Yaire Castillo

16 September 2020

ENG1121

Word Count:428

In the Dedicatory Letter, by English writer, Mary Wollstonecraft, she is advocating for the same treatment between women and men. She argues that it isn’t fair that women are often pushed to the side watching men succeed meanwhile they’re lacking education.She is also writing this letter so that Talleyrand understands that women deserve to have the same rights and opportunities as men. They should not be pushed to the side because of their sex.  A woman can’t measure up to a man if she is being neglected of her rights. Wollstonecraft wants the recipient of the letter to understand that men need women to be educated. That life will be simpler if they just treated women equally.

By my understanding of this letter, I would have to say that the discourse community that Wollstonecraft is a part of is the rights of women. The recipient does not appear to be a part of this discourse community. He seems to be outside of this discourse community and be part of another discourse community that is rights for men.

Quote 1:  In the Dedicatory letter, Wollstonecraft says,

“Isn’t that what you are doing when you force all women, by denying them civil and political rights, to remain walled in by their families and groping in the dark?”(pg 2)

Identify the writing strategy you see Wollstonecraft using:

 In the Dedicatory Letter, Mary Wollstonecraft uses the writing strategy of a rhetorical question.

Explain why you find this useful, persuasive, or effective in some other way: I found this quote really useful because it is evident that wollstonecraft is asking a rhetorical question in order to emphasize the importance of women’s rights. Wollstonecraft is unstoppable when it comes to speaking her mind.

Quote 2: In the Dedicatory Letter, Wollstonecraft says, 

“Let there be no coercion established in society—·no laws that force people into this or that social role or situation·. When that is achieved, the common law of gravity will hold sway and the sexes will fall into their proper places. “

Identify the writing strategy you see Wollstonecraft using: 

Wollstonecraft uses the writing strategy, allusion. 

Explain why you find this useful, persuasive, or effective in some other way:

I found this quote really effective because Wollstonecraft alludes to the common law of gravity created by scientist, Isaac Newton. Personally, it was such a great way for her to show that although women are expected to lack education, she is an educated woman. She can’t stand the idea of women being rejected by society and being neglected of their own human rights.