Aint I a Woman Critique - Essay Example

Truth has raised gender issues that are still highly relevant even in contemporary times.

The patriarchal society was created by men to maintain a dominant position in society that restricts the role of women in any decision-making and promotes a set of rules for their conduct and actions, both within the family and outside the family environment. Women are denied the basic right to self-expression and empowerment of women has increasingly become a major issue for societies at large. Later, when the women, especially those coming from lower strata of society and the black community, started sharing work with their counterparts, they were denied their rightful wages and status. Truth’s speech in 1851 at Ohio’s Women’s Rights Convention, is a persuasive text that questions society’s moral right to deny women equal rights when they have shown that they are capable of working alongside men, in every field.

In her speech, Truth pointed out that though women, in general, have been denied equal rights and decision powers ‘black’ women have even been stripped of their gender identity and denied the basic minimum respect that ‘white’ women command! She has been highly critical of the system that lets the ‘black’ woman do the work of men but when it comes to recognizing them at par with the men, there is no hesitation in highlighting the gender discrimination. It is but for a woman, Mary, that ‘Jesus our God’ was born so how can a society morally deny women any rights? She says that she has worked like a man, borne lashes, and at times, even done better than them. At the same, she has borne and reared children who were sold into slavery in front of them and still, she has not been accorded the status of either a woman or equal partner!

She has exhorted the women to fight collectively for their rights because ‘if the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!’ (Truth). She believes that women have the power to change the socio-economic dynamics and perceptions through their inherent abilities and give fair competition to men in every field.

One can conclude that despite the highly prejudiced social norms and stifling atmosphere and irrespective of color, race, and culture, women have shown that they have the power to influence and make a definite impact on society. They can create a new vision for their untapped potential and great scope for their development as individuals. Indeed, Truth’s speech has revealed that no matter what, women cannot be confined into categories that restrict their individuality and their freedom of expression.