MLA Review Essay

The eighteenth century brought about a great deal of change and a new-found interest in science and reason. Because of this, many great inventions, ideas and innovative theorists arose from this time period. Among them was a forward-thinking essayist by the name of Mary Wollstonecraft. In her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft preaches her belief that the oppression of women is largely due to lack of female education. Although the term "feminism" wasn’t coined until decades later, Wollstonecraft paved the way for future women’s rights movements by advocating equality in education for women. She believed men and women should be equal in the very basic aspects of life, such as in loyalty in marriage. Wollstonecraft

states, “I may be accused of arrogance; still I must declare firmly what I believe that all the writers who have written on the subject of female education and manners from Rousseau to Dr.Gregory have contributed to render women more artificial, weak characters than they would have other wise been; and consequently more useless members of society” (22). Wollstonecraft believed that men who advocated for the trivial education that women received, if they received any education at all, did not even adequately prepare them for the one role that they were allowed, that of a wife.

The length of the research paper must be no less than 1,500-words and no more than 2,500-words. The 2,500-word limit does not apply to notes or to the annotated bibliography. In-text citations are required. If your sources are not acknowledged, your paper will receive a zero and will be required to be rewritten for a lower grade because this is considered plagiarism. No more than five quotations are allowed in your paper.

From obiendience to the father, to not subordinated to the husband, women are constantly chained with oppression. Rousseau stresses that feelings and passions are directed to the women, and that wit and rationale are for the men. Wollstonecraft, on the other hand, tries to bring together passion and rationale, rather than separating them and dividing one for women and one for men. Instead of trying to imply that women deserve the opportunity to take on the “man's roles,” Wollstonecraft tries to prove that by combinding both traits will better society as a whole. She provides a solution for men to, “generously snap our chains, and be content with rational fellowship instead of slavish obedience, they would find us more obervant daughters, more affectionate sisters, more faithful wives, more senseable mothers- in a word, better citizens” (Wollstoncraft, The Enlightenment Reader, Page 628). Wollstoncraft agrees with Rousseau's ideals of women needing to be good mothers and respectable wives, but she adds that men also need to take up more responsibilities in the household. She continues support the notion that men too need to be good fathers and decent husbands that meet an intellectual partnership with their wives; furthermore, both species can discuss rational thoughts as indistinguishable citizens in the household. It is only when there is gender symmetry in the

In introduction, Mary Wollstonecraft wastes no time to illustrate and sadness and disappointment with their education system and their educators. Wollstonecraft believes that men see women as wives and mistresses and not “human creatures” and that the government observes the female as inferior to male. To Wollstonecraft, the instruction of women to be beautiful and yielding to men in search for marriage leaves their minds and usefulness sacrificed. Wollstonecraft’s writings are a clear and direct cry to women to have and explore their desires as well as curiosity, and in that regards, intelligence and human character. Wollstonecraft contends that a more educated woman would bring about a happier husband, child, and society. A quote that summarizes

“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves” (Wollstonecraft, 1995). Women were expected to be passive, Wollstonecraft believed women should have the right to be independent. In

The mind should be allowed to form its own opinions and steer clear of a narrow mind. Wollstonecraft also made her case for the rights of women by discussing how women of her time were “always a slave” to man (5). If men had a good reason for treating women like slaves, Wollstonecraft maintains she wouldn't argue with this inequality. But the fact is that men oppressed women without giving any logical reason why. In the end, they just act like bullies and

Mary Wollstonecraft’s, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, seems to have been written as her liberal philosophical way to advocate on behalf of women’s rights regarding their political, social, and economical equality to men, with a focus on the education of women and their independence. It seems that Wollstonecraft would overstate certain issues or repeated herself constantly as a way to get her point across on the issues that she felt most passionate about. In paragraph #3, Wollstonecraft, gave a Godly based example by showing that the evils of that current time frame would result in a positive effect in the future by people pulling together to simply do what it took to overcome the current struggles of that era in a positive way. This would than result in knowledge through virtue. “There is a homely proverb, which speaks a shrewd truth, that whoever the devil finds idle he will employ.

