Rhetorical Analysis Of A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

The Vindication of the Rights of Woman postulates a revolutionary idea – certainly for the era in which it was published – that in the struggle for the rights and equality of man, one must also give such heed to the rights of women. Mary Wollstonecraft adheres to the fact that “the more specious slavery which chains the very soul of woman, keeping her forever under the bondage of ignorance” is the cornerstone of a system of female inequality during the eighteenth century. In this essay, I will focus on the statement:

Wollstonecraft transcended the notion that she is simply expressing grievances over the unjust treatment of women establishing herself as an articulate, intellectual thinker with innovative ideas and solutions for progressing society. Through voicing her opinions, Wollstonecraft created a small revolution for women’s rights that would encourage others to begin seeking equal treatment from the men of society.

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

She was a mother, a moral and political philosopher, a writer, and a feminist. Mary Wollstonecraft was the ideal image of what represented the push towards modern feminism. Some may even consider her as the founding mother of modern feminism itself. Much of Wollstonecraft’s literature is influenced by her own life experiences. In 1785, Wollstonecraft took on an employment opportunity as a governess. While spending most of her time there, she had a moment of epiphany where she realized that she was not suited for domestic work. Soon after, she returned to London and became a translator and wrote for a well-known publisher and discovered her love of writing. Eventually, years later she was then able to publish her most notable work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is still a very popular book which can be seen as a guide to becoming a better citizen and understanding feminism in a critical context. This essay will argue that Mary Wollstonecraft is still relevant to the feminist cause today as her views portrayed in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman are still relatable to many of the feminist issues that currently exist around the world. This essay will do so by comparing how her views in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman can still be used as guiding principles to tackle feminist matters.

When writing “A Vindication of the Rights of Men”, Wollstonecraft was a woman in a “man’s world”. Her voice was a lone female amongst the opinions and politics of men and she “went up against two of the

In Wollstonecraft’s work, she addresses the differences between men and women as being something that should be considered negligible, but instead is used to practically enslave one half of the population. The work details how women are akin to playthings when they lack an education, and that for her to truly be herself and practice her own free will, she must be knowledgeable. However, there are many different kinds of education, Wollstonecraft points out. Men received a formal education, consisting of a proper teaching of many subjects, while also aiding the young men in personal growth. Women, on the other hand, received a much less formal education. In their day to day lives, women observed, they leeched off

In response to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord 's 1791 report to the French National Assembly that had stated that the only education a woman should receive is one the domestic nature, Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In this piece she talks of women in a seemingly “abstract” way as she does not apply her reasonings to only British women or women of the 18th century. She says that women should also be educated so they can have opportunities to contribute in society. She tells of the fact that society will collapse without educated women as they have influence over young children as mothers.

Mary Wollstonecraft, was a well known feminist who made the famous book “ The Vindication Of The Rights Of Women”. In this book, Mary Wollstonecraft made some very good points and even related to the topic of women’s rights very well. She states “And if it be granted, that woman was not created merely to gratify the appetite of men, nor to be the upper servant, who provides his meals and takes care of his linen” She continues , switching the focus to women “ it must follow, that the first care of those mothers or fathers, who really attend to the education of females, should be, if not to strengthen the body, at least, not to destroy the constitution by mistaken notions of beauty and female excellence”. This quote reflects on how strong of a voice Mary Wollstonecraft was in an age when women most often did not have a voice.

The other criticism on women by Wollstonecraft is that women do not engage in reasoning and sense. She argues that women have a sense of pleasure that they neglect their duty. She also states that “beauty and fashion” destructs women from reasoning. This influence has a way of diminishing a marriage as equal partners. It further conflicts with educating their children properly.

She argued on the topic of women’s rights which was a very strong one to touch up on, at the time. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft claimed that all people had reason. Saying all people have reason, she meant for readers understand women had reason, meaning they should have equal rights to men. The book was her response to those who believed women should not have education. Wollstonecraft wanted to change the perspective of women being ornaments to society. A quote from Wollstonecraft’s book states, “[Women] were made to be loved, and must not aim at respect, lest they should be hunted out of society as masculine.” The quote from A Vindication of the Rights of Women tells about how women who try to gain some bit of respect or power in their male-dominated society receive harsh criticism. Women had a hard time in trying to gain justice for themselves. Wollstonecraft’s work informed others of the difficulties women had to face due to a theory or stereotype made by men.

Wollstonecraft shows us the possibility to decide whether women are too weak that they have to be guided by men, or they can fend for themselves, moreover, she does not want to say that women have to be

Wollstonecraft is not advocating for physical equality because in terms of nature, men are built in a more superior manner. However, one’s mind was not built to be superior or inferior depending on one’s sex. Wollstonecraft states that men have caused women’s minds to be, “rendered weak and wretched” due to the stereotypes that became embedded in minds and cultures for hundreds of years.

According to her statement, “For if it be allowed that women were destined by Providence to acquire human virtues, and by the exercise of their understandings, that stability of character which is the firmest ground to rest our future hopes upon, they must be permitted to turn to the fountain of light and, not forced to shape their course by the twinkling of a mere satellite (Wollstonecraft 21).” She believe that if women were able to achieve the same education as men then they would have equal opportunity as men. She also argues that women should make new image of themselves with self-respect through education. In fact, Wollstonecraft believes that women who are not given the equal amount of rights with men are not considered free. Wollstonecraft believes that a women “are either as moral beings, or so weak that they must be entirely subjected to the superior faculties of men (Wollstonecraft 27).” Within this statement, it shows that Wollstonecraft argues that women in this society should not be displayed as a dependent figure, but as an independent figure. In general Wollstonecraft believes that women should be givens the chance to achieve the same opportunities as men and promote the weak figure they are seen as.

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

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.