1. A1: What do women need to be helped with? What does Truth keep asking?
Who heard her when she cried her mother’s grief?

2. A1: What do women need to be helped with? Getting into carriages
What does Truth keep asking? Ain’t I a woman?
Who heard her when she cried her mother’s grief? None but Jesus

3. How does Adichie persuade her reader that sexism is important
How does Adichie persuade her reader that sexism is important? Adichie explores sexism and makes it seem important when she repeats the collective directive "We" creating a sense of social responsibility for all genders and her use of triplets in "angry, aggressive or tough" makes it seem as if women have been banned from and deprived of a wide number of feelings and behaviours. Also, the emphasis of "All over the world“ makes it seem as if the issue is world-wide and therefore prevalent. The contrast in the rhetorical question "Why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage, yet we don't teach boys to do the same?“ makes us consider and evaluate our values, motivations and ideologies and her use of a statement in the short sentence "We teach girls shame" makes it seem certain, factual and therefore wrong. In contrast, saying that we "stifle" boys implies smothering them with closed and restricting ideas of masculinity, whereas the striking metaphor "Masculinity is a hard, small cage“ suggests controlling and trapping them in rigid and inflexible expectations. Finally, "it is only fair“ is persuasive because it makes it seem essential, reasonable and simple. Adichie continuously explores how sexism is presented and rejects the stereotypical assumptions.

4. A3: What does Adichie mean by “masculinity is a small, hard cage”?
What is the word Adichie likes least of all?
What does she mean by “we don’t teach boys to care about being likeable”?

5. A3:
What does Adichie mean by “masculinity is a small, hard cage”? That we trap men by having specific expectations of how a man should look and act (or anything along those lines)
What is the word Adichie likes least of all? Emasculation
What does she mean by “we don’t teach boys to care about being likeable”? Boys are taught that it’s ok to be dominating and blunt (or anything along those lines)

6. What do you think and feel about Truth’s message on equality
What do you think and feel about Truth’s message on equality? I think she highlights the prejudice effectively in “women need to be helped” because it highlights how she’s also a woman, yet no one was offering assistance or courtesy to her. In particular, “Nobody ever helps me” emphasises how unfair and cruel it is as “ever” makes me feel anger and a resentment on her behalf. Her blunt tone in “ain't I a woman?” makes a valid point as a contemporary reader would fully agree that she is no different to any other woman in society and deserves respect and equality. Her assertive and passionate tone in the command “Look at me!” makes me feel that her passion and sense of self have earnt her the respect she’s demanding and it it forces you to view her as a person. Predominantly, “cried out” makes readers acknowledge her loss, grief and sacrifice for the benefit of others which again, I feel, enhances a sense of respect for her. Also, “mother’s grief” especially portrays this as nobody can deny how powerful maternal bonds are. Finally, her direct manner when she says “little man in black there” makes me admire her courage to confront the man who would’ve been considered her superior and “little” effectively and ironically makes him seem insignificant; essentially emasculating him in front of others.

7. A5: compare the attitude and purpose of each Adichie points the blame at society as a whole in “we”, whereas Truth directs the blame at others in “nobody ever”. Adichie also focuses on how it affects people internationally in “all over the world”, whereas Truth focuses on her own person suffering in “I… my mother’s grief”. Essentially, Adichie seems to think it’s a collective problem, whereas Truth reflects on her own suffering and experiences on behalf of others in her situation. Adichie also takes a more contemplative view in “why do we”, whereas Truth is far more practical and deals in solid examples in “I have ploughed and planted”. Adichie seems more neutral and reasonable in “it is only fair”, whereas Truth’s tone in “little man in black over there” is more aggressive and emotive. Overall, Adichie seems to be trying the persuade others to agree with her, whereas Truth is trying to highlight what the injustice is, why it’s unfair and who is the cause.