Mahreen Munawar

ENG 1121

September 16, 2020

Word count: 486

Mary Wollstonecraft writes this letter in the hopes of changing sexist gender norms in Europe. She contends that women appear to be inferior compared to men and society appears to standardize it. Her fundamental target all through her letter was the education of women. Wollstonecraft contends that women ought to be given similar education and rights as men. She also mentions that if women are not educated they will be the reason why knowledge will be stopped from spreading into further generations considering she is the one raising her kids and not her husband. She states that if women understand their duty and their morals they will be more dedicated to their duty. 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.

In my opinion, the discourse community Wollstonecraft is a part of should be the women’s activist community. She should be a part of that community because she is clearly trying to defend and extend the rights of women. She also deserves to be in that community because she calls out the patriarchy and the society she lives in for raising men with arrogant heads and thinking they are entitled to the services of women and allowed to have outside affair whiles having faithful wives at home.

The recipient of the letter is not a part of this community because he believes in things that are opposite of what Wollstonecraft is arguing. He believes he knows what will make women happy, sitting at home and not getting an education but that is not true. He seems entitled to women’s rights and claims that holding women down is just.

Quote 1: “I know that you firmly believe you are acting in the manner most likely to promote women’s happiness; but who made man the exclusive judge ·of that· if a woman shares with him the gift of reason?”

Writing Strategy: Questioning

This writing strategy is effective because it made Wollstonecraft claim a lot stronger and she comes off very assertive and looking like she knows what she is talking about which will be very intimidating to a man in power. She questions the legislature in power who is a man about women’s rights and tells him that he can’t be the judge of what is and isn’t good for women.

Quote 2: “If women aren’t permitted to enjoy legitimate rights, they will seek illicit privileges in ways that make both men and themselves vicious”

Writing strategy: Inferring

This quote is effective because it is very straight forward. Wollcraftson mentions what would happen if women aren’t allowed their right in a very subtle warning. It’s effective because it gives a feeling of intensity to the readers and makes them feel the rage she’s feeling.