Sojourner Truth was unable to read or write. Therefore, her speech was transcribed by the Frances Gage and given the title “Ain’t I a Woman?” in Gage’s 1881 publication of The History of Woman Suffrage. Sojourner Truth was born in New York and grew up in a Dutch family. However, the Gage’s text portrays her of having a seemingly southern drawl. Taking these facts into consideration how did Frances Gage affect Sojourner Truth’s speech in regards to reproducing it from spoken word onto paper?
Sojourner Truth, being from New York and having never been to the south, would not have a southern accent as Gage portrays her to. In Gage’s account of Truth’s speech that includes dialect, found online at About.com, Gage reports that Truth said things such as “I tink dat ‘twixt de niggers of de Souf and de womin at de Nork”, or “Den dey talks ‘bout dis ting in de head; what dis dey call it?”. According to Available Means ”Truth… would not have had a Southern dialect and that therefore any representation of dialect was likely created by the transcriber”. When I read the speech with dialect, it sounded, to me, very much like something that came out of the movie Gone with the Wind. When I read some of the dialect aloud, it reminded me of Scarlet O’Hara’s accent in the movie. It reminded me, more so, of the way Scarlet’s nurse, Mammy spoke in the movie. However, I would imagine that Truth’s voice would be less high-pitched and less “girly” than Scarlet’s, but possibly pretty similar to Mammy’s, assuming she did speak in a southern dialect. The fact that Truth was from New York shows Gage may have added the dialect herself and it was not really said by Truth. Therefore, Gage had an effect on the speech. Not only does Gage have an effect on the speech with the addition of dialect, but the spelling of the dialect is another way Gage’s affect’s Truth’s transcribed speech.
When it comes to the spelling in Gage’s speech, the “dialect” parts are spelled very inconsistently. In Gage’s version of the speech with dialect in it, “and” is spelled out. However, from Redd and Webb’s book, I learned that “and” is shortened to “an”. Gage writes “I have ploughed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me!” This selection of speech, though, sounds very much like Standard English. Gage also reports that Truth said, at one point, “wouldn’t ye be mean…”, however, later in the speech, Truth is reported as saying “Whar did your Christ come from?” The first form of ‘you’ is written in dialect, but the ‘your’ is in Standard English. Therefore, my question is: why would Truth say this part in Standard English, yet say other things with a southern dialect? Gage’s spelling of the dialect being inconsistent is yet another way that she affected the transcription of Truth’s speech. Not only is the spelling in Gage’s report a way that she affected Truth’s speech, but the fact that it is argued whether the speech took place or not is another way Gage affected the speech.
The uncertainty of the speech taking place is an example of the affect Gage had. Available Means reports “Some scholars question whether Truth ever delivered this speech at all, suggesting that it was invented by Gage to advance white women’s causes”. This speech could very well have been made up by Gage to assist women in the Women’s Rights movement. The speech, however took place in 1851 and Gage’s book, in which she included the speech, was not published until thirty years later in 1881. Personally, I think it would be very difficult to remember, word-for-word, something that took place thirty years earlier. Since it is argued whether this speech actually took place or not, Gage’s reproduction of the speech is another way that she affected Truth’s speech. Despite whether the speech actually happened or not, including the speech in her own book towards the advancement of Women’s Right’s is another example of Gage’s affect on Truth’s speech.
“Ain’t I a Woman” has been known as an important part of the history of Women’s Right’s. According to Available Means, “These few words… broke open the ideology of the nineteenth century’s assumptions about ‘true womanhood’… [and] presages many of the central issues in women’s rhetoric to this day”. This speech having become such a respected, important document would have been a good reason for Gage to fake the speech to help advance Women’s Rights by putting it in her publication. The speech, in assistance to Women’s Rights makes Gage look good because she supposedly transcribed it. This is a way that Gage had an effect on Truth’s speech.
English 301 - advanced compositionSojourner Truth, being from New York and having never been to the south, would not have a southern accent as Gage portrays her to. In Gage’s account of Truth’s speech that includes dialect, found online at About.com, Gage reports that Truth said things such as “I tink dat ‘twixt de niggers of de Souf and de womin at de Nork”, or “Den dey talks ‘bout dis ting in de head; what dis dey call it?”. According to Available Means ”Truth… would not have had a Southern dialect and that therefore any representation of dialect was likely created by the transcriber”. When I read the speech with dialect, it sounded, to me, very much like something that came out of the movie Gone with the Wind. When I read some of the dialect aloud, it reminded me of Scarlet O’Hara’s accent in the movie. It reminded me, more so, of the way Scarlet’s nurse, Mammy spoke in the movie. However, I would imagine that Truth’s voice would be less high-pitched and less “girly” than Scarlet’s, but possibly pretty similar to Mammy’s, assuming she did speak in a southern dialect. The fact that Truth was from New York shows Gage may have added the dialect herself and it was not really said by Truth. Therefore, Gage had an effect on the speech. Not only does Gage have an effect on the speech with the addition of dialect, but the spelling of the dialect is another way Gage’s affect’s Truth’s transcribed speech.
When it comes to the spelling in Gage’s speech, the “dialect” parts are spelled very inconsistently. In Gage’s version of the speech with dialect in it, “and” is spelled out. However, from Redd and Webb’s book, I learned that “and” is shortened to “an”. Gage writes “I have ploughed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me!” This selection of speech, though, sounds very much like Standard English. Gage also reports that Truth said, at one point, “wouldn’t ye be mean…”, however, later in the speech, Truth is reported as saying “Whar did your Christ come from?” The first form of ‘you’ is written in dialect, but the ‘your’ is in Standard English. Therefore, my question is: why would Truth say this part in Standard English, yet say other things with a southern dialect? Gage’s spelling of the dialect being inconsistent is yet another way that she affected the transcription of Truth’s speech. Not only is the spelling in Gage’s report a way that she affected Truth’s speech, but the fact that it is argued whether the speech took place or not is another way Gage affected the speech.
The uncertainty of the speech taking place is an example of the affect Gage had. Available Means reports “Some scholars question whether Truth ever delivered this speech at all, suggesting that it was invented by Gage to advance white women’s causes”. This speech could very well have been made up by Gage to assist women in the Women’s Rights movement. The speech, however took place in 1851 and Gage’s book, in which she included the speech, was not published until thirty years later in 1881. Personally, I think it would be very difficult to remember, word-for-word, something that took place thirty years earlier. Since it is argued whether this speech actually took place or not, Gage’s reproduction of the speech is another way that she affected Truth’s speech. Despite whether the speech actually happened or not, including the speech in her own book towards the advancement of Women’s Right’s is another example of Gage’s affect on Truth’s speech.
“Ain’t I a Woman” has been known as an important part of the history of Women’s Right’s. According to Available Means, “These few words… broke open the ideology of the nineteenth century’s assumptions about ‘true womanhood’… [and] presages many of the central issues in women’s rhetoric to this day”. This speech having become such a respected, important document would have been a good reason for Gage to fake the speech to help advance Women’s Rights by putting it in her publication. The speech, in assistance to Women’s Rights makes Gage look good because she supposedly transcribed it. This is a way that Gage had an effect on Truth’s speech.
Sojourner Truth analysis
Critical Response Journal #4
28 October 2010
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