enslavement and womanhood, Truth aims to establish that both causes are worthy of fighting for.

“That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights?” 

While interacting with the crowd, Truth uses her charm to create familiarity, as indicated by the word “honey.” As she is speaking in a relatively formal setting, her colloquial language potentially helps her listeners to relax and be more open to her argument. This rhetorical choice may endear Truth to the audience, increasing the likelihood that they will accept her message.

“If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?”

Truth seems to suggest that educational opportunities, along with other civil rights, are not a zero-sum game. Extending rights to women and Black people (that is, filling their pint) will not diminish or take away from the rights of white men.

“Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!”

Truth’s use of hypophora (asking and answering a question in immediate succession) engages the audience by getting them to think about how they would answer. She then provides the answer herself, implying that it should be obvious. This technique creates a strong delivery of a rebuttal to the religious argument that, because Christ was a man, men are superior to women.

“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!”

Truth creates vivid imagery by using figurative language to describe the tale of Eve and original sin. Though the world cannot physically be turned, the idea of such a thing happening evokes terror. Alternatively, the image of women setting the world straight again paints a picture of heroism.