The Role of Women in the Late 18th and Early 19th Century

Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1795) discusses the role of the average middle class white woman in the 19^th century.  She argues that this group of women are shallow, vain, and petty.  They seem to exist only to look nice and to entertain men.  She writes that women should be educated so that they will be able to make better wives and mothers.  Jane Austen seems to be advocating for something similar in her novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).  This book was written a few decades after “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.”  It features a protagonist named Elizabeth Bennet who is a middle class white woman. 

Elizabeth enjoys improving her body as well as her mind.  Wollstonecraft writes that women would not be so childish “if girls were allowed to take sufficient exercise, and not confined in close rooms till their muscles are relaxed, and their powers of digestion destroyed” (Wollstonecraft 234).  Girls would be much better and stronger women if they were allowed to improve their bodies the way boys could.  In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth walks to a friend’s house in order to see her sick sister.  Elizabeth enjoys the exercise, but the other women she encounters look down on her for this (Movie depictions of this scene can be found here and here). 

In fact, Elizabeth encounters many different individuals who are very similar to those that Mary Wollstonecraft described.  A woman named Caroline Bingley tells Elizabeth that “a woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages…she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions” (Austen 25).  Miss Bingley’s idea of a good woman is entirely made up of talents or traits that would appeal to men, but contains nothing that would help to improve a woman’s mind (This scene from the movie can be found here).  Elizabeth, however, enjoys reading, walking, and intelligent conversation.  She is much closer to Wollstonecraft’s idea of what women should strive to be and ends up having a happy and successful life because of it. 

Sources:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2011. Print.

Wollstonecraft. Mary. “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” The Norton Anthology English Literature: The Romantic Period. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2012. 211-239. Print.

William Blake and Coming of Age Stories

William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” (1789) and “Songs of Experience” (1794) describe the differences between childhood and adulthood.  The poems from “Songs of Innocence” are very joyful and kind, whereas the poems from “Songs of Experience” are generally dark and dismal.  Many of the poems in “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience” match up with each other to display two different perspectives on the same subject.  In “The Chimney Sweeper” from “Songs of Experience,” the young chimney sweeper is “crying ‘weep, ‘weep, in notes of woe” and says that God and his parents “make up a heaven of our misery” (Blake 128).  In “The Chimney Sweeper” from “Songs of Innocence,” however, the boy sooths another crying child and dreams of meeting angels.  He later says that “if all do their duty, they need not fear harm” (Blake 122).  The boys from these poems are both experiencing the same terrible situation, but the child from “Songs of Experience” has a much clearer idea of how awful his situation truly is and has lost all hope because of it. 

This contrast between “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience” displays a stark change between childhood and adulthood that can also be observed in many different coming of age stories in literature today.  One modern example of a coming of age story is Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2000).  Persepolis is a graphic novel about the life of a young girl named Marji living with her family in Iran in the 1980s.  This was near the beginning of a time of extreme religious and political turmoil in this area and it forced Marji to learn some harsh truths about the world at a young age.  She experiences poverty, bombings, the execution of her uncle, and homelessness that all completely change her view of the world.  As the story progresses, we see Marji slowly learn more about herself and the world around her as she changes from the innocent, somewhat naïve girl that we meet at the beginning of the story into a strong young woman and social activist.  Through these changes in perspective between childhood and adulthood we can learn a lot about the people and situations surrounding us.  

This video from the Persepolis movie shows a part of Marji's childhood.

Source: Blake, William. “Songs of Innocence and Experience.” The Norton Anthology English Literature: The Romantic Period. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2012. 118-135. Print.

The Use of Rhetorical Strategies in "The History of Mary Prince" and Uncle Tom's Cabin

In early nineteenth-century England, Mary Prince’s “The History of Mary Prince” (1831) was impacting society’s views on slaves and slavery.  Prince’s slave narrative details her experiences as a slave and all of the hardships that she had to endure in the process.  When writing her story, Prince employed the use of many different rhetorical strategies.  Her discussions of her beatings, her pregnant friend Hetty’s violent whipping and death, and her own unwavering devotion to her kind owner, Mrs. Williams all help to show Prince’s humanity and to cause an emotional connection in those reading her work.

Prince also employed the use of religion to show her own humanity.  She says “I used to pray God to pardon my sins for Christ's sake, and forgive me for every thing I had done amiss; and when I went home to my work, I always thought about what I had heard from the missionaries, and wished to be good that I might go to heaven” (Prince 17).  Much of her audience was Christian during this time, so this helped them to see how much she really was like them. 

Mary Prince’s story is similar to that of Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852).  This story takes place in the United States, but also uses some similar rhetorical strategies to those in “The History of Mary Prince.”  In Stowe’s novel, Tom is a slave who has recently been sold.  While traveling to meet his new owner, Tom encounters a young girl named Eva St. Claire.  Tom saves Eva from drowning and is soon bought by Eva’s family.  Tom becomes very close to Eva and eventually teaches her about Christianity through reading his Bible together.  Eva and her father soon die, and Tom is sold to a new owner who beats and tortures him to the point of death (You can see a video of this here).  Tom begins to struggle with his faith because of the extreme cruelty that his master is showing him; however, he eventually comes to terms with it and teaches the other slaves about his faith.  Tom’s Christian faith is strong, and only wavers because of the immense cruelty of his master.  During this time, many people believed that slaves were less human than white people.  In this story, however, Tom’s white owner is seen as inhuman while Tom is a kind Christian man who only begins to struggle with his faith when faced with his white master’s.