Similarities Between Mary Wollstonecraft And Oprah Winfrey
Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey
Whether it be through proclamations, beliefs, or actions, strong female figures are all connected. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey are among those strong women. Throughout their lives, Wollstonecraft and Winfrey have worked hard for what they believed in by using their voice and actions, and by staying determined. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey are similar because they both supported women’s rights, suffered hardships, and believed in the importance of education for women. Mary Wollstonecraft was an influential English writer and feminist of the mid-to-late 1700s. Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759 (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). She lived with her family until she left home (“Wollstonecraft, Mary”). She wrote many pieces of literature, one of which was A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In her book she expresses her opinions that the educational system of the time purposely trained women to be useless and not have a purpose. She had two …show more content…
daughters. The eldest was fathered, in wedlock, by Captain Gilbert Imlay. The youngest was fathered by William Godwin, who she married once she found out she was pregnant (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). After the birth of her daughter with Imlay, the three lived together in England for sometime until Imlay left Wollstonecraft and his daughter. (“Wollstonecraft, Mary”). The leaving of her husband had a negative impact on Wollstonecraft. However, she continued to influence others through her writing and voice. Oprah Winfrey is an affluent modern-day woman. She has amassed a great fortune as an American entrepreneur, actress, television personality, and owner of the Oprah Winfrey Network. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954 out of wedlock. She lived with her mother, in Milwaukee, starting when she was six years old (Kuhlman). Her mother, Vernita Lee, had a busy work schedule. Winfrey’s mother did not have enough time to spend on Winfrey’s emotional needs (“Oprah Winfrey”). While she was living with her mother, she spent time with relatives and family friends. Eventually, she went to live with her father in Nashville. From the age of 14 onward she lived with her father, Vernon Winfrey, and his wife, Zelma. Before becoming the very famous woman she is now, she had various jobs. Those jobs including a new anchor and roles in movies. Winfrey supports causes she believes in using her riches (Kuhlman). A similarity between Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey is their support for women’s rights. As a controversial topic, the two show their similarity by being “on the same side.” Wollstonecraft used her words and voice to express her beliefs and views. She was described as “an early female voice giving reasoned articulation to women’s suffrage, to reconsideration of the marriage contract and parental roles, to the desirability of blending motherhood with a professional career, and to female sexuality” (Frank). Mary Wollstonecraft was an early advocate for women’s rights; she used her voice as a way to express her solidarity with others in the movement for women’s rights. In addition, she “advocated altering the social practices such as dress, courtship, employment, and family relations that had given men power over women and kept both from virtue. She sought expanded work opportunities for women” (Sapiro). Wollstonecraft wanted change in the parts of society that made women weaker than women. Furthermore, she wanted to broaden the opportunities of work for women. Mary Wollstonecraft voiced her desires as a way to show her support of women’s rights to make it known that people wanted change. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey used her influence to express her support of women’s rights. During an interview Oprah stated, “‘the boss at the time said, ‘Why? They’re all women.’ That moment…was a deciding factor for me … I came back and said, ‘Look I want to own my own show and I want to take the risk of owning my own show so that I will be the one to say who gets what paycheck’” (qtd. by Samaniego). Influenced by personal experience with a boss who did not think women should be paid more due to the fact that they were women, Oprah Winfrey expresses her belief that women, and everyone else, should not get paid differently because of their gender. Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey supported women’s rights. Wollstonecraft expressed her desire for changes, women’s suffrage, and more opportunities for women. Winfrey spoke about an event she experienced in a way that would enlighten others to the wrongful and unfair treatment that many women experience. Although they used different methods, they were both supporters of women’s rights. The actions of both of these strong women represent the positive impact they had on the fight for more rights for women. