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Mary wollstonecraft a vindication of the rights of women author's introduction
Mary wollstonecraft a vindication of the rights of women author's introduction
Mary wollstonecraft and female oppression
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This is so because her need to shield her mother from him made her stronger in her belief against the bondage of marriage. It also made her realize that men are not supposed to be the dominate sex, but that male and female are equal. She shows this belief in her many published writings. Mary Wollstonecraft had two main “helpers” in her adulthood. These were her younger sister, Eliza Wollstonecraft, and her best friend, Fanny Blood.
In her document she claims that, “Women must be allowed to found their virtue on knowledge, which is scarcely possible unless they be educated by the same pursuits as men”(Wollstonecraft, On National Education). Wollstonecraft dynamically argued that if women had the right to study, they’d be able to prove they aren’t inferior by ignorance and low desires. Despite the fact that these four philosophers had contrasting ideas on how to enhance daily life, they all concentrated the same central idea. They each contributed something unique to their society, which has influenced our daily
Ms Wollstonecraft declared that women shouldn’t be viewed as objects or the property of society to be married off, she stated that women are human too and are entitled to the same basic rights as men. Mary was determined to evoke equality amongst both sexes, in all areas. Wollstonecraft didn’t want women to have power over men but power over
Despite education for women being an emotional and personal topic for Wollstonecraft, she balances her writing with reason (Volkova 896). She provides details and logic that back up her statements. She gives relatable examples and alarming possible outcomes. One of Wollstonecraft’s point is that, women are dependent on men because of the way society views marriage. Women from before based their survival on the approval on men, instead of furthering on their educational needs (Poonacha 427).
Throughout time women, were considered much less when compared to men. While reading “The Poor Singing Dame” by Mary Darby Robinson and “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” by Mary Wollstonecraft, the reader can get a glimpse of the mistreatment that women constantly faced for several centuries. From these passages, one can assume that women were considered more like objects and were not able to voice their opinions towards any matter. Women, in these stories, dealt with inequality and had to bear with the fact that all men were granted constitutional advantages above all women. Women, in general, came across and suffered from multiple obstacles to be where they are today.
Out of all the readings from weeks 6-10, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the Rights of Women spoke to me the most. Specifically, I found chapter 6 very insightful. I interpreted the chapter to focus mainly on Wollstonecraft’s observance that women view love as a duty because that mindset is embedded in them, therefore, the way women act with regard to dealing with men is simply all they know. She goes on to make many valid points as to why providing women with a better education could lead to a solution. To further analyze the theme of chapter 6, I will be elaborating on this quote: “…till women are led to exercise their understandings, they should not be satirized for their attachment to rakes: or even for being rakes at heart, when it appears to be the inevitable consequence of their education.”
Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was her response to educational theorists during the 18th century who believed women should not receive an education. Wollstonecraft fights back by stating that women deserve to have an education that corresponds to their unarguably high position in society: women are essential because they educate the youth and act as companions for their husbands. Women hold such an important role, they should not be treated as arm candy or property that can be bartered. Wollstonecraft was ahead of her time, yet opened the doors for many other female writers to take up her torch in the fight for equal rights. Authors such as Jane Austen in her work Pride and Prejudice portrayed her female characters
In the book of vindication of the right of a woman, Wollstonecraft brings out clearly the roles of a woman in her society and how it has led to oppression of women (Wollstonecraft 22). Wollstonecraft believes that men and women are equal given the same environment and empowerment, women can do anything a man can do. In her society, education for women is only aimed at making her look pleasing to men. Women are treated as inferior being and used by men as sex objects. Wollstonecraft believed that the quality of mind of women is the same with that of men, and therefore women should not be denied a chance for formal education that will empower them to be equal with men.
Women should perform to our full capacity of excelling in education just like men if not better, not for the acknowledgement of others but for ourselves. Most women in the late 17th century and early 18th century were oblivious to the importance of education. Education was viewed in the same capacity as an extracurricular activity. If you were educated, you were mocked and ostracized, and not valued or acknowledged for your years of study and the knowledge that you gained. You were looked at as a know- it- all, or someone who was trying to compete with men and not viewed as just being equally as smart and educated.
The amount of progress that the cause of human rights has seen since the Victorian era is massive. Before women used to be considered property to the dominant male in their lives, whether that be their husband or their father. Women's education focused mainly on tasks that women would do, such as sewing and cooking. “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” written by Mary Wollstonecraft supports women’s rights and teaches women of other skills instead of the housewife skills being taught at that time. However, women weren't the only ones being mistreated.
When speaking about the early beginnings of what society has dubbed as the feminist movement, a myriad of names are mentioned in this reflection towards equality. One in particular that helped shape the minds of those in Europe within the late eighteenth century is none other than Mary Wollstonecraft. Her early upbringing paired with a struggling early adulthood implored Wollstonecraft to make the argument that both men and women are born with the same brain, but with nurturing, men come out as being seen as smarter and more capable due to their advantages in this child rearing. This argument is highlighted in her piece A Vindication of the Rights of Woman where she spends time arguing the advantages men are given within society due to their
Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the rights of women written in 1792 can be considered one of the first feminist documents, although the term appeared much later in history. In this essay, Wollstonecraft debates the role of women and their education. Having read different thinkers of the Enlightenment, as Milton, Lord Bacon, Rousseau, John Gregory and others, she finds their points of view interesting and at the same time contrary to values of the Enlightenment when they deal with women’s place. Mary Wollstonecraft uses the ideas of the Enlightenment to demand equal education for men and women. I will mention how ideals of the Enlightenment are used in favor of men but not of women and explain how Wollstonecraft support her “vindication” of the rights of women using those contradictions.
Mary Wollstoneraft’s partly autobiographical novel Mary, A Fiction, shows how a talented young woman learns to think and act for herself. Her first heroine, Mary, is an outspoken and autonomous woman, rather than the typical accommodating, soft and domesticated woman of her period. Wollstonecraft undoubtedly refuses to follow models of female characters or narratives of the time (romantic or sentimental fiction). This is clearly shown in the prefatory advertisement to Mary, A Fiction, where she anticipates that she will “develop a character different from those generally portrayed. This woman is neither a Clarissa, a Lady G-, nor a Sophie” (Wollstonecraft, 1788: 4).
Throughout this text, Wollstonecraft discusses how close-minded society was about women and equality. She describes society as being under the impression that women and men were two different animals. Society also believed that men were free and logical thinkers that could rule and change society while women were seen as pretty objects that could bear children. Wollstonecraft’s feminist view discusses that the problem was not only men inhibiting women, but women themselves were also not pushing against the ideology that men were superior. She continues to explain her new feminist ideology that discusses changes in society that would create equality.
Mary Wollstonecraft and Henrik Ibsen have many similarities and differences on femininity. Although Wollstonecraft and Ibsen agree on many points, they agree on three considerable main ideas, using beauty as power, gender roles, and education. Both Wollstonecraft and Ibsen critique using beauty as power. For example, women must stop using “the arbitrary power of beauty” (Wollstonecraft 593).Women need to prove that women can reason like men. We are all human and we capable of having the same thoughts.
