Miranda Fricker's Intersubjectivity Analysis

The first strand that will be discussed will be that of Liberal feminism which focuses on the issues of gender equality. This theory has influenced the breeding of social activists whose main concern has been conceived as to protect and mend the political and social freedom of life. This has transcended to waging legal and political clashes against gender based violence on a domestic level among others. Feminist political philosophers have enlightened the distinct separation of domestic and public and their influence on maintaining patriarchal domination of women. The domestic setup such as the family has provided for this type of notion, given the roles of bearing children and being caregivers in the household (McAfee, 2014).

Similarly to with education, Wollstonecraft is a strong critic of Rousseau’s ideas in relation to socialization. It can be inferred from Rousseau’s work that he believes that women are innately subservient as he believes that their central purpose in life is to please men. Wollstonecraft uses Rousseau’s work titled Emilius and Sophia: Or, a New System of Education to exemplify this notion as she mentions two characters from the piece named Sophia and Emilius who abide by stereotypical gender norms (Wollstonecraft, 78). Using these characters, Rousseau attempted to prove that “woman ought to be weak and passive, because she has less bodily strength than man and hence infers, that she was formed to please and to be subject to him” (Wollstonecraft, 78). Although Wollstonecraft agrees with Rousseau that women are biologically not as strong as men, she does not believe that physical strength is a reason for women to be seen as subsidiary to men.

According to Flax, feminist theory seeks to understand the power differential between men and women, seeks to understand women’s oppression—how it evolved, how it changes over time, how it is related to other forms of oppression and how to overcome these oppressions. She suggests that feminist theory is intimately related to action. Feminist theory is the foundation of action and there is no pretense that theory can be neutral. Within feminist theory is a commitment to change oppressive structures and to connect abstract ideas with concrete problems for political action. There has to be a commitment to do something

The author establishes this issue well in the cases of Sophie Wender, Rosalind Morton, and Aunt Harriet. These individuals are undoubtedly the most developed emotionally, as well as the most assertive and genuine representations of present day women, shown throughout the novel.. Nevertheless their way of acting is considered “sinful” because they stray from the gendered norms, this is exceedingly present in Aunt Harriet. She is desperate to keep her child even though the baby is considered a deviation. Her attempts at tricking the inspector falls short as her own sister and her husband deny her pursuit and disdain her.

If the husband really loves his wife, why must him finds another? Why don 't him just stick to his wife? No wonder why women are easily back off in this case. However, it is proven that polygamy would spoil a marriage. If polygamy is not taken, perhaps that marriage would be

Power all their end, but beauty all the means.” He writes that they want the same rights and opportunities afforded men, but still use their “womanly” virtues to get what they want. In response to this epistle, Irwin writes, “In either sex the appetite’s the same, for love of power is still the love of fame. Women must in a narrow orbit move but power alike both males and females love.” She reproaches him by stating, “In education all the difference lies.” She goes on to make the point, “A female mind like a rude fallow lies: no seed is sown, but weeds spontaneous rise” in which she basically tells him, hey, if you don’t educate women then how you expect us to be able to fend for ourselves. Mary Leapor did not totally agree with Irwin when she wrote, “An Essay on Women”. Although she admired Pope she argued, “nor education a practical solution: wisdom makes women envious and men resentful” She argued that education of women was not the main problem with the way men think of women and why women had to use their “virtues” to gain security.

For instance in the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet insults women by saying that his daughters apart from Lizzy “are all silly and ignorant like the other girls”. Austen here makes a statement about women and their intelligence. Women themselves show willingness and acceptance of the patriarchal values. They do not resist and acknowledge the belief that men are superior and this is clearly shown in Pride and Prejudice when women accept their fate. At surface reading Mrs. Bennet could be seen as a hypochondriac women but literary theory has suggested that women were seen as inferior and always complaining.

However, some may argue that the reliance on sexuality does not celebrate a women agency because it is demeaning to women and prolongs the stereotype that women are just eye candy/sexual objects. I do not agree with this because everyone has the right to do as they please with their body as long as it does not harm them or society. In my opinion, sexuality is not the most significant aspect of the femme fatale characters, it is the emotional manipulation. 2. After reading chapters 1 -12 I concluded that Cora is indeed a “femme fatale” because she is both sexually attractive from Frank’s perspective and has a habit of complicating things for the men who love her (Frank Chambers

Such type of women who use misandry as a tool for feminism, go against the very idea of what feminism stood for and stands for i.e., achieving egalitarianism by letting women work alongside men and by empowering women so that they could be equal to men in every aspect. Some sections of feminists seem to think that the world would be a better place if matriarchy replaces patriarchy, and if they could be dominant instead of men. It’s the extremist thinking which has made feminism look like a conspiracy or a man hating cult which wants to replace patriarchy with matriarchy instead of striving for equality between men and women. The problem arises when some women start hating men as a whole, and want to be the dominant sex or when women are ridiculed by women for their choice of relationships like marriage and when they criticize women for wanting to stay at home instead of working. Furthermore, when feminists choose to blame all men instead of the few, just because they have been oppressed or offended by some, they are being sexist as sexism means, discrimination based on sex or gender, or the belief that men are superior to women and thus discrimination is

She uses the metaphor of “eclipse” for marriage. The adjective “soft” with metaphor seems to support marriage tie, but an eclipse itself indicates darkness and reclusion. Dickinson wanted to highlight the insignificance of woman as a result of marriage contract but in a patriarchal society their mindset is that they become superior and significant only by getting married and look down upon the girls just the way the people of heaven give inferior look to the people of earth. This inferior perspective from wife to girl is very ironic because women are in false conscience that they are only acceptable and can enjoy their life when they get married otherwise as a girl they have to face many problems in a society. The poetess is making a feminist point that this concept is wrong and she is of the view that the institution of marriage reduces a woman to a mere object that has to follow blindly the wishes of her husband.