...The writings of Mary Wollstonecraft directly and indirectly explore the irony of the woman’s position in Wollstonecraft’s culture: the female figure is at once central and alienated. The following annotated bibliography features articles about the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft by Steven Blakemore, Maria J. Falco, Cindy L. Griffin, and Vivian Jones. Three of the four authors take a feminist approach: Falco provides a collection of feminist critiques of Wollstonecraft’s work; Griffin asserts that Wollstonecraft is the first author to write about an alienation from the perspective of women’s issues and rights; and Jones’s essay comments on the sexualizing of the historical narrative by Helen Maria Williams and Mary Wollstonecraft. Blakemore provides a different approach, examining Miltonic references in Vindications of the rights of woman. References (Blakemore S 1992 Rebellious reading: the doubleness of Wollstonecraft's subversion of Paradise Lost)Blakemore, S. (1992). Rebellious reading: the doubleness of Wollstonecraft's subversion of Paradise lost. Texas Studies in Literature and Language, 34, 451-80. Blakemore’s article is a close reading of the Miltonic references in Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the rights of woman. His argument centers on the proposition that during the revolutionary period writers attempted to subvert texts which “stressed the satanic dangers of epistemological curiosity” (p. 451). However, he feels that Wollstonecraft’s use of Milton rebounds...
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...Marry Wollstonecraft and Her Role in Activism Mary Wollstonecraft was a powerful thinker, philosopher, and women’s rights activist born in Spitalfields, London on 27 April 1759. According to Taylor, Mary Wollstonecraft made several accomplishments during her brief career including writing several novels, making treaties, travel narratives; conduct books, history of the French, and the children book (32). Besides her career, Mary Wollstonecraft is well recognized not only for the vindication of women’s rights but significantly advocated for the equal rights and opportunities for both men and women. In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft was quoted saying that women were not naturally inferior to men rather appeared to be because they had no education. The 18th century notion of women being less important part of the society deterred the “integration of their rights” into the human rights was unthinkable (Miriam 43). However, Mary Wollstonecraft argued that if a man was born free and entitled to every human dignity so should be the woman. The understanding of human rights and liberties became the core pillar of Mary Wollstonecraft in the vindication of equal education opportunities for men and women. Mary Wollstonecraft has been severally quoted by today’s human rights activists in the fight against gender based violence among other injustices in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, Mary Wollstonecraft’s vindications and vision for the women freedom has not been fully realized nearly two...
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...Should Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More be defined as feminists? Like any ideology, there is not a defining answer as to what feminism means. The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as the “advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex”. The term ‘feminist’ itself has been used in the United Kingdom since the 1880s but it’s philosophy had been dated back centuries before. Since then it’s meaning has evolved into different branches from radical feminism to liberal feminism for example, and is used on a political platform. It is fact that both Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More are examples of women who philosophised about women’s rights and their place in society. They both produced published works discussing women in society focused upon educational reform, and many have debated the extent to which they should be considered feminists. However, although their views contradicted each other, based on the modern day definition of feminism, both Wollstonecraft and More should be considered feminists for numerous reasons. Firstly, it is indisputable that Mary Wollstonecraft was a feminist and even as far to be considered as the “founder of western feminism”. In Wollstonecraft’s writings, a new female value is consciously introduced and effectively infused into a movement across the late eighteenth century. There are many books that focus on Wollstonecraft’s thought alone as they all depict the influences...
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...351 A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN DOCUMENT 20-5 MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT A Vindication of the Rights of Woman community. He currence of his 1792 importing' civil The French Constitution of 1791, drafted by the same National Assembly that passed the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," confined full citizenship to a limited number of property-holding men. While many Enlightenment ideals that underlay the Revolution had developed in salons overseen by upper-class women, prevailing thought held that women lacked the intellectual and emotional capacity to participate in politics. The English radical Mary Wollstonecraft disagreed. Her response was A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, written to French diplomat Charles Talleyrand, who had recently advocated a very limited and domestic education for women. Ilmunity, saving rred by the wife property in her s. rty of the comIr the establishence, until she nal property of ions and those :annot alienate My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if! treat them like rational creatures, consent. He is instead of flattering their fascinating graces, and viewing them as if they were in a state of perpetual childhood, unable to stand alone. I earnestly his wife, occa- wish to point out in what true dignity and human happiness consists - I wish to persuade women to endeavor to acquire strength, both of mind and body, and to convince heart, delicacy of sentiment, them that the...
