Treatment Of Women In The 17th Century Essay

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The roles of women in society have changed throughout time, women weren’t always treated like they are now. Women’s rights go beyond the point of having the suitable right to being its own property, having an education, and also having freedom in this society. It is up to the woman to fight their own battles and be defined by their capacity and accomplishments, and be treated equally as men. Stories that show how women were portrayed during the 17th century, had a major impact on the women’s rights movement, some of the best pieces of british literature were published during this era. For example Mary Robinson published a small poem named “The Poor Singing Dame” during that time period, William Wordsworth also published a poem called “The Thorn” and another story that was published was called “The Vindication of the Rights” written by Mary Wollstonecraft. All these stories are examples that help us understand how women were being treated in the 17th century. Women’s rights …show more content…

They were treated this way because they did not have a way to defend themselves from others, and they had to be submissive to men. They did not have the education to properly have power to debate over their rights. In the poem “The Poor Singing Dame” Robinson writes, “For he hated that poverty should be cheerful, while care could the favorites of fortune molest; he sent his bold yeomen with threats to prevent her.” (Robinson 82) The lord puts the dame in prison because she does not pleasure him with the orders that he sends out. The king envies her because she is happy and simply does not mind being poor, while the king being rich and having the power lives a miserable unhappy life full of sadness and darkness. The dame dies after a certain time because she was not able to fight back for her rights and instead was put away like a prisoner for having the energy she had, even though she was poor she kept the attitude that showed in the

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