The Education of Women
by Daniel Defoe (1660 - 1731)
I have often thought of it as one of the most barbarous [cruel] customs in the world, considering us as a civilized and a Christian country, that we deny the advantages of learning to women. We reproach [to criticize] the sex every day with folly [thoughtless] and impertinence [disrespect] ; 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 conversable [able to talk] at all; since they are only beholden 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, or a good family, and with tolerable [not unpleasant] parts; and examine what figure he makes for want of 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 [cruel] 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 impertinence? 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 from being made wiser?
1. Evaluate the premise of Daniel Defoe’s argument regarding the education of women.
2. What is his premise? Premise means: “a proposition that forms the basis of an argument or from which a conclusion is drawn.”
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Evaluation Skills:
Objective: Students will evaluate an author’s premises, claims and evidence by challenging them with other information.
Begin:
Discuss what evaluation is:
To evaluate is to determine or set the value or amount of an object or action. You may also use Judge, calculate, compute, measure, audit, appraise, examine.
1. Ask students to evaluate a paragraph they will write in class based on whether or not teachers should go on strike.
Evaluate it for the following criteria giving each a score of 1-10
Brainstorm with students. Have students write a paragraph on whether or not teachers should go on strike. Before writing have them create certain criteria for evaluating the paragraph. Have students provide criteria for evaluating a paragraph. Put these on the board. Examples are:
a. Organization of logical argument
b. Evidence of persuasive language
c. Reaction of reader,
d. Etc.
2. After the paragraph, have students score, with a range of 1-10, and tally the numbers based on their evaluation of the individual criteria.
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