Tuesday, September 13, 2016

9/13

Williams uses the story of Antoine du F-- to truly emphasize the power the aristocrats had at this time. The abuses he endures from his father, the Baron, grow greater through out the story and we are able to see Williams highlight their power and influence over not just their children, but the law and the church as well.

Williams outlines a small history in the beginning to show the normal behavior of the Baron using lines such as "ruled his feudals tenures with a rod of iron" (115) and description of the barons' beliefs that the poor "were only born for suffering; and he determined...not to deprive them of their natural inheritance"(115) to show us how abhorrent of a man he is. The Baron not only treat his family with such cruelty, but all whom he has power over. He views marriage as a "convention of interest, and children as a property...for parents to make the most in their power" (116). So now the audience knows what the Baron's intentions are at all times.

I believe that Williams also made sure the audience knew that Mons. de F-- and Mad Monique--C were married several different times under a Priest, a Curate of a Parish, and a Chaplain to show that the aristocracy had more power even than the church. It does not matter if you are married by in the eyes of the church, a nobleman can annul that as he sees fit. The Baron wants the marriage annulled so he can marry his son to someone that will increase the his power, for that is all the concern he has, even though there are children, or more heirs, available to him now, they are not good enough to advance the Baron's power.

The paragraph that shows Williams intentions the most was the beginning of Letter XX on page 129. "You, my dear friend, who have felt the tender attachment of love..." she reminds the audience of their own lives and loves then tell them that they can "judge the feelings of Mons. du F--.." I don't believe she is only referring to the letter he has received from his wife, or his feelings while he is imprisoned, she is calling for them to place themselves in the place of Mons. du F--. To feel what he is feeling, to experience what is like to be at the hands of someone who has complete power over you, even as a full grown man born of nobility. The Baron holds all of the power and uses it to get what he wants regardless of anyone else. Everyone is at the mercy of this brute as long as the aristocracy has this much power. She uses this story to get the audience to make an emotional connection to the Revolution.


1 comment:

  1. I'm really glad you brought up the marriages between Mons. de F-- and Monique--C! I thought using religion was a very powerful (and intelligent) move on William's part. She's very crafty in appealing to her audience(s), and this is further proof that's she's manipulating the text in favor of the Revolution and in opposition to the aristocracy. I also believe that this technique discredits William's own claim that she does not have the mental capacity to understand certain political topics; again, she could have been appealing to a certain audience, or it could have been sarcasm.

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