Option 2 Mary Wollstonecraft
Read this short passage by Wollstonecraft, using the reading notes where helpful. Then, using your knowledge of Wollstonecraft’s broader position as described in the study materials, answer the questions that follow, in a total of no more than 600 words.
To account for, and excuse the tyranny of man, many ingenious arguments have been brought forward to prove, that the two sexes, in the acquirement of virtue, ought to aim at attaining a very different character: or, to speak explicitly, women are not allowed to have sufficient strength of mind to acquire what really deserves the name of virtue.
Source: Wollstonecraft, M. (2004 [1792]) A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Edited by M. Brody. London: Penguin, p. 28.
Reading notes
ingenious: here, meaning overly sophisticated (Wollstonecraft is being sarcastic, as she is unimpressed by these arguments)
strength of mind: she means, in particular, the ability to think and act with reason.
Questions:
What did Wollstonecraft mean by ‘the tyranny of man’ and why did she adopt this phrasing? (5 marks)
What did she have in mind when referring to ‘what really deserves the name of virtue’? (15 marks)
How did the notion that ‘the two sexes, in the acquirement of virtue, ought to aim at attaining a very different character’ serve to support the tyranny of man (in Wollstonecraft’s view)? (20 marks)
Guidance for Option 2
For this option, repeat the question you are addressing before each of your answers. Do not repeat the passage itself, and do not include the questions in your word count. Use the mark allocations as a rough guide to how much space to dedicate to each question.
For Question 1, think about pre-existing attitudes to hereditary aristocracy and the use of ‘tyranny’ in that context (covered in Book 1, Chapter 5).
For Questions 2 and 3 you will need to think about what Wollstonecraft said about the supposedly ‘feminine’ virtues she rejected (this is covered in Book 1, Chapter 5, see especially pp. 247–8). You could answer Question 2, for example, by contrasting virtues that are deservedly so called with the ‘feminine’ virtues she saw as a trap.
Aim to answer the questions in a clear and straightforward style, avoiding irrelevance or repetition. You are not being asked to evaluate Wollstonecraft’s viewpoint, for example, only to describe it. Mentioning examples, from today or from Wollstonecraft’s time, may help you to get ideas across more easily. Use your own words to explain what Wollstonecraft meant, though do quote her words as evidence when that is appropriate.
You will find relevant material in the following places:
Online Block 1, Unit 5 ‘Mary Wollstonecraft’.
Book 1: Reputations, Chapter 5 ‘Mary Wollstonecraft’. Pay particular attention to Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter 5 ‘Mary Wollstonecraft’. Try to get used to Wollstonecraft’s writing style as you work through the quotations and readings.
You may also find relevant material elsewhere, but make sure that you have reviewed the resources listed above.
