Ain't I a Woman Comparison

If one were to read both the original and edited version of Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman, they would notice a stark difference in both the language and styles employed for each of them. The edited version is not only more grammatically correct than it’s predecessor, it shows more refinement and restraint as far as diction goes. The language is not as passionate or primitive as before, but this change was made for a reason. One must understand that issues such as feminism and slavery were tough pills to swallow for mainstream America in the mid nineteenth century, even if it were argued by the most educate and sensible white man among them. Changing the diction in Ain’t I A Woman just coated that pill in sugar and spices, making it all the more appealing and easier to swallow for its target audience, Caucasians. It did not take away Miss Truth’s voice and messages like most would argue, but instead let that voice be heard to a wider audience, one that would have a much better influence over the issues she was championing than her fellow Blacks. These changes, it could be argued, were necessary in impacting a group who might not have understood or connecting with the message else wise, much like the language of Shakespeare would be edited and altered to better suit our own generation. In any piece, the diction could be as simplistic and ‘real’ as you wish it to be, but if its messages.