The Education of Women Analysis 2022

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Rhetorical analysis - The Education of Women
Daniel Defoe
Name of student
Name of University

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Introduction
Daniel Defoe's essay" The Education of Women" (Defoe, 2015) was written to draw
attention to the higher education for women, a notion that would challenge the norms of the
17th-century European society. Defoe employs a rhetorical strategy to develop his argument in
favor of higher education for women, and his arguments are applicable even today.
Defoe's essay holds value and significance even today as women are still fighting for
equal rights in several parts of the world today. The writer uses Pathos to convince the audience
by making an emotional appeal and invoking sympathy. When he writes," 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", he draws focus on how
the women spend their youth and lives. According to him denying women, the education is "one
of the most barbarous customs" and is simply unacceptable in "a Christian country."
An ethical appeal in Defoe's essay can be seen right from the start as the author makes a
religious argument and uses religious references to add his credibility and establish moral high
grounds. He looks at women as God's creation, and by denying them, an education means going
against God. He writes, "If knowledge and understanding had been useless additions to the sex,
GOD Almighty would never have given them capacities."
The essay convinces the audience by reasoning or logic by writing, "I would have men
take women for companions, and educate them to be fit for it." The statement would appeal to
the majority of readers and understand the benefits of educated women.
Defoe's essay reassures readers as to how educated women would be a great asset to any
society, and he uses certain strong word choices and asks rhetorical questions to persuade his

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audiences thinking. His persuasive arguments to support women education can be employed
even today as women should have the same opportunities as men.

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References
Defoe, D. (2015). The Education of Women. Bartleby- The Harvard Classics, 1(1), retrieved
from https://www.bartleby.com/27/13.html