*Do not be stupid enough to plagiarize.*
During the Reconstruction Period following the American Civil War the social climate buzzed with the forces of different social groups clashing wildly. While there was a unified hope to improve the country, oftentimes this shared dream led to arguments concerning the best way to accomplish this goal. Many realized that the fight for individual rights of persons within specific social groups was essential to fully realizing the Founding Fathers’ ideals of the new country. Sojourner Truth jumped into the heated debate of women’s suffrage, advocating for this right specifically in the name of black women, and spoke at the annual convention of the American Equal Rights Association. Truth’s speech given on May 9, 1867 calls upon men to think both morally about the implications of not handing women the vote and rationally about the benefits of women’s suffrage.
Opening the speech, Truth attributes the necessity of her speech as a reaction to a lack of impetus compelling power-holders to vote, giving suffrage to black women. She exclaims, “There is a great stir about colored men getting their rights, but not a word about colored women!” Truth refers to her identity as an 80 year-old-woman seeking justice; she uses this social goal as a personal mission, appropriating the purpose of gaining rights for the hardworking, deserving black women whom she personally knows, taking u this task because of her moral responsibility. She also indirectly invokes the divine wisdom of a God, who allows her to be kept on earth for this last stage of her life. She explains, “I suppose I am yet to break the chain,” changing social norms as an agent of God, establishing her credibility as a doer of right. Truth’s speech serves to establish ethos, her personal credibility in her identity as a black woman, by citing her intimate knowledge of the situations which make women’s suffrage necessary, and so she works to correct the injustice by convincing others to join the cause.
Although many of the arguments throughout the essay are catered towards certain groups of people, Truth does make a quick rational point about equality of men and women as human beings: “[The women] work in the filed and do as much work [as the men], but do not get pay. We do as much, we eat as much, we want as much.” And even though this argument cuts straight to the point, the deeper underlying themes of humanity and equality chime in to support Truth in her quest for absolute equality in terms of citizenship. This rapidly established point does continue to support the rest of Truth’s argument aimed at convincing the men that women’s suffrage is necessary, the first strategy based upon morals and the second focused on logic.
Since men and women are so fundamentally equal, it is only right that man relinquish his control over woman. Truth tarnishes the reputation of the already powerful white male citizen by casting his role as parallel to a slaveholder. “You have been having our right so long, that you think, like a slaveholder, that you own us,” chides Truth, yet she makes the smart decision to empathize with the men rather than simply castigate them. Instead of completely damaging their credibility, leaving the men in a position to simply deny the charges and to create more excuses for not giving women the vote, Truth quells the visceral response to instantly reject her ideas by conceding that their role in achieving women’s suffrage is difficult, though she hints that this is their chance to rectify their past misdeeds. Truth demonstrates that she is capable of conducting herself with grace and fairness, setting an example of a logical, mindful woman even in the face of what could be a very emotional issue.
Truth’s second argument uses the appeal of logic to convince men of the benefits that will follow women’s suffrage. When the women receive their full power of citizenship, they will be self-sufficient. She talks of the women’s capabilities. While the women must ask men to help change the current social system, once they achieve this change they will no longer lean upon the shoulders of men for support for they will have the resources to work out problems on their own. Truth promises, “When we get our rights, we shall not have to come to you for money, for then we shall have enough money of our own,” and reassures the men that women will continue to work as they have done, not becoming lazy, but rather continuing their lives in the same way – just adding another task to their list of responsibilities, though one they would gladly bear. Truth also alludes to the fact that women can stop spending their energy on the fight for equality and that their effort can better be used to improve other aspects of society. Truth confides, “I want to see women have their rights, and then there will be no more war… I hope that this will be the last battle what will be in the world. Fighting for rights.” Once this aspect of society is corrected, peace and contentment will follow with the great involvement of women in society.
Truth demonstrates her persistence in pursuing suffrage for black women, showing men that her demands and discussion cannot simply be ignored or quashed. She ends the speech with, “There I am determined to go, not to stop till I get there to that beautiful place, and I do not mean to stop till I get there.” Truth shows the importance that women’s suffrage has in her life – so much so that she even notices the lack of equality between German women and men. Even though she addresses a crowd full of people who support the idea of women’s suffrage at the American Equal Rights Association event, Truth speaks out across to others – specifically men – who are opposed to the idea of giving women the vote. Truth uses her identity as an insider source of knowledge and methodically seeks to explain why the vote would not only benefit women, but the American society as a whole.
No comments:
Post a Comment