School House Books
Personal Essay Classroom of English Instruction
Compelling Speeches
Daniel Defoe "The Education of Women"
from An Essay Upon ProjectsDaniel Defoe wrote what is considered to be the first novel written in EnglishóRobinson Crusoe (1719). He also wrote several other novels including Moll Flanders (1722). This excerpt comes from An Essay Upon Projectsóa book of essays dealing with subjects such as the education of women, roads, banks, jails, asylums, insurance, income taxósubjects which created controversy in Defoe's life. He seemed to always be in trouble because of his opinions. Read the following excerpt on the education of women. Then write a well-organized essay which evaluates the effectiveness of Daniel Defoe's championship of the education of women with his 18th Century, male audience.
I have often thought of it as one of the most barbarous customs in the world, considering us a civilized and a Christian country, that we deny the advantages of learning to women. We reproach the sex every day with folly and impertinence, while I am confident, had they the advantages of education equal to us, they would be guilty of less than ourselves. One would wonder, indeed, how it should happen that women are conversible at all, since they are only beholding to natural parts for all their knowledge. Their youth is spent to teach them to stitch and sew or make baubles. They are taught to read, indeed, and perhaps to write their names or so, and that is the height of a woman's education. And I would but ask any who slight the sex for their understanding, what is a man (a gentleman, I mean) good for that is taught no more?
I need not give instances, or examine the character of a gentleman with a good estate, and of a good family, and with tolerable parts, and examine what figure he makes for want of an education?
The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear: and 'tis manifest that as the rational soul distinguishes us from brutes, so education carries on the distinction and makes some less brutish than others. This is too evident to need any demonstration. But why then should women be denied the benefit of instruction? If knowledge and understanding had been useless additions to the sex, God Almighty would never have given them capacities, for He made nothing needless. Besides, I would ask such what they can see in ignorance that they should think it a necessary ornament to a woman? or how much worse is a wise woman than a fool? or what has the woman done to forfeit the privilege of being taught? Does she plague us with her pride and importance? Why did we not let her learn, that she might have had more wit? Shall we upbraid women with folly, when 'tis only the error of this inhuman custom that hindered them being made wiser?
The capacities of women are supposed to be greater and their senses quicker than those of the men; and what they may be capable of being bred to is plain from some instances of female wit, which this age is not without; which upbraids us with injustice, and looks as if we denied women the advantages of education for fear they should vie with the men in their improvements.
To remove this objection, and that women might have at least a needful opportunity of education in all sorts of useful learning, I propose the draught of an Academy for that purpose. . . .
The academy I propose should differ little from public schools, wherein such ladies as were willing to study should have all the advantages of learning suitable to their genius . . . .
To such whose genius would lead them to it, I would deny no sort of learning; but the chief thing, in general, is to cultivate the understandings of the sex, that they may be capable of all sorts of conversation; that, their parts and their judgments being improved, they may be as profitable in the conversation as they are pleasant. . . .
A woman well bred and well taught, furnished with the additional accomplishments of knowledge and behavior, is a creature without comparison; her society is the emblem of sublimer enjoyments; her person id angelic and her conversation heavenly; she is all softness and sweetness, peace, love, wit, and delight. She is every way suitable to the sublimest wish, and the man that has such a one to his portion has nothing to do but rejoice in her and be thankful. On the other hand, suppose her to be the very same woman, and rob her of the benefit of education, and it follows thus: If her temper be good, want of education makes her soft and easy. Her wit, for want of teaching, makes her impertent and talkative. Her knowledge, for want of judgment and experience, makes her fanciful and whimsical. If her temper be bad, want of breeding makes her worse, and she grows haughty, insolent, termagant and a scold, which is much at one with lunatic. If she be proud, want od discretion (which still is breeding) makes her conceited, fantastic, and ridiculous. And from these she degenerates to be turbulent, clangorous, noisy, nasty, and the devil . . . .
I believe it might be defended if I should say that I do suppose God has given to all amnking equal gifts and capacities in that he has given them all souls equally capable, and that the whole difference in mankind proceeds either from accidental difference in the make of their bodies or from the foolish difference of education . . . .
