Discussion – Character Analysis

Discussion – Character Analysis

Introduction

Kant’s “what is enlightenment” starts with a basic definition of what it is to be enlightened: freeing yourself from the constraints of your self-imposed immaturity. His description of immaturity is much more specific: the inability to take what one has learned and put it to use on one’s own without the help of others. Kant (1784) ends the article by criticizing those who reject the quest for enlightenment, stating that their actions negatively influence the enlightenment of everyone. A person’s freedom to act rises exponentially as they gain enlightenment, transcending the individual. The liberty to act beyond fear or cowardice, which hinders one from becoming enlightened, is a re-creation of it. He employs several characters to achieve his thematic appeals: Guardians, scholars, clergymen, and Fredrick II of Prussia. Other characters include the doctors and the spiritual advisers.

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Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a book on overcoming the oppression and denial of women’s potential in society, which has consequences for their families and society. The book is dedicated to the late Bishop of Autun Charles M. Talleyrand-Périgord, whose ideas on female education were abhorrent to Mary Wollstonecraft. In the preface, she outlines her belief that the state of adult women is primarily due to the neglect of girls’ education. Subordinate creatures who care simply about their appearance, elegance, and humility buy into this tyranny, and they do not know that they are being oppressed.

When she concludes, she goes into depth about the different ways ladies have fun. These reactional activities include frequent visits to fortune-tellers and healers, reading ridiculous books, participating in competitions with other ladies, obsessing over their appearance and etiquette, and lavishly pampering their children and treating them as gods. To have a good marriage, women and men must have something in common. In general, women’s flaws are not due to a genetic predisposition but rather to their socially and educationally marginalized standing. She employs several characters, Rousseau, Milton, Dr. Gregory, Dr. Priestly, Lewis the XIV, Dr. Fordyce, Lord Bacon, and Clergy, to achieve her thematic concerns. This essay will focus on the comparison of the two literary pieces. This includes Guardians, scholars, clergymen, and Frederick II of Prussia. Wollstonecraft’s book includes Milton, Dr. Gregory, Rousseau, and Lewis the XIV.

Lewis XIV vs. Frederick II of Prussia

From 1643 until he died in 1715, Lewis XIV reigned as King of France. Extravagance and absolute power defined his lengthy reign. He was considered a dictator who imposed force upon his subjects to respect his authority. Secondly, he was prejudicial, for he felt women were merely objects of flattery and unable to reason. Thirdly, he was considered unjust, for he carried out his undertakings unjustly and inflexibly. He is spiteful and embarrassed by those who speak to him and finds much delight in doing so. Also, he was ignorant, for everything he did was considered to lack knowledge and dignity (Sireci 252).

On the other hand, Frederick II of Prussia is considered enlightened, presenting a stark difference from Lewis XIV. Kant describes him as a man who did not accept the entitlement of his position(3). Secondly, he is liberal, contrary to Lewis XIV, and he allows citizens to exercise freedom in their reasoning and never imposes his rule upon the people. Besides, he was just, contrary to Lewis XIV. He allowed officials under his government to deliver judgments and express opinions without any interference(Kant 4).

Scholars vs. Dr. Gregory

Due to the stereotypes of laziness and cowardice that have been attached to them, scholars have remained vulnerable to subjective judgment in society. Further, they are seen as submissive and expected to comply with all government requests and instructions. As a result, this leads to them being criticized and being seen as being hesitant to take chances. Their lethargy is exaggerated because they rely too much on the cultural framework and fail to fulfill their responsibility of self-improvement. Furthermore, they are considered illiterate since they fail to use their knowledge to carry out their statutory responsibilities. Moreover, they have been labeled as dumb, and their actions have caused them to continue enslaving themselves in their immaturity, and as a result, they have failed to achieve their freedom.

Women’s eschewal of knowledge and the pursuit of beauty were Wollstonecraft’s main targets. To begin with, Dr. Gregory is described as mythical. He only believes that wearing dresses among women gives them a natural attribute. Additionally, this presents the fact that he is ignorant, just like the scholars, for he fails to recognize the fact that wearing dresses does not imply the attributes of a person.

