Knowing The Truth by Taylor

Knowing The Truth by Taylor - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

Having dinner with someone can be a very informational interaction. My family eats dinner together as often as possible and when we do there is always enough conversation to keep us intrigued about our individual days. The common questions such as “how was your day” and “did you learn anything new at school” are often asked in hopes of sparking interesting conversation. Having dinner with family is a good experience most of the time; however, I prefer having dinner with people I barely know or if I am meeting someone for the first time. There is a first time for everything and personally I believe the best time for first impressions is at the dinner table. You can learn a lot about a person through body language, manners, and how they present themselves, especially in a formal setting such as dinner. You can also learn the little things not everyone else knows about that person such as their favorite color as a child, their favorite pair of pants, or what they enjoy doing for fun. Those types of conversations are the most sentimental and the most important part of getting to know someone in my opinion.
If I had the opportunity to sit down at the dinner table with anyone from history it would be Sojourner Truth. Truth was an African American abolitionist and a women’s rights activist. She was born in 1797 as Isabella Baumfree, but later started to be called Sojourner Truth once she devoted her life to the abolition of slavery. Truth is known for her infamous “Ain’t I A Woman” speech at the Women’s Convention which was conveniently held in Akron, Ohio where I live. An inspirational line of her speech referenced the beginning of time “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! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.” Truth wanted men to give women the credit they deserved for everything they do in life. She was devoted to achieve equality amongst everyone.
Sojourner Truth was a very inspirational woman so, naturally, I would ask her many questions. Considering the type of person she seemed to be, I think she would welcome any sort of question I had as long as I had a full understanding of the experiences she lived through. I would start off by asking her how it felt to be born into slavery and have no choice but to listen to other people and having them direct your every move. I would imagine that obeying others no matter the circumstances would be a challenge for almost anybody and it is a shame that people had to live through that. Sojourner Truth was extremely brave and confident so I would also ask her how she grew to have those traits. She was very admirable for speaking out in favor of women’s rights and being an activist. I would ask Truth if she was ever nervous when speaking to crowds of people like she did so often; however, I think that she would recite a speech and not be phased by someone else’s opinion. Her speech influenced many people to take a stand for women and all people alike.
Sojourner Truth was a woman that many people respected. She was never afraid to share the opinion she had a right to have in front of people and she took a stand for what she believed in. Sitting at the dinner table with her would be the opportunity of a lifetime and I wish she was still here today to do so. An inspiration such as Truth would be an honor to meet and speak with about many things that she did in her life. She spoke out for women, she was a feminist, and she was a devoted abolitionist. A woman like her deserves to be treated equally among everyone else and with a lot of respect. She left her mark on the world and I hope that one day I can make an impact on society like Sojourner truth did.