From writing this paper, I learned about how to first understand a cultural situation before I can deeply analyze an individual’s experience. This has been a very interesting journey for me, but it all started when I chose the second essay question. This question stood out to me because I was used to looking at somebody’s argument and either supporting or proving it wrong. This has been the basis for almost all of my research papers. Yet, this essay topic furthers this simple concept of supporting or counterarguing by then asking exactly how the person who made the claim actually carved out a space for their argument, not just simply stating what their argument claims. In order for anyone to accomplish something of this nature, they themselves not only need to have a strategy, but they also have to have an advanced understanding of how the human brain will be persuaded. I loved the complexity such a loaded question demanded from the writer.

While the question was intellectually stimulating, and I loved working at it, my favorite part of this essay has to be the research process. The question called for the synthesizing of a primary source versus a secondary source, and deciding whether or not the secondary source adequately supports the primary source not just in argument, but in the use of rhetorical technique as well. For my paper in particular, I first analyzed the primary source of Sojourner Truth’s speech. This is a primary source because it is a direct address to a community of people. Then, I decided how and why the secondary source of Shirley Wilson Logan’s commentary on 19th century African American female activism deserved recognition. From this process of researching sources I found it increasingly important to make as many connections as possible in order for my paper to be fully explained and supported. This is different from previous academic papers I have written due to the fact that just one connection between a source and its supporting source was enough to provide evidence. However, in this essay it was imperative that connections were drawn across the board, not just in the statements they made about black women’s validity as people, but in how they delivered their claims.

What the connections between the two sources provided was a well-rounded, almost three dimensional answer to my research question: what argument did these women a=make, why was it powerful, what was needed to attain success in these women’s activism, and what about their time period made it difficult? Prior knowledge on black versus white racism provided a foundation for my understanding of what this black community actually endured. However, what I was not familiar with was what set the 19th century time period apart from previous or future time periods of discrimination. This brought in the idea of political reform as it applies to social reform. What Sojourner and Logan both sought their audiences to realize was that abolishing slavery would make it illegal to hold blacks as property, yes, but what it fails to accomplish is the underlying civil and social reforms that actually make black people equal to white people.

This paper was beyond interesting to me and I truly did learn a lot. Essays like this that really seek to intellectually stimulate the student really get me excited for future research. I am so blessed to be an English major!