Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication On The Rights Of Women

There is a particular allure to literature that stems from the cultural connections interwoven within a particular text. In my opinion, it is the very nature of literature that is born from the cultural moment that makes a particular text worth reading. By exploring the ways in which authors function as cultural critics I hope to follow the different approaches to the term "cultural critic". To me, a cultural critic is not someone who necessarily critiques the culture-similar to the periodical papers-but rather someone who takes the important aspects of the culture and uses those moments as an influence in their writing. To begin, I want to begin exploring how Phillis Wheatley serves as a cultural critic in her poetry. Her poem "On Being

Indeed, Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication on the Rights of Women brings a conversation around the concept of womanhood and their place in society. Literature like Wollstonecraft's push the reader in a different way than Wheatley's. With lines like, "but if women are to be excluded, without having a voice, from a participation of the natural rights of mankind" she guides the reader through her critique of society. No longer leaving the work to the reader, Wollstonecraft makes clear arguments in defense of women's rights and their potential as human beings-in a society that clearly does not consider their opinions. Similar to her, Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France give a slightly different critique on society. Burke's view on the French Revolution offers a slightly different critique than Wollstonecraft's. The line "society is indeed a contract" suggests that Burke believes in the order of things, and while I do not agree with Burke's opinions he offers an important insight. Both of these authors allow the reader to explore the cultural atmosphere and push the reader to critique the status quo-even when they do so in contrasting

Elizabeth Barret Browning's poem "The Cry of the Children" is a poem that takes something like child exploitation and develops it into a beautifully written poem. My favorite lines are: "Do you question the young children in the sorrow, / Why their tears are falling so ?" Mainly, because I feel like this poem pushes the reader. Especially with the direct questioning and by addressing them as "you" she really forces the reader to question the role they play in this pain. This could not conclude with the inclusion of Frederick Douglass' "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave, Written by Himself". Importantly, because a cultural critic who has experienced the negative aspects of a culture and decides to comment on them is one of the most powerful authors at our disposal. When someone like Douglas chooses to write about their oppression they instantly become of the most important critics of their time. Indeed, with lines like "He deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit," he allows the reader into a part of the cultural atmosphere of the oppressed. These are the most important cultural critics because they can also enlighten the reader in such a way that would otherwise not