Saturday, 10 March 2012

Reaction to Harriet Martineau - Woman


Women have had to endure shame and ridicule to become recognized in society. Martineaus’ essay Woman shares similar idea with her previous work Household education. That women were not allowed to exercise their mental abilities would prove a hindrance to their success.
 What she calls “the degradation of the sex” proves to what extent the woman has been down beaten by society. Men, even men have come to write of this shame- it is terrible! Marriage was to be everything for the woman, security, financial freedom and happiness- instead because of intellectual disadvantages it was opposite.

The writers eloquently claim that that nothing is left for women but marriage. Making a comparison with today’s society, we see that there is nothing farther from the truth. Women of today’s world are seemingly taking over from men in all occupations of life. The important thing is to analyze the context and events around the timeframe of the writer.

Basically, the text is merely a repetition of what other previous writers of the same time frame are saying. How women have been treated is not good. I believe men and women are equal and they have equal rights in society. I am all for human rights primarily.
                                                            
It points back to the marriage, that women were trained to consider marriage as the only option they have only limited their potential as women and degraded their capacity to think for themselves under imposed wills.
The writer claims that the morals of women are crushed and how fearful they are.
Masculine and feminine employments are particularly distinct.
Particularly enjoyed the last paragraphs, the woman’s position in society today are still a reflection of what it was over 100 years ago. The writer says, “Persecution for opinion, punishment for all manifestation of intellectual and moral strength are still as common”.

Let us treat our women with respect and love and give them the freedoms bestowed by their creator. They are, according to genesis, a social partner, created for man, not to be a slave of man but his help mate- his equal. The war between man and woman in society has its roots in this cause.

Mythical_Poet
2010

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