When I first looked at the titles on the content page, I knew I must choose “The Rights Of Woman” to be my topic. As a female, I would like to know more about how women had been treated in those centuries and would like to make a comparison of the former atmosphere and present’s. The author of the article, Olympe De Gouges, wrote to speak for women through bringing out the failure of the French Revolution.

We knew a lot from the history that women were treated so unfairly, harshly and were inferior to men in ancient times. Women were hired by the entrepreneurs as the cheapest labors during The Industrial Revolution. After the French Revolution, in 1791, Olympe De Gouges dared to challenge the male and wrote for women’s right. I like the way De Gouges wrote this article. She listed all the rights of woman and cleared the readers the rights that women should have had but they actually lost in the society. She asserted the revolution defeated the goal “to promote equal suffrage”. She used her own words to start a political rehabilitation for women. The contents of The Rights of Woman were about women should be equal as man entirely; women should be protected by the laws as the man do; women should have right to speak freely and have own thought; women should be acknowledged the rights they have; etc. De Gouges also wanted to wake the women up to fight for the rights because women in those year were used to be treated in an unfair way. She hoped and wished to change women’s social status.

As we could read on page 23 of the book, it tells us Olympe De Gouges was a playwright, intellectual and political activist. She born in 1748 with the name- Marie Gouzes. She experienced the period of early enlightenment and French Revolution. Owing to the unfairness of the society, she stepped first to write political pamphlets and to be the voice of women to fight for the rights.

Since I am a Hongkongese, I grew with in Hong Kong and learned eastern history. I am glad to have such a “superwoman”, like Olympe De Gouges, existed in the history. There must be someone to dare to stand out and speak for women, and she was the one! In my opinion, men are still superior to women in some eastern countries. I feel so thankful that Hong Kong has been taking lessons and influence d by western countries, so we can tell people we are capable to do a lot as men do. In these recent years, men would share chores with their wife, and this is another example showing the society is changing and improving. I want to remind myself that I am so fortune to born in this century since I own all the 17 rights that Gouges listed.

In the early centuries, there were no women dare to say, or I should say they have no right to say. Although Gouges might be arrested by writing politically, she did. However, it was a really tough time for women to speak, she couldn’t do much to maintain the writings.