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey both suffered hardships throughout their lives. The events that occur in one’s life is important for the understanding of who they are and what led up to who them being the person that they are. Wollstonecraft and her partner, Gilbert Imlay, “lived for a while in England, where Imlay subsequently deserted her, and she attempted suicide” ("Wollstonecraft, Mary"). After her partner left her in England, Mary Wollstonecraft tried to end her life. His actions caused sorrow to Wollstonecraft and enough emotional distress, leading to her attempt to kill herself. As a child “[h]er father was abusive and spent his somewhat sizable fortune on a series of unsuccessful ventures in farming. Perturbed by the actions of her father and by her mother’s death in 1780, Wollstonecraft set out to earn her own livelihood” (“Mary Wollstonecraft”). Mary Wollstonecraft unfortunately grew up with a father who abused her. Her unfortunate upbringing led her to leave home and go out make a life for herself. Oprah Winfrey also dealt with hardships as she was growing up. One of Winfrey’s hardships was when Winfrey suffered sexual molestation and abuse from her mother’s male friends and relatives while she lived with her mother, a housemaid, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Kuhlman). As a young child, Oprah Winfrey suffered at the hands of male relatives and family friends. The abuse, both physical and emotional, was a negative and unfortunate time in her life. That abuse was not the only hardship that she experienced. Another tribulation was when “[a]t the age of 13 Winfrey ran away from home to escape the abuse; the following year she gave birth to a premature baby boy who died in the hospital weeks later” (Kuhlman). As a teenager, Oprah Winfrey left her home to leave the abuse. Soon after, she experienced an emotional tragedy. She gave birth to a baby boy who was premature and passed away in the hospital. The loss of her child was sorrowful and an unfortunate time in Winfrey’s life. Both Wollstonecraft and Winfrey experienced hardships in their lives. Wollstonecraft experienced abandonment and attempted suicide while Winfrey experienced abuse, molestation, and the death of a child. The events they experienced were sorrowful and lamentable. The suffering of hardships that they both experienced shows that everyone can experience hardships and it is, many times, out of the individual’s hands. Wollstonecraft and Winfrey did not have control over the hardships that they suffered through, but, nonetheless, they both still endured the hardships. Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey believed in the importance of education for women. Everyone who worked towards increasing the education given to women has influenced how education is in modern-day. Wollstonecraft believed that “a confined existence makes women frustrated and transforms them into tyrants over their children and servants. The key, she purports, is educational reform, giving women access to the same educational opportunities as men” (“Mary Wollstonecraft”). Mary Wollstonecraft believed that women should be educated, just like men, as a way to keep them from being an oppressor to their children and servants. The educational opportunities would be a way to free women and to keep them from being portrayed a certain way. Likewise, she “posited that an educational system that allowed girls the same advantages as boys would result in women who would be not only exceptional wives and mothers but also capable workers in many professions” (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). Mary Wollstonecraft believed that education was important for women because it made them great wives, extraordinary mothers, and proficient workers in many fields. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey believed that women should be education. An example of Oprah’s support for the education of women is that “[i]n January 2007 Oprah opened a boarding school for girls in southern Johannesburg, South Africa. To date, she has given millions upon millions in scholarships and to other educational causes” (Kuhlman). Oprah Winfrey’s donations and opening of a boarding school for girls in South Africa were ways that she exhibited her beliefs that education was important. She spent the money that she worked for to support schooling for females so that they could get an education of their own. Furthermore, Winfrey “formed a private charity called the Oprah Winfrey Foundation to offer aid to educate and support women” (“Oprah Winfrey”). Oprah Winfrey’s belief that women should be educated is so extreme that she offers aid to educate and support women through her private charity. Wollstonecraft and Winfrey used their resources to advocate the importance of education for women. Mary Wollstonecraft used her position as a feminist and writer to support education for women and Oprah Winfrey used her wealth and connections to make a contribution for women’s education. Through their support for women’s rights, experiences of hardships, and beliefs in the importance of education for women, the similarity between Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey is manifested.
Both women agreed that women’s rights were an important matter. Wollstonecraft showed her view through her writing when she expressed that changes should be made regarding how women are viewed and treated in society. Winfrey proved her view through her questioning of unfair treatment and by expressing her opinions so that others can be enlightened. With the expression of support for the rights of women by Wollstonecraft and Winfrey, it influences more people to see the beliefs of the two and to take action towards more support for the rights of women. By reviewing the importance, effect, and lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey, attention can be brought to the topic of education for women and women’s rights can be enhanced and gain
supporters.
