Meet Sojourner Truth

Quick Intro Born into slavery Endured cruel slave owners Escaped at age twenty-nine Became a preacher Took part in the cause for women’s rights Worked for the anti-slavery movement

And Ain’t I A Woman Women’s Rights Convention Truth gave her famous speech to refute male ministers who claimed that women were weak and too intellectually inferior to vote.

Verisimilitude Definition: The quality of appearing to be true or real. Writing focuses on a particular setting and segment of society—mimicking their manner of speech and their class system. Writers want to show “Life as it really is.”

Quick Review Argument: a set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. Counter Argument: a set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea developed in another argument. Claim: an arguable statement Counter Claim: a claim made to offset another claim Evidence: facts to support any claim Refute: to argue against

Literary Terms Repetition: To repeat a word of phrase for emphasis of an idea. Allusion: a reference to a literary work or character.

Persuasive Argument Identify each objection made by men regarding women’s rights. Explain how Truth responds to each one. There are three total..

Answers CLAIM COUNTERCLAIM Women are physically weaker than men. Women are intellectually inferior. Jesus Christ was a man and therefore women must be a subordinate sex. Truth has survived slave-life and bore children all as a woman. Truth believes that the discussion of intellect is irrelevant regarding one’s rights. Truth points out that Christ was born of God and woman not man. Further, Eve alone was powerful enough to alter man’s life.

Write three paragraphs with the following: Your Turn Choose a controversial topic and follow Sojourner Truth’s pattern as you write a persuasive speech. Write three paragraphs with the following: Claim-Counterclaim Use repetition to emphasize an important point. Use an allusion to strengthen one idea

Homework Write a one page response and explain how Truth would react to both articles, “The Good Wife’s Guide” and “Women in Combat Jobs” if she was still living today.