Why Not Women

Writer, Mary Wollstonecraft, in her book, Vindication of the Rights of Women suggests that women rights should be changed for the better. The purpose of Wollstonecraft is to persuade people for women to have higher education and authority. She adopts denigrating tone in order to emphasize her opinion on the gender trivialization in her adult readers. She utilizes the rhetorical strategies and word choices to communicate the idea that gender discrimination should be stopped.  

To begin with, the author questions about receiving unfair education between men and women. She opens her book by analyzing the tradition and society at that time about the discrimination. The author mentions the quote about the bias toward women’s rights and authority. “Women are told from their infancy, and taught by the example of their mothers, that a little knowledge of human weakness, justly termed cunning, softness of temper, outward obedience, and a scrupulous attention to a puerile kind of propriety, will obtain for them the protection of man; and should they be beautiful, everything else is needless, for at least twenty years of their lives” (Wollstonecraft, 19). It discloses the fact that women’s positions were ultimately lower than men. During the 18th century to the 19th century, women’s rights were relatively lower than men’s rights in many different situations such as education. Through the use of rhetorical strategies: ethos, pathos, and logos, the author reveals the discrimination of women’s rights to education. For instance, she appeals that women also need equal quality of education using ethos. The prejudice stated in the book about women’s position was unfair. In addition, the usage of pathos, emotion, demonizes the men and society against women. She uses words such as weak to plead the lack of women’s rights. Furthermore, logos are used in the text to emphasize the enhancement of women’s rights in society. Hence, the author, Wollstonecraft, argues to increase the rights of women.  

      On top of that, Wollstonecraft doubts about the authorities of women during the period. The idea that women are properties of men was famous until the women’s rights were guaranteed in 19 centuries. From an early age, she was abused by her father and later on her best friend Fanny’s death which triggered her to start thinking about the stereotype and unfairness of women. In the text, she processes the idea that all the women should have at least a certain amount of authority and to be independent. She vilifies the socially accepted norms and tradition to enhance the rights of women by usage of strong emotional words such as weak and depressed. Moreover, she narrates the situation and suggestion with simple and strong words so women who did not receive high education can easily understand. For example, “Women, it is true, obtaining power by unjust means, by practicing or fostering vice, evidently lose the rank which reason would assign them, and they become either abject slaves or capricious tyrants. They lose all simplicity, all dignity of mind, in acquiring power, and act as men are observed to act when they have been exalted by the same means” (45). This implies the reality of women using punching words such as loss and tyrants; also simple words such as power and practicing. Therefore, the author expounds the importance of raising the rights of women. 

The author reveals her thoughts about the unfairness of women’s education and authority, with the use of rhetorical strategies and choice of words, tone. The discrimination of women and men are one of the most sensitive topics in the world now and then. This book is a positive start to diminish it. It also supports to enhance women’s rights which is significant in reducing discrimination.

Wiggins, Grant P, et al. Penguin Edition. Prentice Hall Literature: the British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, Pearson, 2010. March 18, 2019