Response to "The Prevailing Opinion of a Sexual Character Discussed"

I'm not quite sure if anyone else feels the way I do, but this article was a killer to read! I think it was mainly due to the antiquity of the language. Wollstonecraft's sentences were so long and confusing that by the time I finally reached the end of the sentence, I completely forgot what she said in the beginning. It would've been a lot easier to comprehend if she sorted out her different thoughts into separate sentences.

I was more confused about the first half of the essay than the second half. Nearly every paragraph left me with many questions! I found it interesting that she was such an avid writer and also married her friend, but unfortunately she died shortly after. I think that Wollstonecraft was thinking very radically compared to the other women of her time, or at least she had the guts to state her very bold opinions!

The opinions of Milton and Rousseau were insulting, to put it lightly. There were several instances where they mentioned that the purpose of women was merely to 'gratify the senses of man.' It was almost unbearable to read these sexist remarks over and over again! It was almost as if women were inferior slaves to men with absolutely no rights to do or say as they please. If I were a woman living back in the 18th century, I wouldn't have put up with sexism! I'm pleased that Wollstonecraft had enough courage to publish her beliefs. I wonder if she was ever strongly criticized for writing such frank remarks.

The essay also discussed how women were dependent of men. It was almost as if they were nothing unless they were with a man. But what good does it do to be with someone if you're only there to satisfy their desires? I wouldn't be a happy camper if I had to serve a man but I wasn't respected or treated like a woman should be. It's strange how much they relied on men as compared to the current day. We now hear songs on the radio such as "Single Ladies," "I Don't Need a Man," and "I Belong To Me." This may be a result from our obvious increase in women's rights in the last few centuries. I do belive, however, that women do not need to have a relationship to define who they are! In my opinion, I think we all would much rather prefer to live in freedom as compared to the poor women in the 18th century being tied down with a ball and chain.

I think that sexism still lives on today to a degree. Even though it is frequently denied, it is still there. Title IX was created to ensure that all women would have equal treatment with sports, but still women are seen as inferior as athletes. Why is so much emphasis placed on the way that women look when men are off the hook so easily? And why is it that men are viewed as smarter than women when clearly women are taking over the world? The ratio of boys to girls in college has dramatically changed, with women greatly outnumbering them. It is also true that men make more money than women even though they have the exact same job! We have also never had a woman president, even though a woman could definitely handle the job. Just because America started with certain traditions doesn't mean that they shouldn't be allowed to change with our society over time. I hope that women's rights will continue to soar as time goes on and one day both sexes can be treated as virtually equal.