After reading the excerpt of “A Vindication
of the Rights of Woman” I was extremely impressed by Mary Wollstonecraft’s
style of writing, tone and the ability to effectively communicate her ideas.
Most political writings are not as entertaining as hers was because they have
an emphasis on boring details and can be vague. “A Vindication” was not vague
but was straight to the point and inspiring. My absolute favorite part was when
Wollstonecraft said “My own sex, I hope, will excuse me if I treat them like
rational creatures, instead of flattering their fascinating graces and viewing
them as if they were in a state of perpetual childhood” (p. 103). Not only was
her sarcasm highly entertaining but also she made a valid point about the
treatment of women as children. In that time period girls belonged to their
fathers and were then transferred over to the guardianship of their husbands,
never truly being able to make their own decisions or have any independence as
adults. This witty quote shows Wollstonecraft as an effective communicator and a
radical thinker for her time. She acknowledges the fact that the stereotype of
women is that all they care about is being acknowledged for their physical
appearances when in actuality women have way more to offer in terms of
intelligence and work skills. I also appreciated her emphasis on women as “rational
thinkers” instead of being sex objects with only the purpose to please and
allure men; her explanation of pity and weakness (p. 104) really put emphasis on
the fact that a man loving a woman because she is weak and frail will lead to
her becoming an “object of contempt”. As sad is this is, this is true, in real
life application I have seen women that are too codependent on their husbands
and they end up resenting them. I felt that “A Vindication of the Rights of
Woman” was not only profound but also timeless and relevant.
Black, Joseph. The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Pr, 2010. Print.
For some reason "a state of perpetual childhood" was my favorite description too; I thought it was interesting that she went on to also describe men as "often only overgrown children".
ReplyDeleteWhen she talks about the wife being too codependent on the husband, I think she goes even further with that when she says that when the husband ceases to be charmed by her she will look to please other men (pg 111) because she cannot find satisfaction within herself. This ties in with her broader theme of women's education, as she believes that cultivating the mind would allow wives to be content even if their husband is not interested in them anymore, which would eliminate the flightiness and flirtatiousness that were thought to be characteristics of women.
Notwithstanding its age and wholly different context, Vindications' thesis is so universal it can easily be applied to every other culture/era as it pertains to womankind. The foundation of every wave/form of Feminism can be summed up by the statement, "women are people too", and here, Wollstonecraft articulates that to great effect. Although some remarks might best be forgotten (her prejudice against Islam, her belief that woman are biologically "weaker" than men), the core of Vindications is startlingly applicable not just to other times, but to ours as well. The infantilization of women, their dependence on men, and their status as "sub-men" (owing in part to the Genesis story) are issues that are just as relevant today. Vindications is proof enough, I think, that the "othering" of women is systemic throughout time and culture.
ReplyDeleteAndrea (and responders), I completely agree about the problematic nature of infantilizing women. We just saw this happen so obviously with the character of Geraldine. The "cult of Geraldine" really forms around the idea that she is pathetic and sad, and she is romanticized for these characteristics. Wollstonecraft's fearlessness in calling out men on their fetish for weepy women is both witty and intelligent. I also enjoyed her push for women to be allowed masculine qualities as a solution to women being (as Max/Genisis puts it) "sub-men":
ReplyDelete"I do earnestly wish to see the distinction of sex confounded in society."