Rhetorical Analysis Of A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

Patricia Kisinger

Amy Joy Triola

English Composition II

Final Draft

22 September 2015

Rhetorical Analysis of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is the first exhaustive feminist philosophical treatise. It was published in 1792 during the French Revolution. She believed that women should have equal rights as men. The author, Mary Wollstonecraft, argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but that they have not been given the same opportunities and privileges, like education, that men have.

Mary Wollstonecraft was a feminist and in her time wrote several pieces for the equality of rights for men and women. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was a philosophical 208 page book in which she passionately expresses the right to educate women. It was written as a response to Jean-Jaques Rousseau's views expressed in Emíle (On Education) in which he argues that women should be educated only to entertain and cater to men. It is also a follow up of a pamphlet she published two years prior, A Vindication of the Rights of a Men. This was a response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France in which he critisized the French revolution and aplauded tradition. In her response, she says that our rights cannot be based on old

traditions. She also attacks heirarchal rank and privilege.
The argument was inspired as a response but it expands so much further and was a gateway for her views to be expressed more in depth. It was not specifically written to men or women because both needed to read to the argument to understand equality. Women who were being denied education might not have realized that they're not being treated fairly because it was the norm. Publishing during the French Revolution was an opportune time because men were fighting for democratic rights and she inserted women into the conversation. It was a good time for the argument since change was already being fought for.
The challenge the author is facing at this time is that she is a woman talking about equal rights for women. She is seen as inferior and her views and opinions are harder to make valid. She has also overcome challenges to this point because she has been educated and she is getting published. Her goal is to change the way we raise women.
The main claim is that women are thought to be inferior than men. She says it is thought that the greatest thing a woman can do with her life is get married. Once they've accomplished marriage, they're behaviors are simply reduced to that of children by spending their time on their appearance and household hobbies. Women are treated as though there's no need to think if you're still pretty for your husband. She claims it is essential to the nation to educate women because they raise and educate their children. If they're properly educated they can also be better companions to their husbands. She challenges the men to let women have an education and for the men to become more modest and see if the women are still seen as inferior. A woman is not built so different from a man, give them an education and they will understand it.
The topic of education for women is clearly personal for her because she is a woman.

She doesn't just write from her perspective though. She writes it for all women to have an equal opportunity to educate themselves. She has accomplished a lot in her life despite being a woman and wants others to do the same. She has been previously published and her opinion is valued. Given the time period, it is still thought her opinion was met with complete hostility. Although there was some resistance, overall it was well reviewed and sparked a debate reguarding a womans position within society . There were several British and American editions printed . It was later translated and printed in

French.
Mary Wollstonecraft was definitely trying to get an emotional response out of her audience with her writing. Her writing style is dry and at times sarcastic. She mocks her argument and pokes fun at the way women were only viewed as objects of mens desires. She talks about how women are responsible for raising their children and how we should all want women to be better educated for that purpose. She says women are more cunning and methodical than men are aware which can make them smarter.
By now, we have seen a lot of progress that has started with this argument. She showed her level of education by curating a well formed argument on why women should be educated equally. The fact that it was personal ignited a greater emotional response for a change.