Question

a vindication of the rights of woman, mary wollstonecraft
note: when charles maurice de talleyrand - perigord presented his report of 1801 to the national assembly in france, wollstonecraft decided to respond to him. in this passage, she is reacting to his position that women should stay in their place and do not need education. she is arguing directly to talleyrand - perigord
1
2 m talleyrand - perigord
3 late bishop of autun
4
5 pardon my frankness, but i must observe, that you treated the subject of womens rights in too cavalier a manner without care!
6
7
8
9 contending for the rights of woman, my main
10 argument is built on this simple principle, that if
11 she be not prepared by education to become the
12 companion of man, she will stop the progress of
13 knowledge and virtue goodness or honor. if
14 children are to be educated to understand the
15 true principle of patriotism (love of country),
16 man - mother must be a patriot, and the love of
17 mankind, from which an orderly train of virtues
18 springs, can only be produced by considering the
19 moral and civil interest of mankind; but the
20 education and situation of woman at present
21 exclude her out from such investigations.
according to lines 5 - 7, how did wollstonecraft feel talleyrand - perigord treated the issue of womens rights in the paper rapport sur linstruction publique?
what does the phrase \companion of man\ (line 12) mean? what role does education play in women becoming the \companion of man\?
according to wollstonecraft, how should woman be educated?
what does wollstonecraft believe is the impact on children of women who are not being educated in this way?
source: http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111wollstone.pdf

Explanation:

1. "Companion of man" implies an equal - educated partner. Education helps women develop the knowledge and virtue to be true companions, contributing to progress.
2. Wollstonecraft believes women should be educated to understand the principles of patriotism and the love of humankind, to be rational and virtuous.
3. Uneducated women, in her view, cannot properly instill virtues in children, thus hindering the development of an orderly train of virtues in society.

Answer:

1. The phrase "companion of man" means an equal and educated partner who can contribute to the progress of knowledge and virtue. Education is crucial as it prepares women for this role by developing their intellectual and moral capabilities.
2. Women should be educated to understand the true principles of patriotism and the love of humankind, to be rational, and to cultivate virtue.
3. Wollstonecraft believes that uneducated women will not be able to properly educate their children, and this will prevent the development of an orderly train of virtues in society.