Summary Of A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women

Bypassing Biological Bounds in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women According to the Oxford Dictionary, rhetoric, as derived from its classical Greek origin, looks at the intentional use of art and symbols as tools of persuasion. Rhetoric began as an instrument for political and judicial advances and its presence has progressed to all aspects of literature. Gender, on the other hand, refers to cultural constructs of masculinity and femininity imposed upon biological sex by any particular culture. Gendered rhetoric addresses the presence of masculine or feminine qualities in the way in which people write. The relationship between gender and rhetoric is ongoing and has deep cultural ties. Originally, rhetoric was an
One of her primary arguments is that truth is genderless: if truth does not naturally adhere to gender, how can the rhetoric through which truth is conveyed? Wollstonecraft argues that a fact is a fact regardless of what gender is expressing it. These blatant statements serve to further prove her point, as they cannot be debunked based on her gender. Expanding on this, she argues that women presenting themselves as inferior is a case of nurture rather than nature. She uses the example of women being “taught from their infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and, roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison” (90). This example, as well as many others, have a certain duality about them. While acknowledging the current shortcomings of women, it is also made clear that many of these shortcomings were learned and could be unlearned if given the opportunity. The same sort of principle can be applied to gendered rhetoric. In her attempt to depict this, Wollstonecraft also proves that while utilizing gender stereotypes in rhetoric is a significant tool, the gender of the author does not determine their rhetorical
This male idea of excellence is called “andreia” and is above the feminine excellence “sophrosune” (Kochin). This is proof that, from early in its development, on society has created and affected gender stereotypes. The stereotypes commonly associated with females- emotional, weak, and vain- as well as the stereotypes associated with men- strong, logical, and stable- have all formed from sociological beliefs or standards. These beliefs, however accurate or inaccurate, are ever present and serve as barriers in the literary world. By combating these stereotypes and utilizing gender-bending rhetoric, many writers have begun to break down this barrier and demonstrate that gender does not determine rhetoric. Wollstonecraft is a great example of this, using logical wit to convey her point through rhetorical questions such as: “I am aware of an obvious inference:—from every quarter have I heard exclamations against masculine women; but where are they to be found?” (4). By employing logic, an attribute strongly associated with masculine stereotypes, Wollstonecraft is able to make her point, and in doing so pave the way for overall literary