Question

Sojourner Truth by Joanna Evans

In 3 short sentences, describe what the audience knows that the characters do not. Then, explain how this knowledge most likely affects the audience's perception of the characters and their actions.

Answer 1

1. The audience knows Sojourner Truth’s past as an enslaved woman and that she will grow into a powerful abolitionist and women’s-rights speaker.
2. The audience knows the depth of her moral courage and rhetorical gifts even when other characters treat her as unremarkable or inferior.
3. The audience understands the historical forces and injustices shaping her future in ways the play’s contemporary characters do not.

Because the audience can see Sojourner’s future importance and inner strength, characters who dismiss, patronize, or underestimate her appear short-sighted, prejudiced, or cruel, which increases our sympathy for her and moral disapproval of them. That dramatic irony also heightens tension and emotional investment: we root for Sojourner’s vindication and feel the poignancy of each obstacle she must overcome, while admiring her dignity in the face of misunderstanding.