1. What aspects of women’s lives does Wollstonecraft seem interested in changing? Why?
2. Wollstonecraft quotes Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” How does she interpret this line? Does she agree with Pope?
3. Do you think women are still raised to be “pleasing”? Why or why not?
4. What does Wollstonecraft have to say about marriage? In her view, what would allow a woman to be a good wife and mother?
2. Wollstonecraft quotes Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” How does she interpret this line? Does she agree with Pope?
Wollstonecraft interprets “Whatever is, is right” as if everything in the world is how it’s supposed to be, as there is nothing that needs to be fixed. This is what Pope believes, this is his argument. But, Wollstonecraft does not agree with Pope. She claims that there are thousands of thing that must be changed and fixed in society. An evidence of this is the part when she says, “but man, who can only inspect disjointed parts, finds many things wrong; and it is a part of the system, and therefore right, that he should endeavour to alter what appears to him to be so” (3). Here, Wollstonecraft is saying that people usually change what they see as unfair or wrong. So, what if God wants her to fix everything she seems as wrong. What if that’s her destiny, her purpose, to be part of the change of how women are portrayed and represented.
I agree with Rosa. Wollstonecraft does not agree with Pope at all. His philosophy is basically to leave everything as it is – nothing needs to be fixed. This does not sit well with Wollstonecraft. Wollstonecraft states “it is a part of the system, and therefore right, that he should endeavour to alter what appears to him to be so” (3); meaning what if God’s plan is for her to make a change? If this is the case, then Pope’s “whatever is, is right” mentality is wrong. Wollstonecraft finds it to be her purpose to change the social standards of the time as well as partake in the movement of equality.
3. Do you think women are still raised to be “pleasing”? Why or why not?
I have mixed feelings about this question. I feel that some women, depending on where and how they were brought up, are indeed still raised to be “pleasing”. Some women are brought into this world knowing only how to please. Most women are influenced by today’s society to be beautiful or sexy. Literally all beauty ads or maybe even social media are targeting women into persuading them to be attractive. As children, girls are taught to be decent and proper, and not be flaunting to boys. Fathers are overprotective so nowadays women aren’t raised to be pleasing.
Wollstonecraft quotes Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” How does she interpret this line? Does she agree with Pope?
Pope says the following line “whatever is, is right.” to say that everything is the world is how it’s suppose to be, that it doesn’t need correcting or changing. God made it perfect and and we are not at this level of understanding that we could interpret God’s plan or this greater image. Wollstonecraft goes one step further and sates if God didn’t want her questioning and changing anything he wouldn’t have made her this way, given her free will. If whatever is right, than her having these thoughts and wanting to change they ways of the world is right. The whole point of having free will is to be able to decide for yourself is this is right or wrong, and for you to be able to apply change if necessary.
3. Do you think women are still raised to be “pleasing”? Why or why not?
I believe that women are still raised to be pleasing in certain cultures. Since there has been so many movements for women’s equality, women are no longer raising their daughters to be someone’s wife, but instead raising them to be their own person. Although I wish it were like this everywhere, it unfortunately is not. Some cultures, including my own, still raise their daughters to be good at taking care of a home and to always have a good reputation. The reason behind this will always be so that the daughter could find a good husband. This isn’t just something practiced in people’s home, it can be found everywhere in society. Makeup ads, fashion designers, fitness centers, and many other industries all make money telling women that they are not pleasing enough.
4. What does Wollstonecraft have to say about marriage? In her view, what would allow a woman to be a good wife and mother?
Wollstonecraft said that marriage are not equal things. According to him Women should stay home and please their husbands by cooking and man should go out and work. There job is to make they husbands happy. Women have no right to speak , they do what their husband asked them to do. If women were more dependent on themselves than they get what they want in their life. According to wollstonecraft a Women who worked according to their husbands was a good wife and mother.
2. Wollstonecraft quotes Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” How does she interpret this line? Does she agree with Pope?
Wollstonecraft’s interpretation of Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” as being contradictory to her beliefs. This quote, he explains, means that everything is this world has a specific purpose, and that we shouldn’t question or try to extract anything more from it for God had made it. For Wollstonecraft, she disputes his claim because if it were true, her way of thinking must be “right” and nobody should dispute her ideas. She questions Pope’s claim because if he truly made everything right, then why shouldn’t she push for changes in society that she views as problems?
1. What aspects of women’s lives does Wollstonecraft seem interested in changing? Why?
Wollstonecraft seems interested in changing women’s perspective on their role in marriage as well as their role in society. Although in “A Vindication in the Rights of Women,” she writes in a way that appeals to men, her main purpose is to inspire women to speak up, show their free will, and have the opportunity to enter the workforce. Unlike Rousseau who believed that women’s main duty is to be pleasing, Wollstonecraft believed that women are just as capable as men and can make a greater impact on society if they took more responsibilities outside of their housework.
Some of the aspects of women’s lives that Wollstonecraft seem interested in changing is the role of Women’s in society. She told us that women are only given right to marry and do all the household work like cooking food, sewing, washing clothes, taking care of children, etc in their husband’s house. Women’s were not allowed to get education. Women’s were not allowed to work outside, only men’s were allowed to work and go outside the house. So, Wollstonecraft want women’s to have freedom as men’s have in this society and let them enjoy their lives.
2. Wollstonecraft quotes Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right.” How does she interpret this line? Does she agree with Pope?
In “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” Mary Wollstonecraft quotes Alexander Pope’s famous line “Whatever is, is right”. Wollstonecraft interprets Pope’s line “Whatever is, is right” to mean that Pope believed that since everything in the world is as it should be, there is nothing that needs to be fixed. This is what , this is his argument. Wollstonecraft, who does not agree with Popes idea, believes that if God didn’t want her questioning and changing anything he wouldn’t have given her free will to question and change things. If whatever is right, as Pope believes, than her wanting to change they ways of the world is also right.
3. Do you think women are still raised to be “pleasing”? Why or why not?
In some part of the world, because of culture difference, women are still raised to be pleasing. As far as I know, in Japan, women are stilled raised to be pleasing to their husbands. They are taught how to take care of their future husbands in early age. In my opinion, women should have the same rights as men do. Women should be independent rather than relying on their husbands. Even though women physically weaker than men, it doesn’t mean that women should be inferior to man. They were born equally and this is unalienable rights.
3. Do you think women are still raised to be “pleasing”? Why or why not?
Yes I do because in society, there are many things men are allowed to do and women aren’t, or men are given better privileges. For example, the men are expected to make more money and take care of the household while women, being stay at home housewives are still a common belief. There is still a stigma of how people expect women to be, which is could also be “pleasing.”