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...Part I: One could argue that Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women was one of the earliest feminist philosophical works that set the standard for the feminist phenomenon we know today. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft states that it is indeed not a normal incidence that instated the variances between man and woman, but it is civilization and convention that introduced these differences. Furthermore, she positions herself to say that it is the way men are taught differently than women that causes contrasting principles and rifts between sexes. The following quote from A Vindication of the Rights of Women perfectly showcases my notions made in the previous sentence: “One cause of this barren blooming I attribute to a false system of education, gathered from the book written on this subject by men who, considering females rather as women than human creatures…” (152). In Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we are offered a somewhat accurate look into a post-Wollstonecraft world. The two Pride & Prejudice characters that best reflect Wollstonecraft’s feminist demarcations are Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham. As the film progresses, Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet sisters, becomes acquainted with Mr. Wickham and begins to display the very essence of what Wollstonecraft was trying to rebut in A Vindication of the Rights of Women. As Lydia’s infatuation with Mr. Wickham intensifies, she begins to act unsophisticated...
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...distorted by societal customs. Particularly, women in the nineteenth century seldom adopted the role, as writing remained as a man’s position. Rather, women more often entered the role of the wives or daughters of prominent male authors than authors themselves. The perspective of Mary Shelley’s position has been no different, as for much of history, she has been recognized primarily as the wife of Percy Shelley, a prominent Romantic writer (Spark). However, the works of Mary Shelley distinguish her as more than merely the wife of a famous author, but an established writer and activist herself. Mary Shelley was born the daughter of two prolific radicals: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin...
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...social sciences. John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft all believed that there...
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...Qendresa Krasniqi Essay Mary Wollstonecraft A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Epoka University 19 May 2014 Introduction: Mary Wollstonecraft on the book Vindication of the Rights of Women writes for or better say demands better education and right for women by arguing on some others author writings. This topic is very important especially for women, because in her book we can see how women were prejudiced and discriminated at a specific time frame chosen by the author. She calls out to all women to be interested in education, and she calls men not to feel superior and believe women to be inferior because according to her the only reason women were prejudiced was that men saw women as weak and fragile compared to them. Most importantly, she argues that woman should not have only a domestic education and by saying that upon receiving an education, women will become more powerful. Personally, I agree on all her ideas, because i believe in women equality, especially when it comes to education, and women must be seen in the same manner as men in the society. This paper will show Wollstonecraft’s main ideas that she used in her famous book dedicated to women rights. A short biography of Mary Wollstonecraft: A history making woman, “mother of feminism” Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27th 1759 in England, in a middle-class family with an alcoholic and abusive father, and was the second child out of seven. Failures of her father and illness of her mother made her...
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...A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION After considering the historic page, and viewing the living world with anxious solicitude, the most melancholy emotions of sorrowful indignation have depressed my spirits, and I have sighed when obliged to confess that either Nature has made a great difference between man and man, or that the civilization which has hitherto taken place in the world has been very partial. I have turned over various books written on the subject of education, and patiently observed the conduct of parents and the management of schools; but what has been the result?--a profound conviction that the neglected education of my fellow-creatures is the grand source of the misery I deplore, and that women, in particular, are rendered weak and wretched by a variety of concurring causes, originating from one hasty conclusion. The conduct and manners of women, in fact, evidently prove that their minds are not in a healthy state; for, like the flowers which are planted in too rich a soil, strength and usefulness are sacrificed to beauty; and the flaunting leaves, after having pleased a fastidious eye, fade, disregarded on the stalk, long before the season when they ought to have arrived at maturity. One cause of this barren blooming I attribute to a false system of education, gathered from the books written on this subject by men who, considering females rather as women than human creatures, have been more anxious to make them alluring...
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...strength. To answer her own question, she asks herself why “Georgiana, who had a spoiled temper, a very acrid spite, [and] a captious and insolent carriage” was...
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...education in both the past and the present. Liberalism requires members of society to develop liberal ideas such as individualism and independence amongst the likes of John Locke who wrote a book called ‘Some thought Concerning Education’ (1893) which emphasises the significance of early education in the home. “upbringing in the home is crucial for the development of good character” (May, 1997, p. 3). Rationalism is another imperative feature of the Age of Enlightenment as people used theory to make sense of human development along the likes of Rousseau. His book, ‘Emile’ is about the development of a young boy becoming a man using his ideas for child rearing. “education should be a response to the child’s curiosity and interest to natural world.” (May, p. 39-40, 2005) This theory was put into practice by Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi who was so impressed with his ideas that “he attempted to rear his child according to Rousseau’s principles” (May, 1997, p. 11). The Enlightenment implies equality necessary for females to be educated alongside men to allow for equal opportunity. In Wollstonecraft’s book ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’ (1792) she protests for women’s rights in society. May (1997, p. 8) points out that she “argued for the liberal principles of equality, freedom, and rationality for women”. There were both inequalities in sex and wealth as only the wealthy could afford education. Carpenter (2009, p. 2) outlines that “the rich have always had access to education”...
