A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: Similes 2 key examples

In Chapter 1 of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft begins to address the system of patriarchy and misogyny that subordinates women by improperly educating them. She uses a simile to characterize how egotistical men have become, through adhering to systems of government that elevate men because of riches or heredity instead of ability. Their belief that they deserve the riches and providence that has come their way is, in Wollstonecraft’s opinion, evidence of their overreaching their circumstances. Her simile allows her to suggest the usurping of a greater power:

Man has been held out as independent of his power who made him, or as a lawless planet darting from its orbit to steal the celestial fire of reason; and the vengeance of heaven, lurking in the subtile flame, sufficiently punished his temerity, by introducing evil into the world.

Cite this Quote

In Chapter Two, Wollstonecraft addresses the myriad of false theories for what makes women subordinate to men, and discusses the nature of male-female relationships. Near the end of the chapter, she uses a simile to talk about the value of a woman’s imagination, and how it might be misused. Her language lays bare both the material conditions of women’s lives and the misogynistic distortions that affect their ability to function reasonably in the world:

And this would almost always be the consequence, if the female mind was more enlarged; for, it seems to be the common dispensation of Providence, that what we gain in present enjoyment should be deducted from the treasure of life, experience; and that when we are gathering the flowers of the day and reveling in pleasure, the solid fruit of toil and wisdom should not be caught at the same time.

Cite this Quote