Mary Wollstonecraft and Female Empowerment

From reading this essay, I can tell that Mary Wollstonecraft was a smart lady. Anyone who stands up for their rights, such as she did with women’s rights in a time when women were considered inferior, is okay by me. But, as is with most writing of the time, the language made it a little difficult to get through. My dictionary was a very good friend while reading this, and with the language she used, she even seemed to be contradicting herself at times.

This essay was written as a wake up call to men and women both. Women are capable of doing anything men do. We aren’t meant to just be there to please and obey the men, responding to their every whim. Luckily in modern times most of us know this, but there is still sexism all around the world. It’s even in some traditional wedding vows. To paraphrase, the wife has to vow to obey and submit to her husband, while he doesn’t have to do the same. This is just one example of sexism in the U.S. Some people still don’t think women should have important jobs or hold positions of power. There are cultures where women are thought of as inferior and are even more limited than in Mary Wollstonecraft’s time.

Mary Wollstonecraft’s message is important, but she is far from concise in her language. My aunt went on a tour of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s house, and she told me that the tour guide said the authors of those times were paid by the word, resulting in confusing language. The more words there are, the more they get paid. I don’t know if this is accurate, but it is believable. At times, with Mary Wollstonecraft’s use of language, I was a little confused as to her point. At first she was saying that women were equal, intelligent beings, and then she was saying that women are not equal, intelligent, and perhaps are just as society views them. I had to reread parts of it a few times to realize that she wasn’t actually contradicting herself; she was reprimanding women for not rising above what society thinks of them and for filling the role society set for them just perfectly. The confusion was all in the language.

Mary Wollstonecraft’s spreading of female empowerment was important in 1792. It is still important today and some would do well to remember it. Aside from her language being difficult to read through, her message is still relevant today. She is a good role model for rising above and eliminating prejudice.