What Is The Argument That Wollstonecraft Raises About Identity

these “female follies,” on men and argues, “From the tyranny of man, I firmly believe, the

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.

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.

Identity is difficult to obtain and even more so to keep, when it comes to knowing who we are it is often easy to attach ourselves to something bigger than ourselves, some call it God, some call it a sorority, some call it a street gang and sometimes that identity is not having one. Understanding who we are is a key to happiness, knowing where we fit in is an entirely different from who we are. Based on the readings, it’s very easy to see where these wildly different people fit in based on their histories, but who they are as people is unclear.

     Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms

Despite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their

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

Both women embarked on a search for equality. But, discrimination against Truth’s race deprives her of chivalry in the first place, isolating her experience from Wollstonecraft’s writing. Through her impassioned tone, Truth comments on the separation between the women’s rights movement when it involves white women versus black women, she argues the movement as Wollstonecraft recognises it as a fight against that which she already does not have the privilege to receive. Because, as a well-off white woman, Wollstonecraft reaps the respect and social status that follows her race and economic status, whereas Truth does not receive the same respect. She explicates: “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?” (Truth) The context of her statements represents similar content to Wollstonecraft's argument against chivalry, because she declares her rights as a human being to cement her own identity. Wollstonecraft’s critique against chivalry reveals the divide between the two women because it serves as a key construct for the definition of a woman in Wollstonecraft world, yet Truth never had the luxury to experience these social constructs, stemming from discrimination against her race. Where Wollstonecraft fights against the fact society forces her into chivalry, Truth fights against the fact she never obtained it. She must fight to define herself as a woman in a different manner: as worth the same dignity in her experience as

People should be entitled to their own identity since everybody if unique in so many ways. In the literature we have read during this course people and women specifically are defined. These can be metaphors used to describe the women or ho others view these women. Sometimes they do not define themselves and are defined by the people around them; based on their looks or stereotypes that may not represent who they are. Women are defined by others and themselves in many ways such as seen in, “Borders” by Thomas King, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Lysistrata by Aristophanes. These metaphors are not directly defining these women, but defining them by their power, identity, and intelligence.

Identity affects me as a reader of literature because I am female. Being female affects me as a reader because of the emotions I feel when reading things. One could feel the way I do when reading, but not all females feel the way I do about certain events in books, someone may not feel anything when they read literature.

Firstly, Wollstonecraft argues that women lack the worthy object that “sufficient serious employment” (The Rights of Men and The Rights of Woman, 194) furnishes. Accordingly, the premise of Vindication, suggests the duties of the female, are influenced by

Instead of focusing on the important of beauty and grace, women should defy those stereotypes. Also in order to begin to defy those stereotypes, Wollstonecraft states that women must stop being dependent and employed domestically. By making women free of the stereotypes and the domestic dependence, men and women will finally be equals, as they ought to be. Before describing the need for equality, Wollstonecraft admits that there are gender differences that are nature-based. She states that,

Different individuals possess their own values, physical attributes and morals. Furthermore, an individual views him or herself, the world and people contrastingly than others. One’s actions and behavior reflect one’s self. One can form his or her self-concept through life experiences and environmental factors such as geography and economy. Moreover, one can define identity as a process of learning. Charles Dickens’ and Sandra Cisneros’ coming of age novels reflect two similar genres and form similar themes. For instance, Great Expectations and The House on Mango Street reveal how one needs to develop his or her identity in order to reach fulfillment and satisfaction within his or her purpose and prevent a life of regret.

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.