Wollstonecraft does not condemn the idea of marriage directly, instead condemning the idea men have of marriage. Wollstonecraft writes about how men view themselves different than they view

Mary Wollstonecraft, who was born during the age of enlightenment in the 18th century, is one of the most prominent feminists in women’s history. Her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman led her to become one of the first feminists, advocating for the rights of women. Born in a time where women’s education was neither prominent nor important, Wollstonecraft was raised with very little education. However, events in her life influenced her to begin writing, such as the way her father, Edward John Wollstonecraft treated her mother, “into a state of wearied servitude” (Kries,Steven)1. In 1792, she published Vindication on the Rights of Woman, which is one of the most prominent feminist pieces to date. This book is considered a reply to

Wollstonecraft compares woman to slaves on several occasions in “A Vindication of the Rights of Women.” She emphasized that women did not have human rights and were not even looked upon as human. One first reads this comparison when she describes how women listened to sweet phrases, “which the men condescendingly use to soften our slavish dependence” (Wollstonecraft 1506). Stressing that women were only taught to be desirable wives at all cost and cater to whatever their husband’s wished of them. The only way woman could rise in society was through marriage, which she states that “this desire making mere animals of them” (Wollstonecraft 1507). It is obvious that she felt that women had no real rights except to be mothers and wives. In regards

In the late eighteenth century in the midwest, women who were single had very little protection under the law whereas married women lost their legal identity altogether. Retaining a lawyer, owning property, signing a contract, voting, and having rights over their children were all out of the picture for women. Mary Wollstonecraft, born in London on April 27, 1759, is said to be the founding mother of feminism. Her work, A Vindication of Rights of Woman in 1792, is said to be the first great piece of feminism literature. Her work promoted individualistic ideas, focusing on the restriction of political power. Wollstonecraft’s biggest concern was women’s rights and status against the claims of society and law. Mary was suspicious of marriage

In Mary Wollstonecraft’s and Jane Austen’s stories, they have different views but they focus on the same topic which is, women should be treated equally as men are treated. One difference they have is the way they believe how marriage is how should work. “I have often known young married women write in a way I did not like, in that respect” (915). This is an example of how women don’t necessarily have to be married to be happy. On the other hand, Wollstonecraft sees that women should be treated equally no matter who the man is. “The education of women has of late been more attended to than formally; yet they are still reckoned to frivolous sex” (917). This is an example of how women are just used for property and other benefits rather than

Mary Wollstonecraft’s, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, is another example in which an Enlightenment author exhibits their opinion on the education and purpose of women. Contradictory to Rousseau’s writing, Wollstonecraft believed that women have a greater purpose than to serve man, and that is to be independent and care for others while they also care for themselves. She stated that unlike in Emile, women should be seen as and act independently and take care of themselves. She believed that women are not on this Earth for the purpose of serving men, and that they can stray away from these duties if they wish. Education wise, Wollstonecraft believed that a woman should not be limited to caring for their families, but may choose to pursue a higher learning, such as nursing and healing. But, she also said that caring for their children and husbands is not to be seen as a lesser job that women take part in, and that it is to be respected. Although Wollstonecraft incorporated some

Wollstonecraft’s early life was, by modern standards, quite miserable. She was born as the second child on April 27, 1759 into a relatively poor family, and her father was an abusive alcoholic who often beat her mother. Her mother favored her older brother Edward over her- Wollstonecraft was never praised for anything that she did, even though she often protected her mother from her father’s attacks. These blatant injustices helped her to learn from an early age to be independent and to not depend on anyone, and this want for independence would follow her into adulthood (Ferguson and Todd 1). After seeing her mother’s unhappy state, she began to hate that marriage was unequal and unbalanced in power, which led her to avoid marriage until she was 38. Most of the male figures in her early life were unreliable and unjust, and she realized that she would have to rely on herself.