As evidenced in the quote from the book, ‘... women deserved to make their voices heard and, in so doing, create laws that would benefit and protect them,’ the right to vote not only women gave them a chance to make socio-political changes in the country that would empower them, but also gender equality (Dicker 54). Similarly, the second wave also fought for gender equality. The women were fighting against male supremacy that undermined the women’s contribution to the socio-political front. Dicker quotes, ‘... It was and is the conditions women face, its male supremacy we want to change... ... middle of paper ... ...ork places, and in other legal settings.
She attempts to make cases for the two sexes to not be as fundamentally different as other philosophers and societal practices would have you believe. At the time that she wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”, there was an incredibly prevalent notion that men were born to be naturally stronger, smarter, and greater providers in society while women were born to be more innocent and beautiful being whose role was as the attractive companion of a man and serving his needs. While it is clear from Wollstonecraft’s writings that most of society is conspiring to keep women down, she points out that the women are not actively seeking to improve their situation either. She indicates that many women are willing to sacrifice their health, happiness and virtue for the life that they can be given with little exertion. That is, they submit to the pressure on them to make themselves seem weak and appeal to the desires of men in order to reap the benefits of the life that is given to
Murray emphasizes on the fact that society has shaped the role of women, and the only way to prove that women have equal minds is to give women the right to an education; also challenging the question of men being superior to women in several ways. Although the wording and minor issues differ, the theme of equality i... ... middle of paper ... ...eves that all people can benefit from equality of the sexes. By her own commitment to bettering the education of women and by reevaluating past women's history, Murray helped to usher in a "new era in female history." Works Cited Murray, Judith Sargent. "Desultory Thoughts upon the Utility of Encouraging Degree of Self- Complacency, Especially in Female Bosoms."
However, Wollstonecraft aims to shatter that ideology in which she explains that women, even though they are physically weaker than men, have the same natural rights as men. She emphasizes that women were placed here on Earth to explore their full potential, and Wollstonecraft hopes to encourage women to become more educated to enable their own free will. It is significant to consider the time in which Wollstonecraft wrote "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" as well. It was written during the period of the American and French revolutions, which both revolutions were established under the ideology of freedom. Specifically, the American Revolution strongly professed the ideals of liberalism, republicanism, and that all men are created equal.
Thus the text analysis will give instances where the portrayal of women is a reflection of the modern society which will be researched from a feminist point of view. To sum up, feminism plays an important role to uphold women’s right, and their status in a society. Furthermore, it is use to bid for human equality based on gender context. We can conclude that women now have the chance to decide on their
The more radical of the two texts is, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft because it shows the need for education, revolution in female manners, and the problem with sensibility. In “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” Wollstonecraft shows her passion for the education reform. Mary saw the need for co-education. She believed that boys and girls would improve if they could work together. Having girls in the class wouldn’t hurt the performance Wollstonecraft thought.
In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft argues that men and women are born with the same ability to reason. Therefore, men and woman should equally be able to exercise reason and attain knowledge. And conclusively, educated women would ultimately improve society; they would become better wives and mothers (72, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman). She argues that the current education system (i.e. Rousseau’s ideas of women education) restricts women and subjects them into passivity.
Also, by changing the mentality of the guardians we can promote the rate of female education. Lastly i can hope that, women will reach to their destination by crossing all
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 openly called out fellow philosopher and novelist of the time, Jean-Jacques Rousseau on his negative views of women and their role in society. Although against common beliefs of the time, Wollstonecraft boldly stated her opinions on a woman’s ability to think rationally and formulate ideas as well as any man. First of all, it is not difficult to decipher Wollstonecraft’s feelings about Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Men have always been deemed superior to women, whether it be physical or intellectual. When Wollstonecraft says, “…I presume that rational men will excuse me for endeavoring to persuade them [women] to become more masculine and respectable.”(lines 1.81-83) she tells her fellow women to fight for equality, while flattering the opposite sex. Her statement tells women that in order to get what they want [equality] they must change their ways and habits. Its sort of like–If you can’t beat them, join them. There is just one thing holding women from their full potential–men.