David Walker and Sojourner Truth

I was deeply involved in both of these pieces as I read them. Both authors displayed strong messages in their works, and made their points dramatically. Walker's vivid and compelling 'Appeal' was especially striking, given that it was patterned on the Constitution and held no grievance back. As it said in the 'Norton' introduction, he died under mysterious conditions, and no doubt had to deal with threats and animosity from the people who embodied what he lambasted. However, though I did like Walker's piece, my favor did lie with the Sojourner Truth speech. Her moving presentation to her white audience may be my favorite piece of the year so far; I was completely lost from the world while reading it. Though I am an admittedly poor memorizer, the reading I had was so vivid I can recall many of the lines directly. I think that the fact so many of us in the class had a powerful reaction to this speech can only hint at the power she must have displayed in real life. She tell of her struggles with the rare gift not elicit blind sympathy, but the stir reactions that are stronger and more linked to the listener than platitudes of ‘Poor dear’. As I read this, I wish that I more definitive record existed (oh for the days of video recording) so that we could have a consensus on how this speech was presented. However, no matter which version the reader chooses to dive into, both vividly show Sojourner Truth was a remarkable woman.