Our readings discuss this way of life that a woman should lead. One of the main readings that came to my mind at first was the one we discussed in class by Alphonzo. He basically writes this instruction to women saying, “Ok ladies, here’s what I, the man, have to say. I think that if you listen to this and do what it says, you should be good.” He says that a “woman without delicacy, is a woman without reputation; for chastity really exists in the mind; and when this fountain is pure, the words and actions that flow from it will be chaste and delicate.” His writing instructs women on how they need to maintain a life of purity and virtue and uses several different words all meaning the same thing like we discussed in class. He also instructs women to not be too prudent or coquettish, rather to find the happy medium. I just found that part silly. He addresses women’s education by saying that women are not really that into reading and the stuff that does spark her interests, which he claims is fiction does not do her any good.
In Orlander’s writing women are told more to “watch out” and to “be on your guard” and be careful not to fall into the temptation of men who “may devour” because we are told that once women basically fall into this “abyss of misery [they] can never return to [their] former greatness.” It seems this way too in Eliza’s writing, because she says that her female virtue is gone.
From these readings its shows that women were instructed to make sure and live in the way that was expected. Basically, don’t be whorish. Mind your manners and be submissive to men and you won’t lose your virtue. Chastity and virtue were all that really seemed to matter. A women’s education did not seem to ever extend further than an man’s and she was always well educated on what needs to be done domestically.
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3 comments:
I agree that her education would never go beyond a man's. In fact, it probably wouldn't have been even close to it in most subjects. Alphonzo mentions that women aren't cut out for math and science, and I think the number of women in these fields would have reflected that "inherent" lack of ability. There still aren't very many women in these fields today either. I have a friend, who is a science education major, and she has a couple of classes where she is the only girl.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I definitely agree on how silly it is when Alphonzo says that women should not be too slutty or too prude rather than focus on being somewhere in between. He sets this unrealistic goal for women and expects them to follow it. Women were definitely instructed to act a certain way or they were doomed. It really just wasn't fair.
In my post i also mentioned the text by Alphonzo. In my oppinion, it was the most blatant description of what a woman should behave like. I desliked his writing it seemed like he was trying to manipulate women into acting like he wanted them to. His outline for women behavior did nothing to promote the growth of the female gender, but continued to supress it.
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