So this is the second time that I have read this essay and I have to say that it is every bit as horrifying as I remember. Could anyone else understand half of the things she was attempting to say? Her sentences would go on forever...and then some. I honestly had to read each sentence at least three times in order to fully put it together. I forgot most of the things she said anyway by the end of the essay. This is for you Kunkle ;) just one more time when I get to rag on BLOODY MARY!
I just have to say that I really dislike this woman. She is everything that you wouldn't want to be. I may be off my rocker, which happens quite a bit due to the fact that I have ADHD and twitch spastically at times, but I am pretty sure that she was saying that women are dependent on men. Did anyone else get this hint? She spoke of women in such a terrible and degrading manner. It killed me to read this.
In the first paragraph she said, and I quote, "...woman are not allowed to have sufficient strenght of mind to acquire what really deserves the name of virtue." Excuse me? Where does this lady get off on saying such a thing? Who died and made her the Queen B? (B stands for something that I believe you all know but I am not allowed? to say if you catch my drift) I mean I agree with the idea that women can be somewhat difficult but to outright say that men are allowed to complain because of the follies and caprices of our sex is just plain disrespectful. Whose side are you on missy!?
And around page 10 she starts to talk about how woman was created from and for man. She gets into the story of Adam and Eve and blah blah blah. The bottom line is simple Mary. You are wrong when you say that woman was created to do man's pleasure. Women were made from a man's rib, not from his head to be superior, not from his feet to be walked on, but from his side to be equal. And thats all I have to say to you miss Wollstonecraft.
In the words of every woman/expressive man at some point in his or her life, I say, "You go, girl!"
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Emma. She wrote as if reciting the history of 'womanly weakness' would somehow prove that women should be equal. She stated, unless I misread her, that education constitutes the validity of the individual, that a man 'taught to be a man' would surpass a woman 'taught to be a woman,' if you catch my drift. If you don't catch my drift, I apologize.
Anyways, she just kept going and going, never trying to stray from the fact that women have been treated and regarded unfairly, which I believe is true, to the point where it sounded like she herself was ironically trying to reinforce it.
And on a somewhat irrelevant note, that was a clever analogy you spun at the end about 'rib to rib' and whatnot.
Aw, Emma, c'mon: it's time you acknowledge the brilliance of Mary W., the riot grrl of her day.
ReplyDeleteI think she's critiquing the power structure that forces women to be dependent on men (a particularly true condition in her day). I think Wollstonecraft's writing is a great example of the ways in which Discourses play into our understanding of a text, but I'm getting ahead of myself: we'll talk about that in a couple of weeks!
I disagree. I think the point that Mary was trying to make was that women were thought of as inferior to men at the time, more like children than adults. As if this weren't bad enough, women were too passive, just accepting this inferior role in society. I understand how you think that Mary is degrading to women. She sort of is, but this is her method of getting women to be more active in fighting for equality. I had to read the essay a couple of times to get it, too. The way she writes it does seem contradictory.
ReplyDeleteHeck yeah Emma. It's about time someone speaks up. I felt empowered reading your post. I do also agree with Sarah though. In the part where she says that she wrote the essay in order to get women to be more active in fighting for equality. Her article was clearly a cry to get women pissed off at their current situation and do something about it.
ReplyDeleteWell hearing people's opinions helped me make sense of what this woman was trying to say because i had absolutely no idea. Emma i love your last sentence because its so true!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping some girls would like it Brittany :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah. I think Mary wrote this article (more like a short novel) saying that women should fight harder for their rights. She wasn't really being degrading towards them.
ReplyDelete