Reflections Upon Marriage
Reflections Upon Marriage
1. According to Mary Astell the women’s customary status in society is that men are superior to women and it is the Wife’s duty to suffer without complaint. She reported that every man by nature is superior to woman and it would be a sin for women to have dominion over men (even the Queen) because of laws of nature. As she said on the third page “if they mean that some men are superior to some women, this is no great discovery.” This obviously indicates that the norm and held belief of this time period in France is that it wasn’t uncommon to recognize male supremacy. Then she goes on to say “had they turn’d the tables they might have seen that some women were superior to some men” this in reference to the Queen at the time who according to Salique Law was not allowed to claim the throne as her own. Then she says the oath to the Queen had little purpose (kind of questions reliability and character of oath takers) and surely their reason and religion had not misguided them to take an oath to a women contrary to the law of nature and reason of things (has a sarcastic tone). It was also said that because men have more physical strength that power gives them a right to rule. She asks the question “if all men are free, how is it that all women are born slaves?” this questions the real purpose of women.
. The language that Astell uses reveals her belief that women are equal to men and should not be the subject of domination. She speak with a rhetorical tone, we can assume this by the questions posed in her writing. For example in the last paragraph she says, “If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves? As they must be if the being subjected to inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of men, be the perfect condition of slavery?.....And why is slavery so much condemn’d and strove against in in case, and so highly applauded, and held so necessary and so sacred in another?” These questions show opinion but it
1. According to Mary Astell the women’s customary status in society is that men are superior to women and it is the Wife’s duty to suffer without complaint. She reported that every man by nature is superior to woman and it would be a sin for women to have dominion over men (even the Queen) because of laws of nature. As she said on the third page “if they mean that some men are superior to some women, this is no great discovery.” This obviously indicates that the norm and held belief of this time period in France is that it wasn’t uncommon to recognize male supremacy. Then she goes on to say “had they turn’d the tables they might have seen that some women were superior to some men” this in reference to the Queen at the time who according to Salique Law was not allowed to claim the throne as her own. Then she says the oath to the Queen had little purpose (kind of questions reliability and character of oath takers) and surely their reason and religion had not misguided them to take an oath to a women contrary to the law of nature and reason of things (has a sarcastic tone). It was also said that because men have more physical strength that power gives them a right to rule. She asks the question “if all men are free, how is it that all women are born slaves?” this questions the real purpose of women.
. The language that Astell uses reveals her belief that women are equal to men and should not be the subject of domination. She speak with a rhetorical tone, we can assume this by the questions posed in her writing. For example in the last paragraph she says, “If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves? As they must be if the being subjected to inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of men, be the perfect condition of slavery?.....And why is slavery so much condemn’d and strove against in in case, and so highly applauded, and held so necessary and so sacred in another?” These questions show opinion but it