Close Reading of a Persuasive Speech by Sojourner Truth

Incorporate more nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and help high school students practice their close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions covering a persuasive speech delivered by Sojourner Truth. Given to the Convention of the American Equal Rights Association in 1867, the historically significant speech argues in favor of suffrage for Black women and encourages Black women to speak up for their rights in order to achieve a more just society. An answer key and copy of the public domain speech are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:

• Articulate the function of the speech
• Identify what the text states explicitly about Truth’s feelings toward slavery, Truth’s desires for all women, Truth’s reason for living a long life, and Truth’s reasoning for why men should fight alongside women for their rights
• Explore cause-and-effect relationships
• Explore Truth’s personal motivations
• Analyze stylistic elements of Truth’s speech and evaluate its effectiveness
• Make and defend logical inferences about the audience’s reception to the speech
• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision