If I could use any one word to describe how I felt after reading this essay, it would be grateful. Well, I suppose confused would be another appropriate adjective. Actually, there are any number of words I could use to describe how I felt. Bored, surprisingly, was not one of them.
I have been dreading reading this essay since the day I printed it off. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I had a large enough attention span to successfully read through all twenty-some pages, especially after I had realized that the passage wasn't written in a language that I fully understood. What I mean by this is that the way Wollstonecraft writes is much different than the way today's authors write. Her vocabulary is quite advanced and the way she strings her words together is in a completely different style. In my opinion, it probably wouldn't have taken her 22 pages to get her point across. The piece was wordy and repetitive, but maybe that's how people wrote back then. I had to reread some of the paragraphs multiple times in order to fully understand the point she was trying to get across. On top of that, I had to look up countless words. The passage was an absolute beast to read, to say the least.
While the piece was so long-winded, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I was surprised at how poorly women during that era were treated. It makes me truly thankful to know how far women have come in the past few hundred years. Whilst reading it, I was overcome with feelings of genuine girl power. Mary was so convincing and strong with her points. If I were from her day in age, I'm not sure I would have the courage to be so assertive about women's suffrage (although I know for a fact I wouldn't be content with my position in society as a woman). Even though I would be lying if I said sexism isn't an issue in the present day, I can say with confidence that if Wollstonecraft could see what life is like for women today, she would be so very proud. Had a man from that day read the essay, he might have rolled his eyes in disgust. If a woman had read it, however, it may have opened her eyes up to the essential standard that was missing in her life: equality. It was determined women like Mary who carved the path for women's rights. Without them, we would still be living in a one-sided society where boys rule and girls..well, you get the picture. . .
You go girl.
Ok well the first time I commented didn't work so here it goes again. What I was saying was that I can't agree with you on this. I think Mary was extremely degrading to women. She may have been brave and outspoken for a women of her time but what she was saying was definitely not what I expected to hear. She said that women were apparently dependent on men and that we were created for man's pleasure. I can't say I was happy to read this essay but maybe I was just focusing on the negatives more so than the positives.
ReplyDeleteAll right-- a little disagreement! This is what the blogs are good for: bringing up discussion. This would be a fun discussion to have in class (well, maybe "fun" is a strong word, but interesting, at the very least).
ReplyDeleteI really liked your statement "If I were from her day in age, I'm not sure I would have the courage to be so assertive about women's suffrage (although I know for a fact I wouldn't be content with my position in society as a woman)," Jenna. Wollstonecraft's position in the society she was writing about is important to keep in mind when reading this (admittedly long) piece.
I agree. Mary Wollstonecraft was very smart. If it weren't for her and people like her, we may have had a lot more problems with equal rights and sexism today than we do. Like you, I am grateful that there were women like her back then. True, she was very brave. You bring up a good point about women having the courage to stand up for themselves back then. I would definitely have been scared.
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