And herein it is that that I take upon me to make such a bold assertion that all the world are mistaken in their practice about women; for I cannot think that God Almighty ever made them so delicate, so glorious creatures, and furnished them with such charms, so agreeable and so delightful to mankind, with souls capable of the same accomplishments, and all to be only stewards of our houses, cooks, and slaves.
Not that I am exalting the female government in the least; but, in short, I would have men take women for companions, and educate them to be fit for it. A woman of sense and breeding will scorn as much as encroach upon the prerogative of the man as a man of sense will scorn to oppress the weakness of the women. But if the women's souls were refined and improved by teaching, that word would be lost; to say, the weakness of the sex as to judgment, would be nonsense, for ignorance and folly would be no more found among women than men. I remember a passage which I heard from a very fine woman; she had wit and capacity enough, an extraordinary shape and face, and a great fortune, but had been cloistered up all her time, and, for fear of being stolen, had not had the liberty of being taught the common necessary knowledge of women's affairs; and when she came to converse in the world, her natural wit made her sensible of the want of education that she gave this short reflection upon herselfó"I am ashamed to talk to my very maids," says she, "for I don't know when they do right and when they do wrong. I had more need to go to school than to be married."
I need not enlarge on the loss the defect of education is to the sex, nor argue the benefit of the contrary practice; 'tis a thing will be more easily granted than remedied. This chapter is but an essay at the thing, and I prefer the practice to those happy days, if ever they shall be, which men shall be wise enough to mend it.
Checklist for Evaluating the Argument of Daniel Defoe's Essay
STEP 1: Check each item listed below which accurately describes the positive aspects of the essay being graded. Add one point for each item checked from the list. This side describes the basic requirements for a well-written essay.
___-___1. The writer clearly identifies the stance taken by Daniel Defoe about the importance of education for women.
___-___2. The writer analyzes how the logical appeals make the argument more effective.
___-___3. The writer analyzes how the emotional appeals make the argument more effective.
___-___4. The writer analyzes how the author's manipulation of diction and syntax, or other stylistic devices helps to convince the audience to support an Academy for Women.
___-___5. The writer discusses the creditability of the speaker based on the standards of ethos explained in this chapter.
___-___6. The writer supports the discussion of each persuasive device with strong evidence (a minimum of three embedded bits of quotes per paragraph).
___-___7. The diction and sentence structure of this essay communicates a clear message.
___-___8. The organization of this essay aids in communicating a clear message.
___-___9. The grammar aids in communicating a clear message.MAXIMUM SCORE RESULTS: Grader 1 ________
MAXIMUM SCORE RESULTS: Grader 2 ________
STEP 2: Check each item below which accurately describes the negative aspects of the essay being graded. This side describes how the essay may not be as good as the higher-scoring essays. (Grader one should check column one. Grader two should check column two):
___-___1. The writer's summary of Daniel Defoe's stance is more simplistic than those of the better essays.
___-___2. The writer names the logical appeals but adds no more discussion.
___-___3. The writer names the emotional appeals but adds no more discussion.
___-___4. The writer simply catalogues some examples of the author's manipulation of diction and syntax, or other stylistic devices without relating them to the authors' use of those devices to convince the reader.
___-___5. The discussion of the ethos of the speaker is more limited than those of the highest-scoring essays.
___-___6. Although adequate in number, the evidence in this essay is not as convincing as those of the top-scoring essays.
___-___7. A few lapses in diction or syntax may be present, but the message is clear.
___-___8. The organization of this essay is less appropriate than those of the top-scoring essays.
___-___9. The writer makes consistent errors in grammar and/or other basic elements of composition.RESULTS:
Grader 1: ________________ - ___________ = ___________
Step 1 Score Step 2 Score
Grader 2: ________________ - ___________ = ___________
Step 1 Score Step 2 Score
Grader 1 Score + Grader 2 Score = _______
Above sum divided by 2 = Score for essay