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...Marriage and Divorce and the Way They Impact Women There are a lot of factors that contribute to the reason why divorce has increased in the last twenty years. Some argue financial difficulty, serious illness, career failure, job loss, or even midlife crisis. Rarely does a person hear the possibility that it is because women have become more independent. A woman’s role in today’s marriage has changed drastically from the past. Women are evolving into being more independent outside the marriage. Women now have the same rights as men; therefore, they have more independence and impacts the way they view marriage and divorce. At the turn of the 20th century, if women found they were not happy in their marriage, they began to explore other options. Women decided that divorce was a viable option in order to get out of an unhappy marriage; consequently, the number of divorces grew. No matter how independent women have become, there is still inequality that puts men in front of women when divorce is involved. Women that choose divorce seem to suffer more financially because the workforce still pays men more than women in most careers. Women who opt for divorce and have children run a higher chance of poverty due to lower income compounded by the need to pay for childcare. In a situation where the husband’s income is relied upon, a no fault divorce can contribute to a woman’s struggle after divorce. Often after divorce women are poverty stricken. Men may be required to pay alimony...
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...Reading Between the Lines: An analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, using Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto as an example of male discourse about women Louise Othello Knudsen English Almen, 10th semester Master’s Thesis 31-07-2012 Tabel of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Historical Context .............................................................................................................................. 10 The View on Women and Their Expected Roles in the late 18th and 19th Century ....................... 11 - Mary Shelley disowns herself .................................................................................................. 11 - Mary Shelley’s Background .................................................................................................... 12 Women’s Role in Frankenstein ..................................................................................................... 13 Men’s Role in Frankenstein ........................................................................................................... 13 - Women in Society and Women as Writers .........................................................
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...What is Human Dignity? By Mette Lebech, Faculty of Philosophy, National University of Ireland, Maynooth The English expression ‘human dignity’ consists of the predicate ‘human’ and the noun ‘dignity’. The adjective qualifies the noun, thus determining the kind of dignity in question as the human kind. The adjective has a similar function in the expression ‘human being’: Here it qualifies the noun ‘being’, to determine the kind of being in question as a being of the human kind. ‘Human’ is etymologically related to the Latin for earth, humus, so that ‘human’ means what is ‘earthly’ (as an adjective), or an ‘earthling’ (as a substantive). Generally speaking it means what is proper to the kind that ‘we’ are, or to the species of rational animals, referring in particular to their kindness (humanity) and their fallibility (‘all too human’). ‘Dignity’ comes from the Latin noun decus, meaning ornament, distinction, honour, glory. Decet is the verbal form (which is impersonal), and is related to the Greek δοκειν − to seem or to show. The Latin participle form decens, -tis, has survived in the English language in the adjective ‘decent’. But dignity means, generally speaking, the standing of one entitled to respect, i.e. his or her status, and it refers to that which in a being (in particular a personal being) induces or ought to induce such respect: its excellence or incomparability of value. Paradoxically, dignitas translated the Greek αχιομα, when Latin was adapted so as to deal with...
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...All Animals Are Equal PETER SINGER In TOM REGAN & PETER SINGER (eds.), Animal Rights and Human Obligations. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1989, pp. 148-162 Available freely online at: http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/singer02.htm. In recent years a number of oppressed groups have campaigned vigorously for equality. The classic instance is the Black Liberation movement, which demands an end to the prejudice and discrimination that has made blacks second-class citizens. The immediate appeal of the black liberation movement and its initial, if limited, success made it a model for other oppressed groups to follow. We became familiar with liberation movements for Spanish-Americans, gay people, and a variety of other minorities. When a majority group— women—began their campaign, some thought we had come to the end of the road. Discrimination on the basis of sex, it has been said, is the last universally accepted form of discrimination, practiced without secrecy or pretense even in those liberal circles that have long prided themselves on their freedom from prejudice against racial minorities. One should always be wary of talking of "the last remaining form of discrimination." If we have learnt anything from the liberation movements, we should have learnt how difficult it is to be aware of latent prejudice in our attitudes to particular groups until this prejudice is forcefully pointed out. A liberation movement demands an expansion of our moral horizons and...
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