Christine De Pizan's The Book Of The City Of Ladies

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When talking about leadership positions within the community, the authors who were writing in the Antiquity along with some authors who were writing in the Renaissance strongly believed that men were the only ones capable of being in an elected position in the city. Christine de Pizan has a different opinion, expressing a strong argument for the strengths of women, while also demonstrating how a city without men could become an equally successful city. By using the allegorical figures of Reason, Rectitude, and Justice as her guide to constructing this city, she paints a picture of how women exhibit all of the traits of men while also having many qualities that men do not possess. Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies lays the …show more content…

The “ruler” that rectitude carries symbolizes the ideal leader for the City of Ladies. This leader acts as a wise and knowing guide for the city, who keeps the goals of the citizen as the goal of the city and does her best to make sure that city achieves these goals. The qualities that Rectitude’s “ruler” symbolizes are similar to what Plato believes that philosophers will display when they are tasked for the role of guardian of the city. These philosophers will put the city before themselves, make ideal decisions based on what is right, not based on their personal goals, and they will be a wise and knowing leader that the people can follow and rally around. The guardians of Plato’s ideal city are handpicked to serve as the leader of the city because through their education, they have already learned to display many of the traits that Rectitude describes. By having the leaders of the city chosen because they have the correct set of skills, Plato establishes that women and men can hold the position and by doing so, preaches the equality of both …show more content…

The device provided by Lady Reason allows for the citizens of the city to reflect on their decisions, which will provide them with feedback and better reasoning for how to face problems in the future. Lady Reason provides a tool that is important for everybody to use. Reflection is the best way to correct mistakes, and while Plato does not directly speak about this, he repeatedly talks about the importance of philosophers, and one of the main aspects of philosophy is the reflection on the past and its effects on the

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