The Women of Yesterday by Cathy and Mary - Essay Example

?The Women of Yesterday by Cathy and Mary Catherine the Great: You know Mary, our society needs to realize that We, women have also our needs and we also have our worth. Mary Wollstonecraft: You're right saying that, we are part of the society and we are also significant social beings. Catherine the Great: I don`t get it why people think that only men can rule society. I have done a lot for my country, I don`t think that I am still not good enough. Mary Wollstonecraft: It`s true, you expanded Russia`s territory and empire southwards and westwards. You have done more than enough to prove that women are also rational and independent and we have worth in our society not because we are pretty but because we have self-command and knowledge. Catherine the Great: That is why I want to rule my country without man by my side. I am knowledgeable enough to handle Russia`s politics. Mary Wollstonecroft: Education and training are essential to both men and women. We only need the chance to be educated for us to be taught skills to support ourselves and our children with or without our husbands. Catherine the Great: I think I need to propose that to my country, I believe we just need chances for women to be looked up in society not dependent to men, but confident, strong and independent human beings. Mary Wollstonecroft: Well goodluck to that. I am hoping that sooner or later, in the next generations to come, our efforts will be recognized and the women of tomorrow will be treated well than today. Biography Mary Wollstonecroft Born in London on 27th of April 1759, Mary Wollstonecroft was the second of the seven siblings. Because her father`s mismanagement of his inheritance from a successful grandfather, the family experienced decline in financial status which resulted to only having one (1) of the seven siblings to have received formal education. Unfortunately, Mary Wollstonecroft was not given the chance to be formally educated. Despite this unfortunate event of her life, she was able to publish several writings. This knowledge was acquired through the Bible and reading famous writings of Shakespeare and Milton (Tomaselli, 2012). This experience of Wollstonecroft gave her the courage to fight for women to receive formal education. Mary came to the rescue of her sister and they went into hiding for a couple of years until she was able to publish her first book entitled "Thoughts on the Education of Daughters: with Reflections on Female Conduct in the more important Duties of Life (1787) helped ease her considerable financial difficulties. It consists of brief discussions on such topics as ‘Moral Discipline’, ‘Artificial Manners’, ‘Boardings-Schools’, ‘The Benefits Which Arise From Disappointments’, ‘The Observance of Sunday ’, and ‘On the Treatment of Servants’(Tomaselli, 2012). Though Mary lacked a formal education, she was able to do these achievements through her perseverance in enhancing her talents not only in writing but also in reviewing and translating which in return gave her the chance to meet great authors such as Kant and Leibniz who influenced her in her future endeavor in writing. Catherine the Great Catherine the Great was born as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst on May 2, 1729 in Poland as a daughter of a minor German prince. Sophie was then received into the Russian Orthodox Church later changed her name into Catherine who married an heir to the Russian throne known as Grand Duke Peter.Though the marriage was not happy as expected, she bore a child named Paul and later declared empress oevrthrowing her husband now became Tsar Peter III. Her husband was killed and in her reign in Russia, she was able to influence and expand her territory and borders continuing the Westernisation of Peter the Great. As the great leader of Russia, she expanded southwards and westwards soon reaching central Europe ("Catherine the Great", 2012). As quoted, "Catherine's main interests were in education and culture. She read widely and corresponded with many of the prominent thinkers of the era, including Voltaire and Diderot. She was a patron of the arts, literature and education and acquired an art collection which now forms the basis of the Hermitage Museum ("Catherine the Great", 2012)." Historical Status of women in 18th and 19th century Despite the start of development in the industry during the 18th and 19th century, the era was still predominantly rural. Early part of the 19th century, the era was identified as "Cult of domesticity". It is described where "beliefs embodied in this ‘Cult’ gave women a central, if outwardly passive, role in the family. Women’s God-given role, it stated, was as wife and mother, keeper of the household, guardian of the moral purity of all who lived therein. The Victorian home was to be a haven of comfort and quiet, sheltered from the harsh realities of the working world. Housework took on a scientific quality, efficiency being the watchword. Children were to be cherished and nurtured. Morality was protected through the promulgation of Protestant beliefs and social protest against alcohol, poverty and the decay of urban living (Hartman, n.d.)." What Catherine the Great and Mary Wollstonecroft think of Women and Society Catherine the Great was one of the notable women in the century who took steps to influence political and social rights. She proved that women can be aggressive enough to fight for their rights and make known in the society. She ruled in her adopted country in the most independent manner, without man in her side and remaining unmarried after her husband was killed. She used her power to enact laws that reformed Russian Political System. Mary Wollstonecroft was one of the women who publicly pronounced and fought for women`s rights such as education and marriage laws. Wollstonecroft believe that proper education to women will help them get trained in their skills and that they will be knowledgeable to live independently and provide for themselves and their children. what each might think in current role With the current role of women in our society today, the two women will be proud of themselves for speaking and fightingmfor women`s right in their generation. They will be very happy that eveyrthing they sacrificed had been worth it all because today, women have been recognized in society as equal to men. Laws have been enacted and enforced to ensure that the women are granted their rights. References: Tomaselli, Sylvana, "Mary Wollstonecraft", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL = . Catherine the Great (1729-1796). In BBC History. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/catherine_the_great.shtml Read More