Whether it be through proclamations, beliefs, or actions, strong female figures are all connected. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey are among those strong women. Throughout their lives, Wollstonecraft and Winfrey have worked hard for what they believed in by using their voice and actions, and by staying determined. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey are similar because they both supported women’s rights, suffered hardships, and believed in the importance of education for women. Mary Wollstonecraft was an influential English writer and feminist of the mid-to-late 1700s. Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759 (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). She lived with her family until she left home (“Wollstonecraft, Mary”). She wrote many pieces of literature, one of which was A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In her book she expresses her opinions that the educational system of the time purposely trained women to be useless and not have a purpose. She had two …show more content…
daughters. The eldest was fathered, in wedlock, by Captain Gilbert Imlay. The youngest was fathered by William Godwin, who she married once she found out she was pregnant (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). After the birth of her daughter with Imlay, the three lived together in England for sometime until Imlay left Wollstonecraft and his daughter. (“Wollstonecraft, Mary”). The leaving of her husband had a negative impact on Wollstonecraft. However, she continued to influence others through her writing and voice. Oprah Winfrey is an affluent modern-day woman. She has amassed a great fortune as an American entrepreneur, actress, television personality, and owner of the Oprah Winfrey Network. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954 out of wedlock. She lived with her mother, in Milwaukee, starting when she was six years old (Kuhlman). Her mother, Vernita Lee, had a busy work schedule. Winfrey’s mother did not have enough time to spend on Winfrey’s emotional needs (“Oprah Winfrey”). While she was living with her mother, she spent time with relatives and family friends. Eventually, she went to live with her father in Nashville. From the age of 14 onward she lived with her father, Vernon Winfrey, and his wife, Zelma. Before becoming the very famous woman she is now, she had various jobs. Those jobs including a new anchor and roles in movies. Winfrey supports causes she believes in using her riches (Kuhlman). A similarity between Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey is their support for women’s rights. As a controversial topic, the two show their similarity by being “on the same side.” Wollstonecraft used her words and voice to express her beliefs and views. She was described as “an early female voice giving reasoned articulation to women’s suffrage, to reconsideration of the marriage contract and parental roles, to the desirability of blending motherhood with a professional career, and to female sexuality” (Frank). Mary Wollstonecraft was an early advocate for women’s rights; she used her voice as a way to express her solidarity with others in the movement for women’s rights. In addition, she “advocated altering the social practices such as dress, courtship, employment, and family relations that had given men power over women and kept both from virtue. She sought expanded work opportunities for women” (Sapiro). Wollstonecraft wanted change in the parts of society that made women weaker than women. Furthermore, she wanted to broaden the opportunities of work for women. Mary Wollstonecraft voiced her desires as a way to show her support of women’s rights to make it known that people wanted change. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey used her influence to express her support of women’s rights. During an interview Oprah stated, “‘the boss at the time said, ‘Why? They’re all women.’ That moment…was a deciding factor for me … I came back and said, ‘Look I want to own my own show and I want to take the risk of owning my own show so that I will be the one to say who gets what paycheck’” (qtd. by Samaniego). Influenced by personal experience with a boss who did not think women should be paid more due to the fact that they were women, Oprah Winfrey expresses her belief that women, and everyone else, should not get paid differently because of their gender. Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey supported women’s rights. Wollstonecraft expressed her desire for changes, women’s suffrage, and more opportunities for women. Winfrey spoke about an event she experienced in a way that would enlighten others to the wrongful and unfair treatment that many women experience. Although they used different methods, they were both supporters of women’s rights. The actions of both of these strong women represent the positive impact they had on the fight for more rights for women. Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey both suffered hardships throughout their lives. The events that occur in one’s life is important for the understanding of who they are and what led up to who them being the person that they are. Wollstonecraft and her partner, Gilbert Imlay, “lived for a while in England, where Imlay subsequently deserted her, and she attempted suicide” ("Wollstonecraft, Mary"). After her partner left her in England, Mary Wollstonecraft tried to end her life. His actions caused sorrow to Wollstonecraft and enough emotional distress, leading to her attempt to kill herself. As a child “[h]er father was abusive and spent his somewhat sizable fortune on a series of unsuccessful ventures in farming. Perturbed by the actions of her father and by her mother’s death in 1780, Wollstonecraft set out to earn her own livelihood” (“Mary Wollstonecraft”). Mary Wollstonecraft unfortunately grew up with a father who abused her. Her unfortunate upbringing led her to leave home and go out make a life for herself. Oprah Winfrey also dealt with hardships as she was growing up. One of Winfrey’s hardships was when Winfrey suffered sexual molestation and abuse from her mother’s male friends and relatives while she lived with her mother, a housemaid, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Kuhlman). As a young child, Oprah Winfrey suffered at the hands of male relatives and family friends. The abuse, both physical and emotional, was a negative and unfortunate time in her life. That abuse was not the only hardship that she experienced. Another tribulation was when “[a]t the age of 13 Winfrey ran away from home to escape the abuse; the following year she gave birth to a premature baby boy who died in the hospital weeks later” (Kuhlman). As a teenager, Oprah Winfrey left her home to leave the abuse. Soon after, she experienced an emotional tragedy. She gave birth to a baby boy who was premature and passed away in the hospital. The loss of her child was sorrowful and an unfortunate time in Winfrey’s life. Both Wollstonecraft and Winfrey experienced hardships in their lives. Wollstonecraft experienced abandonment and attempted suicide while Winfrey experienced abuse, molestation, and the death of a child. The events they experienced were sorrowful and lamentable. The suffering of hardships that they both experienced shows that everyone can experience hardships and it is, many times, out of the individual’s hands. Wollstonecraft and Winfrey did not have control over the hardships that they suffered through, but, nonetheless, they both still endured the hardships. Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey believed in the importance of education for women. Everyone who worked towards increasing the education given to women has influenced how education is in modern-day. Wollstonecraft believed that “a confined existence makes women frustrated and transforms them into tyrants over their children and servants. The key, she purports, is educational reform, giving women access to the same educational opportunities as men” (“Mary Wollstonecraft”). Mary Wollstonecraft believed that women should be educated, just like men, as a way to keep them from being an oppressor to their children and servants. The educational opportunities would be a way to free women and to keep them from being portrayed a certain way. Likewise, she “posited that an educational system that allowed girls the same advantages as boys would result in women who would be not only exceptional wives and mothers but also capable workers in many professions” (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). Mary Wollstonecraft believed that education was important for women because it made them great wives, extraordinary mothers, and proficient workers in many fields. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey believed that women should be education. An example of Oprah’s support for the education of women is that “[i]n January 2007 Oprah opened a boarding school for girls in southern Johannesburg, South Africa. To date, she has given millions upon millions in scholarships and to other educational causes” (Kuhlman). Oprah Winfrey’s donations and opening of a boarding school for girls in South Africa were ways that she exhibited her beliefs that education was important. She spent the money that she worked for to support schooling for females so that they could get an education of their own. Furthermore, Winfrey “formed a private charity called the Oprah Winfrey Foundation to offer aid to educate and support women” (“Oprah Winfrey”). Oprah Winfrey’s belief that women should be educated is so extreme that she offers aid to educate and support women through her private charity. Wollstonecraft and Winfrey used their resources to advocate the importance of education for women. Mary Wollstonecraft used her position as a feminist and writer to support education for women and Oprah Winfrey used her wealth and connections to make a contribution for women’s education. Through their support for women’s rights, experiences of hardships, and beliefs in the importance of education for women, the similarity between Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey is manifested.
Both women agreed that women’s rights were an important matter. Wollstonecraft showed her view through her writing when she expressed that changes should be made regarding how women are viewed and treated in society. Winfrey proved her view through her questioning of unfair treatment and by expressing her opinions so that others can be enlightened. With the expression of support for the rights of women by Wollstonecraft and Winfrey, it influences more people to see the beliefs of the two and to take action towards more support for the rights of women. By reviewing the importance, effect, and lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Oprah Winfrey, attention can be brought to the topic of education for women and women’s rights can be enhanced and gain
supporters.