Essay 4 Filatova Maria

School № 43

Primorsky district

Saint-Petersburg

Russia

Robert Burns was a great Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and his birthday is celebrated worldwide. He made Scottish language very beautiful. Robert Burns' songs and poems are widely known and loved.

I’m writing about “The rights of woman” which represents an enormous problem of many centuries.

Burns wrote 'The Rights of Women' for Miss Louisa Fontenelle, a London actress who is known to have performed in both Edinburgh and Dumfries.

Burns was apparently very taken with Miss Fontenelle and so in November 1792 he penned a letter offering her this verse, to be performed at a benefit night.

In this poem Burns communicates the idea that the ruling class would benefit from turning their attention to the female to generate humanity, as opposed to crippling civilisation with war.

'The Rights of Woman' also refers to the role of the female in eighteenth-century society. The poet states that 'The Rights of Woman merit some attention'.

The rights of that Burns were spoken about are 'protection', 'decorum' (or good manners) and 'admiration'. Society should protect and respect the delicacy of the female, and so Burns can be seen to assume a stance typical of his time.

After I had read this poem I thought a lot about this problem and found some information about it. I was really shocked.

Throughout centuries women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Since early times women have been viewed as a creative source of human life. Historically, however, they have been considered not only intellectually inferior to men but also a major source of temptation and evil. Furthermore we can read in The Bible about Eva, who gave an apple to Adam from forbidden tree, tempted by evil. Early Roman laws described women as children, forever served the men. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century Christian theologian, said that woman has been created to take care about a man.

 In ancient India women had to walk behind their husbands. Women could not have something own, could not remarry. In both East and West, male children were preferred over female children.
 
From poem:
“Now, thank our stars! These Gothic times are fled,
Now well-bred men (and you are all well-bred)
Most justly think (and we are much the gainers)
Such conduct neither spirit, wit, nor manners.”

However, when they had been allowed personal and intellectual freedom, women made huge successes. Many countries were ruled by the women: Queen Elizabeth of England in the 16th century, Catherine the Great of Russia in the 18th century, and Queen Victoria of England in the 19th century.

Maternity, the natural biological role of women, has traditionally been regarded as their major social role as well. The stereotype has supposed that "a woman's place is in the home". Formal education for girls historically has been secondary to that for boys. Only by the end of the 19th century, the number of women students had increased greatly.

“One sacred Right of Woman is, Protection”. She was given that right. It was written in constitution and many civilized countries have supported it. However in some places such reforms don’t have a chance to execute the lows carry out. Early reforms under Islam Effort to improve the status of women in Islam occurred during the early reforms under Islam between 610 and 661, when women were given greater rights in marriage, divorce and inheritance.

The State can protect a woman but “Our second Right - but needless here is caution” it can’t give her. Only her family or her beloved can give her attention which she really need.

Unfortunately, nowadays attention signs we can see rare…

 Burns mentions:
“Which even the Rights of Kings, in low prostration,
Most humbly own - 'tis, dear Admiration!
In that blest sphere alone we live and move;
There taste that life of life - immortal love.”
 
 It seems to me this right is interconnected with the right of attention. Now there are many modern technologies for example the Internet. What admiration can we, women, receive from the Internet! We need real emotions, intonations of the voice…
 They say, the woman is the keeper of the family hearth. But she is like a fire which a man should feed making gifts for her: flowers, sweets… He shouldn’t think it’s banal: these small presents give us a great spirit.
 In conclusion, I’d like to say modern technologies are good, but it’s better to chat with others in reality. I believe we’ll return to a natural course of events. Sometimes it’s so important to talk with your dear, to drink tea with him. Is it so difficult?





We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another. (Luciano de Crescenzo)