Assignment: "NARRATIVE OF SOJOURNER TRUTH"
1. Citation/Source Instructions
• Read The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. This should be the only work consulted.
• Do not include outside research in this paper.
• A Works Cited/bibliography page is not needed.
• Use parenthetical citation of page numbers after direct quotes. Example: "You are neither watching nor praying," Sojourner rebuked the assembled group (66.)
• FYI: Sojourner's name was originally Isabella, so she is referred to as "Isabella" in the work.
• The book is a third person narrative ("she" instead of "I") because Sojourner was illiterate and a friend, Olive Gilbert, helped her write the history of her life.
2. Spelling/Grammar Expectations
• Points will be deducted for misspelled words.
• Points will be deducted for failure to adhere to the rules of grammar and proper sentence structure.
• It is essential to use spell and grammar check, such as is available in Microsoft Word.
• The paper should be written in past tense. For example, a sentence should read "Sojourner ran away" instead of "Sojourner runs away."
• It is crucial to proofread a paper before submission.
3. Format Instructions
• The paper must be word processed on a computer.
• A hard copy of the paper should be printed on a computer printer and handed to the instructor.
• A paper should only be emailed to the instructor in extenuating circumstances with instructor permission.
• Students are responsible and must plan ahead.
5. Definitions to Consider
Agency - The ability to act and make choices on one's own - For historians, this term is used to analyze how much power a person or group has over their own life choices. For example, historians measure how much personal agency slaves had, both in large life choices (such as marriage) and small ones (choosing a hairstyle.)
Marginalized - Historians use this term to discuss a person or group that is underprivileged and treated as inferior either socially, politically, or both.
Gender norms - This term indicates the relative status of and cultural customs for men and women in a particular time period. In most historical cases, women's social and legal privileges are far beneath those of men.
6. Paper Outline
• Significant points will be deducted for failure to follow this outline.
• While the paper must follow this outline, it should still be written in essay format, not as separate answer responses (such as in discussion responses.)
• The paper should be 5-6 pages long, double spaced, with 12-point font and one-inch margins on all sides.
Title: Sojourner Truth: Strong Despite Circumstances
Introduction: Briefly mention points to be made in the paper.
I. Sojourner as a Slave and Free Black
• How did Sojourner Truth demonstrate agency (see definition above) in her life while a slave?
• How did she demonstrate agency as a marginalized free black? (Freedom was, of course, a huge improvement, but free blacks were still socially and politically marginalized.)
II. Sojourner as a Woman
• How did Sojourner defy the gender norms of her time period throughout the work?
III. Sojourner as an Individual of Faith
• How did Sojourner's religion, especially prayer, help her through the dark days of her enslavement?
• How did her later work as a religious teacher enrich her life and provide opportunities she would never have had as a hardworking, poorly paid servant?
Conclusion
• What most impressed you about Sojourner's strength despite her circumstances?
• Briefly sum up the points of the paper.