Conceal, Don't Feel

When we discussed Sojourner Truth's statement on Tuesday, I thought is was interesting how the meaning was changed to be taken as fiction. This that this makes her argument any less true, but it does hurt the validity of what she is saying. Many times the want of what the author or orator wants their audience to take from their work is not what is actually taken. In this case, it was because of another person telling the audience how to absorb the work.

By having the audience view Truth's work in a fictional light, the meaning cannot be taken the way Truth wants it to be. The agency has changed. When Gage made the speech look as though it were a work of fiction, the ability for the speech to act diminished greatly. Fiction automatically means not true. By her speech not being true, an audience cannot take it as seriously if they knew it was true. Think of it this way: we have all seen at least one movie that is either inspired or based on a true story. I will use The Blind Side for example. Would the film have evoked as much pathos as it did if this tale were fictional? I do not believe so.

This was mainly done due to one gleaming fact: Sojourner Truth was a women. It did matter that she was black women, but the female part is a larger component. Women in the 19th Century had very few rights. Feminist writings were often not taken as actual work. Campbell said that the laws of the age often shaped the role of the woman in society based on social norms. Of these norms, a serious author was not one of them. Especially since no audience would be used to a black woman speaking out.

While Gage's actions did hurt the validity of this speech, it also helped it. By Gage's actions, the agency was changed, but it was so that the audience would read the piece of work. During this time period, feminine writings were not taken seriously if they were not fiction. This is why Emily Bronte's gothic novel, Wuthering Heights, did so well.

As for her race, Truth's African heritage did not do her any favors when writing. Heilbrun would agree with Gage's changing of the text for one reason: the "other." Heilbrun would say that the work would circulate better than the real version (speaking in Dutch) because it would better serve the binaries between race. This would end up creating a dramatic space and a dramatic identity.

This idea of people not taking writing by female authors seriously is still an issue. For instance, a woman by the name of Joanne would use the pen name Robert Galbraith so that her writing would sell better. She did have another pen name though, one we know very well: J.K. Rowling.

So due to the changing of the piece, whether it be fictional or factual, we can say that it can affect the message of the piece. Whether that be for better or worse is up to the reader.