Miss Polly Baker Speech Analysis

Easton Power

ENGL 2327.02

Professor Baker

4-22-17

Miss Polly Baker: A True Work for Equality

Originally published in 1747, Benjamin Franklin wrote the speech of Miss Polly Baker as a work of fiction, this work indicates Franklin’s usually progressive views of women for his time period. Although for many years some did believe the story and speech to be true, the character of Miss Polly Baker, and anything that concerned her was completely made up. While some praised the speech, acclaiming its message and welcoming it into the canon of modern American Literature, others saw it as it would question the traditional life as so many people of this time knew. Despite these objections, the speech of Miss Polly Baker remains widely read today by reason

of its masked literary complexity and the since of both a work of satire and an earnest plea for women’s rights and equality.
Benjamin Franklin first published the story of Miss Polly Baker in London’s The General Advertiser, and several other newspapers in the United States. Ben Franklin wanted to keep his writing a secret, making the story of Miss Polly Baker seem true by not revealing he had written the story. This was until 1788, when he fully came out and said he was Miss Polly Baker. Some say Franklin wrote the speech do to himself having an illegitimate son of his own, and he had seen firsthand the unfairness in the way women were treated in cases of wedlock. During this time, the fathers of a “bastard child” got off scot free, when in reality they are just as much to blame as the mother. In the Speech of Miss Polly Baker, Benjamin Franklin creates a sympathetic fictional character in Polly Baker due to Miss Bakers assertion that she's worthy of a statue in the town square and “mocks several other works of literature” as The Gentlemen’s Magazine states. In the story of Miss Polly Baker, Franklin not only uses public punishment, but religious shun also. In the story he writes, “All the comforts of the Church Communion,” saying she is banned from the church. But, argues that if she had really done any harm, God would have punished her. Through the voice of Miss Polly Baker, Franklin uses rhetorical questions to the magistrates and shows the inequity of the prevailing justice system. Although, it still seems like Miss Polly Baker was a real person, Ben Franklin, used his aliases, Miss Polly Baker, statements throughout the speech to bring about the unfairness of the law during the time period the speech was written. By taking on the role of Miss Polly Baker, Franklin shaped a persona of a powerful woman, who really has a way with words in argumentation.
In the Speech of Miss Polly Baker, Benjamin Franklin writes about a poor lady named Miss Polly Baker.

Who is put on trial due to five counts of wedlock (having children when not married). Due to being underfunded, Miss Baker represents herself against a court of only men. Polly Baker sees that she has done no wrong, and yet has been dragged into court multiple of times facing fines, and public embarrassment. Miss Baker then peruses to plead to the court and ask them to persuade the governor to remit her fine in this case. “This is the Fifth Time, Gentlemen, that I have been dragg’d before your Courts on the same Account; twice I have paid heavy fines, and twice have been brought to public Punishment, for want of money to pay for those fines” (The Norton Anthology, The Speech of Miss Polly Baker. Pg. 464). Miss Baker continues to argue her case saying that after each account of wedlock, not once was the child’s father held accountable. This pushes the point of view Benjamin Franklin’s earnest plea for women’s equality. Miss Baker then states that it should be “Praise worthy” that she is having all these children, for it will help repopulate the world. Miss Polly Baker states that she is the only one being wronged out of this whole situation she is in. She says her first husband betrayed her, and her former lover is now a magistrate and a pillar of the community, but she keeps getting fined and punished, when he hasn’t even been questioned about a wed locked child. The

court, which she is representing her-self against, does ask her about getting remarried, whom she responds “willing and able to get married”, and then presents her wifely virtues to the judges as proof. This influenced the Court to dispense with her punishment, and induced one of her Judges to marry her the next day.
A theme of Justice is frequently visited throughout the speech of Miss Polly Baker. The primary goal Ben Franklin had when writing this work was for amusement, but when read; the justice system is questioned many of times and asked to do the right thing. Like most cases of this time period, the justice system does not recognize any rights towards women. This literary work also has many portrayals of a powerful female for her time period. Miss Baker questions the authority of the law and wants nothing but proper justice for herself. Along with a theme of juiciness, are power and the amount of effects it can have. For instance, Miss Polly Baker is a work of fiction, but without the speech being published in multiple newspapers, women might have not gained the courage to stand up for what they believed in. This speech’s outreach to women’s equality, which Benjamin Franklin used through Miss Baker, opened the eyes of many individuals. Women and men alike, realized without equality through the genders, a sustainable government and justice system would be impossible.
During the time period of Miss Polly Baker, a lot of individuals shunned the work once Benjamin Franklin came out as the author. This was due to the unheard of women’s rights that where almost nun some to the early America. Ben Franklin wrote the story out of amusement, like many other of his early forms of literature, but in this work, he pushed towards a plea for women’s rights. His representation of Miss Baker comes out solid, and she comes across as not only a victim to an incorrect societal structure but also as a strong and powerful person. She however knows how to argue and turn logic towards her defense. Every time she brings up a point, she uses it to compare to herself, or she uses it to show the differences it evokes from her perspective. In a since, Benjamin Franklin gave her a gift of manipulation. What she says is correct and right but the way she argues is crafted in a logical and powerful way. Over the years, the Speech of Miss Polly Baker has aged agreeably. Some aspects of the speech have appeared dated, much of which stems from the 1700 setting. Still, there is an essence of the speech that remains timeless. While some of the inequality that inspired the speech are no longer an immense problem, a large portion of women are fighting for rights still only granted to men.
Benjamin's Franklin’s speech of Miss Polly Baker is said to be one of the greatest works of satire ever written.

This is due to Franklin taking upon the roll of a women narrator who is pleading for women’s equality. Franklin wanted his readers to easily understand the issue on the lack of women’s rights during this time period, and assumes the role in order to reach out to other people without getting shunned away because he is a man. His main goal in this work was to entertain, but the significance of this work points out the importance of women’s unequal rights. Through the voice of Miss Polly Baker he not only created a work of satire but an earnest plea for women’s rights and

equality.