9/16/2020

This letter was written To M. Talleyrand-PĂ©rigord former Bishop of Autun in 1792 by Mary Wollstonecraft it’s a women advocating for women’s rights in europe specifically france she expresses herself in the letter by explaining how if women are as strong smart and capable as men  why don’t they  get equal education just as men they will become inferior and knowledge and history will stop being progressive so she explains how it’s not a wise idea to keep women educationally enslaved just to have power over them.  Wollstonecraft questions the recipient of the letter which seems to be a legislature that in his opinion he knows what’s best for women but who is he to decide what causes their happiness. After reading the letter I would say the DC that Wollstonecraft is part of is called Equality for all ” Since what her main goal is to have both male and females to have the same rights and say. The recipient (Tallenyard) seems to be an outsider  because he knows and is aware of the situation, he has the power to make change but chooses not too and leaves gender norms messed up. 

Quote 1:  “ When men fight for their freedom, fight to be allowed to judge for themselves concerning their own happiness, isn’t it inconsistent and unjust to hold women down?”

The writing strategy used here is asking a rhetorical  question that you already know the right answer for, it’s more like a walk of shame or a question to put them on the spot and it’s very useful when counter arguing for instance here she shows the pure hypocrisy of men by saying how they always fight for freedom fight for their happiness and are applauded for it but once women do the same it’s an issue and its not allowed ? Why is that such a simple question with such a hard answer because the men are wrong either way and she shows it by asking this question. 

Quote 2 : “. Men generally seem to employ their reason to •justify prejudices that they have taken in they can’t tell how, rather than to •root them out. Only a strong mind can resolutely form its own principles; for a kind of intellectual cowardice prevails, making many men shrink from the task or do it only by halves. Yet the imperfect conclusions that are drawn in this way are often very plausible, because they are built on partial experience, on views that are correct ·as far as they go” 

The writing strategy used in this quote is shes stating a claim or fact about men, in general, she says how they find reasons to justify the way they act the way they are prejudice towards others especially women, and instead of fixing the ways they just keep on getting worse and its all because of the way they were brought up with these bad views of other basically they are brainwashed and so making this claim lets the reader understand her point of view more and analyze why this was happening at the time in France and that’s why it’s useful.