From A Vindication of the Rights of Women [1792]
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
It is difficult for us purblind mortals to say to what height human discoveries and improvements may arrive, when the gloom of despotism subsides, which makes us stumble at every step; but, when morality shall be settled on a more solid basis, then, without being gifted with a prophetic spirit, I will venture to predict, that woman will be either the friend or slave of man. We shall not, as at present, doubt whether she is a moral agent, or the link which unites man with brutes. But, should it then appear, that like the brutes they were principally created for the use of man, he will let them patiently bite the bridle, and not mock them with empty praise; or, should their rationality be proved, he will not impede their improvement merely to gratify his sensual appetites. He will not with all the graces of rhetoric, advise them to submit implicitly their understandings to the guidance of man. He will not, when he treats of the education of women, assert, that they ought never to have the free use of reason, nor would he recommend cunning and dissimulation to beings who are acquiring, in like manner as himself, the virtues of humanity.
Surely there can be but one rule of right, if morality has an eternal foundation, and whoever sacrifices virtue, strictly so called, to present convenience, or whose DUTY it is to act in such a manner, lives only for the passing day, and cannot be an accountable creature.
The poet then should have dropped his sneer when he says,
"If weak women go astray,
The stars are more in fault than they."
For that they are bound by the adamantine chain of destiny is most certain, if it be proved that they are never to exercise their own reason, never to be independent, never to rise above opinion, or to feel the dignity of a rational will that only bows to God, and often forgets that the universe contains any being but itself, and the model of perfection to which its ardent gaze is turned, to adore attributes that, softened into virtues, may be imitated in kind, though the degree overwhelms the enraptured mind.
If, I say, for I would not impress by declamation when reason offers her sober light, if they are really capable of acting like rational creatures, let them not be treated like slaves; or, like the brutes who are dependent on the reason of man, when they associate with him; but cultivate their minds, give them the salutary, sublime curb of principle, and let them attain conscious dignity by feeling themselves only dependent on God. Teach them, in common with man, to submit to necessity, instead of giving, to render them more pleasing, a sex to morals.
Further, should experience prove that they cannot attain the same degree of strength of mind, perseverance and fortitude, let their virtues be the same in kind, though they may vainly struggle for the same degree; and the superiority of man will be equally clear, if not clearer; and truth, as it is a simple principle, which admits of no modification, would be common to both. Nay, the order of society, as it is at present regulated, would not be inverted, for woman would then only have the rank that reason assigned her, and arts could not be practised to bring the balance even, much less to turn it.
These may be termed Utopian dreams. Thanks to that Being who impressed them on my soul, and gave me sufficient strength of mind to dare to exert my own reason, till becoming dependent only on him for the support of my virtue, I view with indignation, the mistaken notions that enslave my sex.
I love man as my fellow; but his sceptre real or usurped, extends not to me, unless the reason of an individual demands my homage; and even then the submission is to reason, and not to man. In fact, the conduct of an accountable being must be regulated by the operations of its own reason; or on what foundation rests the throne of God?
It appears to me necessary to dwell on these obvious truths, because females have been insulted, as it were; and while they have been stripped of the virtues that should clothe humanity, they have been decked with artificial graces, that enable them to exercise a short lived tyranny. Love, in their bosoms, taking place of every nobler passion, their sole ambition is to be fair, to raise emotion instead of inspiring respect; and this ignoble desire, like the servility in absolute monarchies, destroys all strength of character. Liberty is the mother of virtue, and if women are, by their very constitution, slaves, and not allowed to breathe the sharp invigorating air of freedom, they must ever languish like exotics, and be reckoned beautiful flaws in nature.
1. This selection conveys which of the following sentiments?
A) God created women for men’s pleasure.
B) The future for women is bright.
C) A fervent sense of the unjust status of women
D) The helpful nature of women
E) A plea for understanding between the sexes
2. Wollstonecraft argues that
A) men are inferior to women intellectually
B) women are the stronger gender emotionally
C) women are more independent than men
D) women should have the same education as men
E) women provide more stability to a society than men
3. The writer would agree with which of the following?
A) Women need to develop their intuitive powers.
B) Women are obligated to develop their rational powers to the fullest extent.
C) Women need to follow the lead of men and be more demonstrative.
D) Women must break their chains and enter the business and political
arenas.
E) Women cannot change their status without the help of men.
4. What is the meaning of “adamantine” (line 25)?
A) Extensive
B) Elastic
C) Unyielding
D) Self-imposed
E) Fragile
5. Which of the following is true about the tone of this selection?
A) Argumentative and overwrought
B) Appealing to reason and convincing
C) Subtly persuasive
D) Desultory and emotional
E) Optimistic and uplifting
6. According to Wollstonecraft, what qualities did the society of her time value in women?
A) To be attractive and cause men to admire them
B) To inspire respect and consideration
C) To love liberty and freedom
D) To be servile and deceitful
E) To fight for female suffrage
7. “Utopian dreams” is an example of a(an)
A) allegory
B) allusion
C) aphorism
D) conundrum
E) synecdoche
8. In the sentence “Liberty is the mother of virtue, and if women be, by their very constitution, slaves, and not allowed to breathe the sharp invigorating air of freedom, they must ever languish like exotics, and be reckoned beautiful flaws in nature,” there are examples of which literary devices?
A) Personification and conundrum
B) Simile and allusion
C) Alliteration and onomatopoeia
D) Hyperbole and metaphor
E) Personification and simile
9. In the first sentence, what does the author mean by the word “purblind”?
A) A hiding place for hunters
B) Direction
C) Chauvinistic
D) Enlightened
E) Lacking in vision and understanding
10. With which of the following statements would Wollstonecraft agree?
A) The rationality of women need not be a concern to men as long as they pay compliments to women.
B) When women are deprived of opportunities, all of society is diminished.
C) Women are superior in intellect to men.
D) By their nature, women are more virtuous than men.
E) Women live in their imaginations where they create a perfect world for themselves.