A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman - 1454 Words

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Summary and Analysis of Chapter I: The Rights and Involved Duties of Mankind Considered In reading Wollstonecraft’s essay â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,† I am drawn by the evidence that she provides to support her claim that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Her essay is one that discusses overcoming the ways in which women in her time (18th century) are oppressed and denied their potential; which naturally presents a problem in their household as well as society. The essay is one of the first works of feminist philosophy. The title alone suggests that women have been oppressed, doubted, denied and criticized for a period of time and should be exonerated. In the first†¦show more content†¦Men and women are born with the ability to reason. Reason is supposed to help us overcome our prejudices by looking at things more objectively. Wollstonecraft addresses this in saying, â€Å"Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify prejudices, which they have imbibed, they cannot trace how, rather than to roo t them out. The mind must be strong that resolutely forms its own principles; for a kind of intellectual cowardice prevails which makes many men shrink from the task, or only do it by halves. Yet the imperfect conclusions thus drawn, are frequently very plausible, because they are built on partial experience, on just, though narrow, view†. Unfortunately, most men use reason to justify prejudices instead of overcoming them. Passion was also instilled in us so that men might grapple with them and attain experience and knowledge. Wollstonecraft continues to pose to more questions as they relate to virtue and experience. She asks, â€Å"What acquirement exalts one being above another and For what purpose were passions implanted?† She writes that perfection of our nature and capability of happiness, must be estimated by the degree of reason, virtue, and knowledge, that distinguish the individual, and direct the laws which bind society and that from the exercise of reason, k nowledge and virtue naturally flow, is equally undeniable, if mankind be viewed collectively. In saying this, Wollstonecraft is stating the simple truth that men and women wereShow MoreRelatedA Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman Essay2259 Words   |  10 Pageslater 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 currentlyRead MoreA Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman941 Words   |  4 Pagestowards equality between women and men; there is no tearing down of the opposite sex, there is no goal for women to be seen as greater than men, there is no hidden agenda — the goal is simply equality. In Mary Wollstonecraft’s essay â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,† she argues the feminist message that women should have access to the same education that men have been granted. While women and men have been given the same educational opportunities today, there are points Wollstonecraft addressesRead MoreA Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman Essay1094 Words   |  5 Pagesarose 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 aspectsRead MoreAn Essay on A Vindication of the Rights of Woman878 Words   |  4 PagesAfter reading from the excerpts of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman I have concluded that the situations of women, as far as rights are concerned, have indeed improved vastly. However, even though their situation has been amended and they are now afforded the same equal rights as men, not all women take advantage of these rights. A fraction of women still care more about their own physical beauty, appearance, and the prospect of finding a husband than anything else. Furthermore even, some ofRead More Life of a Sensuous Woman and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman1852 Words   |  8 PagesIhara Saikaku’s Life of a Sensuous Woman written in the 17th century and Mary Woolstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman written in the 18th century are powerful literary works that advocated feminism during the time when women were oppressed members of our societies. These two works have a century old age di fference and the authors of both works have made a distinctive attempt to shed a light towards the issues that nobody considered significant during that time. Despite these differencesRead MoreA Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman By Mary Wollstonecraft1526 Words   |  7 Pagesand shamed by the citizens of their society and seen as outcasts and treated as such, having little to no equal rights. Historically, women weren’t seen as equal partners when it came to their male counter parts. In fact, they weren’t seen as an actual person at all. Only as an object that was to be possessed by the men of society. In chapter twelve of A Vindication of The Rights of Woman, by Mary Wollstonecraft, she speaks a great deal on national education and how important it is in shaping one’sRead MoreA Vindication of the Rights of Woman: â€Å"Author’s Introduction†871 Words   |  4 PagesEducation is the key to achievement and paves the way to success. In the â€Å"Author’s Introduction† of her 1792 treatise, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft states that the education of women has been â€Å"neglected† and the instruction they receive is â€Å"a false system of education† focused on trivial matters. Because women have not been given educational opportunities on a par with men, she laments that women are viewed as inferior and â€Å"a frivolous sex† who can only rise in theRead More The Influence of The History of Rasselas on A Vindication of the Rights of Woman2181 Words   |  9 PagesThe Influence of The History of Rasselas on A Vindication of the Rights of Woman  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   A surprising commonality found between Johnsons The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia and Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is their shared views on womens issues. This commonality is surprising since the two authors had different political viewpoints. While Johnson was a conservative Tory, Wollstonecraft was a social nonconformist and feminist. Although Wollstonecraft andRead MoreMary Wollstonecraft s A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman1090 Words   |  5 Pagespassionate, bold Mary Wollstonecraft who caused a sensation by writing A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (FEE). Wollstonecraft is known for her astonishing tone and serving the basis for equal rights on the behalf of women. Through writing she formed an active power of speech with the mindset of knowing she would succeed in this fight of equality. Mary was not only a woman s rights activist, but emphasized the essential rights of all people. Especially those whom she believed were targe ts of a worldRead More A Vindication of the Right of Women and Woman in the Nineteenth Century1387 Words   |  6 PagesEducation of Women in A Vindication of the Right of Women and Woman in the Nineteenth Century      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In two centuries where women have very little or no rights at all, Mary Wollstonecraft and Margaret Fuller appear as claiming voices, as two followers of feminism. Two women separated by a century but united by the same ideals. In these male- dominated societies, these two educated women tried to vindicate their rights through one of the few areas where they could show their intelligence: literature