Sojourner Truth

"Ain't I a Woman?"

Ethos: ethical appeal
Logos: logical appeal
Pathos: emotional appeal
*All are rhetorical appeals.

In Sojourner Truth's Speech of "Ain't I a Woman", Truth uses to ethos, logos and pathos in order to show the importance of woman's suffrage. This speech was given before a large group of white men and women. Truth begins her speech by appealing to ethics, ethos. She describes the work done in her life and shows that she has worked just as hard as a man, if not harder. Truth's strongest part of her speech is her emphasis on logos, or appeal to logic. She uses the analogy of having a cup; if a woman's cup (political voice) isn't as big(important) as a man's cup, should women not get any say at all? "Wouldn't you be mean not let me have my little half measure-full?" Truth describes the struggles she has had to overcome; all of them and she is not given the right to have a voice? I believe Truth's strongest point is when she makes an allusion to the bible, saying "one woman turned the world upside down" and insists that multiple many could fix it. The allusion to the bible gives everyone a common ground. Finally, Truth closes with a thank you to reiterate her politeness.

Amanda Coyne's Reading

The Long Goodbye: Mother's Day in Federal Prison

Coyne has chosen to write about a very powerful topic; it is a true example of the love felt for children by mothers. Right away a strong emotion is evoked as she describes the mothers receiving their flowers and treasuring it. It's sad, somethings so simple that we can take for granted can hold such a stronger meaning for someone else. As Coyne goes on to describe the mothers smelling their children, it reminds me of animals; it seems so primitive. It reflects that these women are being held like animals, and therefore they resort to animal-like behavior. It's depressing as Coyne describes the environment, like the stale sandwiches and restricted conversations held by one another. Although Coyne was not there for the "prepping" that the prisoners went through for the visitors, her assumptions seem very plausible.

John T. Edge's Reading

I'm Not Leaving Till I Eat This Thing

The sensory details are amazing, right off the bat, he uses them to describe his surroundings. I think it's funny how Edge describes the gross processing of pig lips as if it were something so normal as tying your shoes. But then when he describes the look of pig lips, it starts getting gross. Edge's transition from present to past, to tell background information, is smooth and it flows well. Similarly, the dialogue does a good job of keeping the story flowing. Edge's closing of eating a pig lip is great, it connects him to the people he was interviewing; he is not just a reporter, he is a character. Once again, his sensory details were amazing, especially as he describes eating the pig lip. I can imagine eating the pig lip myself, as gross as that is!