Adrienne Rich Claiming An Education

They acknowledged that they came from comfort and were given the privilege and opportunity of obtaining higher education, but for them, that higher education was not a reflection of, or supportive of

In her next chapter, Kerber examines the newfound need for the educating of women. Women were not allowed freedom or a political opinion, but they could not be completely pushed aside. For years women had been taught that education made them undesirable to men and educated women were scorned. Kerber argues that a new need for

Mary Wollstonecraft’s famous book, Vindication of the Rights of Women, is “one of the earliest expressions of a feminist consciousness.” Wollstonecraft claims that women are upset mainly due to the fact that they are not receiving the education they deserve, and goes on to explain how women are notorious for being weak, and mentally unstable. She blames the education system for this since all the books are written by men, and they claim that women are barley humans and are treated as another species. She questions the eligibility of men to claim they are better than women. A useful education, in her opinion, is one that teaches students how to be strong and independent. Her directed audience is anyone who is unsure of the true definition and meaning of feminism. Wollstonecraft believes that all humans are capable of the same intelligence, no matter the gender. Her overall idea is that every individual, both male and female, deserve equality.

Murray answers the argument that offering education to woman will lead them to neglect their "domestic employments" by exploiting the inequality and unequal educational opportunities given to women. She begins her argument by asking for a reason in which a gender of the same species might be born more superior to the other. Murray questions whether the reason why men are mentally superior than women is because of nature, or because men are born with the opportunity to learn. As a result, Murray believes it is unfair to come to the conclusion that women are deficient or unequal to men because the opportunity to obtain knowledge had been denied to women. Therefore, women are not born unequal to men. Murray acknowledges that the reason behind the inequality of the sexes is due to the difference in which men and women are raised.

In Adrienne Rich's "Claiming an Education," she encourages women to "claim" their education, rather than "receive" it. She is referring to the fact that some women feel the need to be granted permission by others, rather than getting up and doing what is best for them. She also inspires the students to take personal responsibility and earn the education they are entitled to, rather than taking the easy route to obtain their degrees. In order to earn the education we deserve, we must become active participants in that education. Students must demand to be taken seriously, make our education a top priority, and take classes that challenge us as individuals.

“The subject of the Education of Women of the higher classes is one which has undergone singular fluctuations in public opinions” (Cobbe 79). Women have overcome tremendous obstacles throughout their lifetime, why should higher education stand in their way? In Frances Power Cobbe’s essay “The Education of Women,” she describes how poor women, single women, and childless wives, deserve to share a part of the human happiness. Women are in grave need of further improvements in their given condition. Cobbe suggests that a way to progress these improvements manifests in higher education, and that this will help further steps in advance. Cobbe goes on to say that the happiest home, most grateful husband, and the most devoted children came from a woman, Mary Sommerville, who surpassed men in science, and is still studying the wonders of God’s creations. Cobbe has many examples within her paper that shows the progression of women as a good thing, and how women still fulfill their duties despite the fact that they are educated. The acceptance of women will be allowed at the University of New England because women should be able to embrace their abilities and further their education for the benefit of their household, their lives, and their country.

Theme: Education, especially for women, is a valued aspect men desire women to not take part in. However, having the privilege of being more knowledgeable than others can led to segregating others, ultimately corrupting yourself.

After stating these points she continues on to discuss the importance of women having the same opportunities as men. One of the first opportunities being the choice to pursue the education she desires and not one that be designated to her, “The education that will fit her to discharge the duties in the largest sphere of human usefulness, will best fit her for whatever special work she may be compelled to do.” She states that, “The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, her

Adrienne Rich writes about what education is for women. “Beyond literacy, you have the privilege of training and tools which can allow you to go beyond the content of your education and re-educate yourselves – to debrief yourselves, we might call it, of the false messages of your education in this culture, the messages telling you that women have not really cared about power of learning or creative opportunities because of a psychobiological need to serve men and produce children; that only a few atypical women have been exceptions to this rule; the messages telling you that woman’s experience is neither normative nor central to human experience” (Rich, 4). Rich’s definition of a woman’s education is to understand and redefine their own women’s

Responsibility is a key component in establishing a person’s character and a vital part of human existence. Of the three definitions the Oxford Dictionary provides, the one of most relevance is; the opportunity or ability to act independently and take decisions without authorization. This definition is particularly important because the decisions a person makes without the influence of others essentially denotes a person’s character and displays who they truly are. Throughout life, numerous opportunities are brought about which require a person to take responsibility and make the appropriate choices. Students are expected to be responsible throughout their academic careers by upholding the standards established by the institution they are

In Adrienne Rich's essay, "Claiming an Education", the author speaks about the female experience against the male-dominated academic scene. Despite the fact that this essay was written in 1979, a number of Rich's points seem timeless. Rich encourages young women to insist on a life of meaningful work. As a seventeen-year-old student, I have often heard from my female companions that they anticipate a higher education as an opportunity to hunt down a spouse. The frequency and zeal of this conclusion, seeing education only as means of marriage, strikes me as particularly pitiful and archaic. Adrienne Rich’s thesis in “Claiming an Education” aptly expresses the array of roles women hold in societies, the benefits, and weaknesses of our education system, as well as the struggles that women are exposed to. She successfully develops her thesis statement by the effective use of a variety of methods of development and various literary devices to improve her writing quality and to help readers interpret her message. I agree with Rich’s thesis statement because education entails being responsible for oneself, not just for women, but for all students.

In Adrienne Rich’s speech, Claiming an Education, a statement was made that broadened my views of being a student in a university: “you cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education: you will do much better to think of being here to claim one” (paragraph 2). To furthermore explain this statement, students (especially women) should not attend school to just “receive” what is offered, but to rightfully take what is yours; which would be the degree.

Adrienne Rich states “That you cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education; you will do much better to think of yourselves as being here to claim one” (23). What is the difference between claim and receive? Rich writes “One of the dictionary definitions of the verb “to claim” is to take as the rightful owner; to assert in the face of possible contradiction. “To receive” is to come into possession of; to act as receptacle or container for; to accept as authoritative or true” (23).

Personal responsibility to me means taking accountability for your own actions, Making a commitment and sticking to it. In order to be a success in college, you have to apply your life learned lessons to the equation, to balance both school and out of school priorities. Because You are responsible for the choices you make, you are ultimately responsible for your success. Becoming a master organizer and learning how to manage your time efficiently, will help you achieve your goals. Taking responsibility for all that happens while you are in college will help you prevail in areas, where you may have lacked confidence. Critical thinking and a desire to succeed will help you accomplish your goals.

Education is something often seen as an equalizer in the face of social injustice. The concept of using school and information to put different people on a level playing field is a noble but misguided attempt at social equality. Education undoubtedly affects the position of people in society positively, while creating an outlet to educate the ignorant, it becomes problematic when education is not an equal opportunity for everyone. In Adrienne Rich’s essay, “Taking Women Students Seriously”, she speaks of the inequality mainly affecting women while subtly hinting at the inequality present in education in regards to race and class. Gender, race and class are three characteristics that work together to create either a positive or negative profile for one’s education.