Response

“Aren’t I a Woman?”

Sexism and the struggle for women’s rights have been around for centuries; it still exists today. Sojouner Truth took a big step when she gave her “Aren’t I a Woman” speech, not only as an African American ex-slave, but as a woman. Even though it was short, “Aren’t I a Woman” still reveals the struggle for women as they are always counted as second best next men.

The one thing that Sojouner Truth used a lot was rhetorical questions, specifically “aren’t I a woman?” The repetition of that question was used to make her point. She stated, “I have plowed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me- aren’t I a woman?” You could hear her sarcasm in that one repeated word. Men have always thought that, by nature, women were weaker than them. However, Truth was there to say that she has done all these things that relied on physical strength without the help of any man. Women could work just as hard as any man and probably could do it better. Truth goes on to say, “…he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman. Where did your Christ come from?” Truth is saying that even though Christ wasn’t a woman, he came from one. The woman had to be powerful to give birth to a powerful Jesus. That was a technique used to lower a man’s ego. “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down…together, ought t be able to turn it back and get it right side up again…” (Truth, pg.424) Since men aren’t willing enough to change things, women have to do it themselves. To prove themselves, women are determined to fight for their rights and identity as a lady. Even in this so-called “man’s world,” women are prepared to rise up and take a stand without the help of men.