Mary Astell And Anne Finch Essay

Anne Finch and Mary Astell: A Reaction

Throughout the 17th century society revolved around a gender hierarchy that both men and women must follow. Many at the time believed that this hierarchy was instilled by God and nature, as seen in their religious books like the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer; both of which were to be taken very seriously. It was the norm for women to believe that their sole purpose in life was to maintain their social worth by being obedient to their male superiors such as fathers and husbands. However, many women began to question these gender roles. As tensions continued to rise, women would often express their ideas through poetry or prose. Two female poets in particular are Anne Finch and Mary Astell; both

of whom dedicated their lives to being outspoken as they brought attention to the limitations society placed on women. Both poets use key language to highlight the problems women face on a daily basis such as alienation, refusal to be educated and involvement in societal activities.

Anne Finch is considered to be a very outspoken woman in her lifetime and a well-known feminist today. In The Introduction, Finch uses language to educate the reader on the impacts of a woman living in a male-dominant society. From the beginning of the poem, we are introduced to the notion that her poem will never hold a place in society simply because she is a woman. She states this as a fact when she says: “True judges might condemn their want of wit/And all might say they’re by a woman writ” (Finch 239. 7-8). Here, the use of the word “wit” is a negative connotation to the belief that all women lack intelligence and that they can try to find and prove their intelligence but will always fail. This line not only gives the reader insight into the life of a woman during the 17th century, but it also helps to explain the message behind this poem in particular. That being said, she continues to use language almost sarcastically when she mocks the roles imposed on her by men: “They tell us we mistake our sex and way; /Good breeding, fashion, dancing, dressing, play /Are the accomplishments we should desire;

/To write, or read, or think, or to enquire /Would cloud our beauty….” (Finch 239. 13-17). Here, it is as if Finch mocks the men in society as she finds it hard to comprehend what a woman’s talent should be limited to. Likewise, she also shows that she is against the notion that an educated woman would take away from her beauty is nothing more than an ignorant mindset. In doing so, Finch effectively speaks to both the men and women of society as she explains that such mindsets and limits are wrong. The use of simple yet powerful language leaves the reader with a lasting impression as she supports women’s equality. Finch also continues to display her argument by retelling a story from the Bible where women cheer on David through poetry as he rebels against King Saul when she says: “A woman here leads fainting Israel on, /She fights, she wins, she triumphs with a song” (Finch 240. 45-46). This at first glance is simply just a story from the Bible, but it also holds a deeper significance in explaining the abilities of women. This story further highlights Finch’s point that she herself is in fact well educated and therefore is just as intelligent as men as she uses the Biblical story to her advantage. Nevertheless, Finch effectively connects to her readers logically and emotionally as she shows her support for women’s equal rights while discrediting the mentality of the men in society.
Like Finch, Mary Astell was also an advocate for women who were limited in society due to the ignorance of men. In A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Astell speaks to the women of society as she tells them to focus on their self-worth instead of worrying about what men will think of their appearance. Like Finch, Astell too argues for women’s right to education as she proposes “to erect a monastery” (Astell 263) where women can better their futures by developing their intellect. Astell shows hope for equal rights by stating: "You are therefore ladies, invited into a place, where you shall suffer no other confinement" (Astell 263). This line at first glance seems to be a direct link to the right to education; but, upon further analysis it actually relates to society as a whole. It shows Astell's point of view on a society that sees women as being inferior to men without proper reason other than the male perspective on the Bible. The language Astell uses in A Serious Proposal to the Ladies is a confident and aggressive style as she tries to get her point across on the religious, political and social values in her time. Astell promotes a new society that embodies "Liberty" only when such institutions are built and therefore can "expel that cloud of ignorance which custom has involved us in" (Astell 264). Here, Astell uses language to reinforce that she is educated and that the societal norms that are based on religious doctrine, in reality are quite ignorant and far from being righteous. Astell's arguments are formed on the basis of logic and she makes it clear that she is speaking to both men and women of society, as seen with Anne Finch. Like Finch, Astell also uses sarcasm and mockery as she explains her ideas to her audience while using religious stories to back up her thoughts. This is evident when she explains the ignorance of men who believe in certain parts of the Bible where the male figure is portrayed as being superior over women, such as God telling Adam that he rules over Eve. The image of Eve is seen as negative since she is cast out of the garden but it also has deeper meaning in connection to the rest of Astell's argument. Eve, who was propelled to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge was simply trying to better her intellect and in doing so was punished by Adam. Likewise, the women in Astell's period are also trying to better their intellect but are forbidden to do so by the men in society. Here, Astell uses the Biblical story to make her argument more relatable to the everyday person, while highlighting her personal intelligence.
The way in which both Finch and Astell compose their arguments and use language are similar since they use Biblical stories as a way to enhance their ideas while refuting the notion that men are superior to women and the idea of equality is absurd. However, the difference between the two poets is that Finch manages to connect to her readers on an emotional level as well as a logical one, thus leaving a stronger impression. Whereas Astell solely uses logic and reason to explain her argument and connect to the reader, but without the emotional aspect she fails to leave a lasting impression. Both poets however, do manage to highlight the ways in which society is being ignorant to the idea of an equal society through the use of religious stories that they use to their advantage. Although their ways of connecting to the reader are very different, both poets are very influential as they try to change the ways in which society views and portrays women.