A Vindication of the Rights of Women

What just happened? I really got lost while reading this very intricate opinionated piece written by Mary Wollstonecraft. I had to read each sentence very carefully and usually re-read certain parts. This was by far the most confusing of all the essays we have had to read. Don't get me wrong Mary Wollstonecraft is a brilliant writer, but at points throughout this reading it got a little repetitive and rant-like. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks that, but I hope there are others who feel the same way. It might just be because I simply can't wrap my mind around some of the concepts Wollstonecraft writes about. It can get a little "feminist-like" at times, but I completely understand why. This was back in an era (Mary Wollstonecraft lived from 1759-1797) where females were barely treated like human beings, yet alone free individuals. MW's voice is strong throughout the entire essay. She is so upset she is walking right on the borderline of madness, but she has every right to do so.

With lines like, "If then women are not a swarm of ephemeron triflers, why should they be kept in ignorance under the specious name of innocence?" and "Women are, therefore, to be considered either as moral beings, or so weak that they must be entirely subjected to the superior faculties of men." I am in awe of the intense writing style MW writes with. With each new idea MW becomes even more intense and more passionate about how women are not being treated fairly. I thought it was interesting how MW brought up how women are looked at as less important and one of the main reasons she brought up was because of their education. They didn't use to receive the same educational privileges as men did and that was one of the main reasons they were scowled upon by the men of society.

I think MW would be quite pleased with the progress that women have made in wealthy, powerful countries like The United States, England, and most of Europe. Women are really taking initiative and have jobs that even twenty years ago were not considered "jobs for women". Women make up roughly half of the students in universities whereas fifty years ago that wasn't the norm at all. Unfortunately, third world countries along with Middle Eastern nations have not given the same freedom to women that men currently have. One can only hope that with time all women, no matter what their background, can explore the world in whatever way she chooses.