Teach the Women for Goodness' Sake

    Although probably not a feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft does make a strong argument for the rights of women. In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman she argues that women need to be educated. In order to be the kind of wife that woman should be, a woman must first be educated. Originally published in 1792, this was the beginning of a long movement for women’s rights. Unfortunately, this is still a problem in some countries as seen in He Named Me Malala, a documentary about Malala Yousafzai.

    Mary Wollstonecraft had strong opinions and was not afraid to publish them. In the beginning she asks "And how can woman be expected to co-operate unless she know why she ought to be virtuous?". Without education, women cannot act the way they are supposed to. The education will give women the knowledge they need to be virtuous. Her hope is that women will "acquire strength, both of mind and body" during their education. She wants women to be healthy and smart instead of frail. This does not mean they have to be bodybuilders, they shouldn't be as strong as a man, but they should get some physical activity; they should be able to survive on their own. After her husband published details of her private life, her ideas were not talked about for over a century. When her work was republished, however, it had an influence on feminists. 

    Unlike Wollstonecraft, Malala Yousafzai would be considered a feminist. Malala dared to go to school and was shot by the Taliban because of it. This was meant to silence her and everyone else fighting for the education of women but now her story is being shared. Education is not normal for women in Swat Valley, Pakistan, where she is from. As she mentions in the trailer, if she had ordinary parents then she would “have two children now”. At 17, this is unimaginable for most people. In Pakistan, this is normal. For those who have not seen this documentary, check out the trailer. Malala has a very strong message to share about the need for education and nothing is stopping her now.          
     Mary Wollstonecraft would not be considered a feminist by today’s standards, but she does believe in a few rights for women. She pushed for strides towards equality even if it wasn’t quite total equality. Malala Yousafzai dared to fight for the rights of Pakistani women to be educated knowing there would be consequences. She stood amongst the crowd to fight for what she believes in. There is still an equality struggle now, but because of women like Wollstonecraft and Yousafzai, women can be educated and there is a continious fight for their equality. 

The Life of a Chimney Sweeper

    Chimney sweepers have been depicted in several different lights. The most recognizable are Oliver Twist and Mary Poppins. Reading William Blake’s poems showed yet another way of seeing chimney sweepers. These examples prove that there are two very different ways of seeing this job; it can be very positive or very negative. 

   Mary Poppins and Blake’s poem “The Chimney Sweeper” from his longer work Songs of Innocence show very positive examples of chimney sweepers. A popular song from Mary Poppins is “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. It is very upbeat and speaks of the luck that chimney sweepers have. This song is sung as the characters skip through the street and greet others. Although Blake’s poem is not quite this happy, it does speak of an angel who “had a bright key/ And he open’d the coffins & set them all free”. These children have hope that no matter how bad it gets, they will find happiness. As long as they do what they should they will “never want joy” nor will they “fear harm”. The innocent have hope for a better life. The poem is also very much like a song in the way it is read. It may not be "Chim Chim Cher-ee" but it does have an upbeat tone. 

      Oliver and “The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of Experience provide a reaction similar to what we picture now. Having been in a school production of Oliver, I am familiar with the scene where Mr. Gamfield wants Oliver to be his apprentice. Mr. Gamfield is not a nice man and many of his sweepers died. Blake also has a negative view in his second poem about chimney sweepers. It is noticeably shorter than the first poem. This one does not speak of angels coming to save the children, it speaks of the sweeper being abonded by his parents and by society in general. Since the child is happy, everyone assumes "they have done [him] no injury/ And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King". This supposedly happy child has been abandoned by everyone because they are so focused on making it to Heaven. This poem is not similiar to a song the way the first is, in fact it is difficult to find a common rhyme scheme or rhythm in this poem. This experienced writer does not have a happy outlook when it comes to the life of a chimney sweeper. 

    The latter examples of chimney sweepers appear to be more likely. It seems unlikely that many chimney sweepers enjoyed their work. It is also unlikely that they lived long enough to sing about it. There are several different depictions of chimney sweepers, even within William Blake’s poems, but even he would agree that it is not good work. Audiences and experiences change the way chimney sweepers, or anything, are shown. When intended for young children, such as the former examples, there will be a happier outlook. There will be a sing song rhythm to keep everything upbeat. The former examples are for experienced audiences and raise awareness of issues. They appear to tell the truth the best they can. Sometimes the truth isn't good. 

The Mistresses

    The stereotype of a “good Christian woman” is very common, but when it comes to slavery this does not seem to fit. Mary Prince and Harriet Jacobs both write about how they were treated badly by their masters, but also by their mistresses. They were not given much love by their mistresses, even though they were taught to show love. They were given examples of good Christian actions from those around them, but not from those closest to them. 

    Mary Prince wrote her own story, The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave, in 1831. She writers that her mistress “did not care to take any trouble about me; and if the Lord had not put it into the hearts of the neighbours to be kind to me, I must, I really think, have lain and died” (Prince 14). Only the neighbors of Prince’s mistress showed any kindness towards Prince. Her mistress could not be bothered with Prince’s well-being. She even threatens to have Prince whipped because the mulatto woman the mistress hired would complain about Prince (Prince 15). Both women were not on Prince's side and made sure she knew her place as a slave.

    Harriet Jacobs, an American slave, wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in 1858. Her story was about a slave named Linda, but she insists that everything in it is what happened to Jacobs herself. Her story was used to show how even the best Christian woman can be brought down due to owning a slave. She mentions that her former mistress and how the woman taught Linda about God’s Word and that everyone should love their neighbor. When the woman dies, Linda realizes her mistress never thought of them as neighbors; Linda was always viewed as a slave (Belasco 771-2). Linda’s former mistress still treated Linda like a slave, not like a neighbor. Jacobs uses this example in her hopes her readers believe the mistress was not following the Word. She told Linda to love others, but did not show love towards Linda.

    Mary Prince and Harriet Jacobs lived in different countries, yet both seemed to experience the “good Christian woman” acting horribly. The mistresses did not take pity on their slaves and, in the words of Prince and Jacobs, did not follow the words they should live by. Slavery brought out the worst in people. It is highly likely that many slaves did not think of their mistresses as good or Christian women.