The Young Man's Guide Chapter Summary

Diana Ross, a women’s rights advocate, once said, "you can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream, you've got to get out there and make it happen yourself" (“Women’s History Quotes”). That is exactly what women did in order to achieve the goal of equality and the right to vote. Women “made it happen” by holding conventions like the Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York and the National Woman's Rights Convention held in Worcester, Massachusetts. Additionally, women participated in peaceful demonstrations like the national suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. Events like these eventually lead to the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. The women’s rights movement started in 1848 and ended in 1920.

It is a plan of what all men should achieve in their lifetime and how to do so. It provides the framework of a successful and fulfilled male life. In particular, chapter six is about the general topic of marriage. Section one starts out outlining the reasons why marriage is a duty every man must fulfil. A very large portion of the book is about what a woman “should be” in order for a man to marry her. Both section two and three discuss this topic. Section two is entitled “General Considerations” and introduces the idea that women need to be well qualified for marriage. It describes some general guidelines for what to look for, and in some cases what not to look for, in a suitable wife. Section three is entitled “Female Qualifications for Marriage” and goes into further detail on the qualities a woman must possess to be considered worthy of a man to marry. Some of these qualities include fondness of children, moral excellence, love for domestic concerns, and

Both authors, Alcott and Mill, approach the topic of marriage, but at two different angles. Alcott claims that it is a man’s duty to be married and states that “society cannot be sustained” in the absence of marriage (251). He claims that the “institution is peculiarly interesting from the fact that it involves so many items of human happiness” (251). This idea presented is completely opposite to Mill’s idea that being married is comparable to being a slave. Mill strongly opposes the idea of marriage and it is implied that the relationship has been degrading to women since its establishment in society. Even though both books were written by men, it is almost as if “The Young Man’s Guide” is being told from a man’s perspective and “The Subjection of Women” is told from a woman’s point of view. In “The Subjection of Women,” Mill expresses how women feel about the supposed injustices and proposes ways for society to be changed to promote equality. Conversely, in “A Young Man’s Guide,” there seems to be no consideration of women’s thoughts or opinions. It just describes who a man should marry, what a man should look for, and what the woman should be for her to be worthy of a