Furthermore, Dr. Gregory’s ignorance is further portrayed when he advises the wife never to let the husband know of her affection sensitivity. Besides, he also advises his daughters not to acquire the delicacy of sentiments. He is similarly considered foolish, just like the scholars, since Mary remarks that his imagination can only exist where there is no reason. Additionally, Dr. Gregory is spiteful to some aspects of society, such as religion, which he considers a “Matter of Sentiment and Taste” (Wollstonecraft 60). In contrast, this is contrary to the scholars who respect and obey all societal conventions and rules.

Guardians vs Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher, writer, and musician who lived in Geneva during the 18th century. His political ideas significantly affected the French Revolution and the Enlightenment periods, particularly during the French Revolution. Emile published the book on education, which served as a guide on developing a person to be a responsible citizen in the world. The novel Vindication by Mary Wollstonecraft deconstructs many ideas about women and the “nature” that Rousseau had about them.

Firstly, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is described as barbaric. He celebrates the barbaric nature of how the Romans conquered the world without exerting any form of virtue (Wollstonecraft 21). Secondly, he is considered unjust, for he supported the brutal Spartans who unjustly slaughtered enslaved people fighting for their freedoms. He is perceived as backward and ignorant. Wollstonecraft describes him as a person who lacked the vision to support the establishment of true civilization but only exhibited “Sensual ignorance” (Wollstonecraft 25). His backwardness is further illustrated by his actions to stop both men and women from obtaining reason. Rousseau has also been considered to be spiteful. Wollstonecraft remarks that he was responsible, together with other writers on female education and manners, for having portrayed women as weaker than they are. Further, this is also illustrated when he states that women should be passive and weak because they lack physical strength (Wollstonecraft 102).

As a metaphor, Kant uses the word “guardians” to refer to those actual human persons that other human beings seek out for the type of assistance that he believes will lead them to self-discovery. Those whose duty is to “supervise mankind” are particularly identified as guardians who “will willingly do the tedious labor for” others. These guardians include doctors and spiritual advisers.

Contrary to Rousseau, the guardians are respectful of everyone. They help everyone in society to carry out various tasks. The doctors advise the societal members on everything regarding diet, and the spiritual advisers help them understand the bible without any form of discrimination (Immanuel et al. 54). Similar to Rousseau, the guardians are seen to cause complacency and laziness among scholars. Making themselves too available has become the stumbling block to the scholars’ progress and encourages their backwardness.

Furthermore, the guardians even consider acts of progress among the scholars to be highly dangerous (Kant). The guardians are considered just like Rousseau since they impose autocratic despotism on the citizens, denying them a chance for progress and development. Rousseau tried to stop men and women from acquiring knowledge.

Clergymen vs. Milton

Milton is known for his epic poem Paradise Lost; he was a public worker under the Commonwealth of England. On the other hand, Oliver Cromwell’s man of letters served as a scribe for the king. Even though Wollstonecraft criticizes him for his clear views on women, she similarly praises him as a genius. Firstly, he is considered sensible. Wollstonecraft describes him as a great man led by his senses (26). He is courageous because he is not afraid to denounce evil, even during his prison days. In addition, he is considered respectful of the female understanding. He is listed with the Pope to be the few individuals who have not shown contempt for female understanding. Also, Milton is considered intelligent since he is described as not having displayed any form of arrogance when he suffered a suggestion of judgment (Wollstonecraft 160).

The clergymen have been grouped as the guardians of the people. Contrary to Milton, clergymen are backward; they do not appreciate the progress of society and even take oaths to prevent their enlightenment. Contrary to Milton, the clergymen are considered unjust for preventing future generations from expanding their knowledge, and their efforts are seen as criminal. Finally, the clergymen are considered to be tyrannical. They impose dictatorial religious practices that do not allow their congregation to exercise their rights liberally.

Works Cited

Immanuel, Kant, Reiss Hans, and H. B. Nisbet. “An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?.” Hans Reiss (org, Kant’s political writings, Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 54 (1991).

Kant, Immanuel. “An Answer to the Question: “What is Enlightenment?” Konigsberg, Prussia.” (1784).

Sireci, Fiore. “Writers Who Have Rendered Women Objects of Pity” Mary Wollstonecraft’s Literary Criticism in the Analytical Review and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Journal of the History of Ideas 79.2 (2018): 243-265.

Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Yale University Press, (2014).

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Compose a character analysis that compares and contrasts characters from A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft and What is Enlightenment by Immanuel Kant.