A strong essay requires the next three points, a strong effect, influence on its audiences, and is accurate in its historical and cultural contexts. Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence sets these three points better than any other. Proof is the acknowledgement this piece of writing has had over the last two hundred years on an entire country. This essay was effective in its time because it not only proved to be conformed for the elite and highly educated to gain support; it also was able to acknowledge those with minimal education and was able to put in simpler terms what the intentions of the essay were.
Jefferson’s strategic writings have remained effective throughout this countries history. On the other hand Elizabeth Stanton, was not as effective because she was a little ahead of her own time, giving her a smaller audience and less credibility. In conclusion Jefferson’s essay has proven to have a lasting effect on a nations standard of living, through laws, point of views and various other aspects. Jefferson is able to address all sorts of audiences by keeping his ideas formal and clear. The Declaration of Independence was mainly geared towards the people of the colonies, both elite and commoners.
When comparing “The Declaration of Independence” to Wollstonecraft’s “An End to Blind Obedience” it is evident that her audience is not as broad as Jefferson’s. Jefferson is able to connect to a larger audience where Wollstonecraft’s audience is only a small portion of educated men. The third criterion for which makes this essay stronger is it written in the exact time and place it needed to be written. The issues that the essay deals with are important because the issues had an effect on the entire audience it was written for.
This essay was able to address those issues and make evident the things that needed to be changed, while gaining support at the same time. This essay was a tipping point for its time and place. What makes the context stronger in Jefferson’s essay rather then Woolf’s essay “Professions for Women” is that the issues dealt with in Woolf’s essay were not as important to everyone it was intended to effect as was Jefferson’s essay. The problems going on at the time when Jefferson’s essay was addressed affected women, men and children where Woolf’s essay only addresses problems that effected women.
Stanton and Jefferson’s essays have one goal, to effect, persuade and indulge their readers. Effect consists of its reputation in history; how the essay changed its surroundings, how well the community reacted towards the writings and what effect did it have over time. Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” is far to none. On July 4, 1976 the “Declaration of Independence” was signed by the four fathers of the United States of America, then set by the colonies as an American standard of living. Still to this day it is the foundation of the laws of the United States of America.
Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” was so reputable that it managed to exert the idea of the separation of Church and State, a very audacious gesture in that period of time that would change the idea that the colonials had since the pilgrimage to America. Stanton also tries to propose the idea of women being equal to men, an idea just as or more audacious as Jefferson’s separation of Church and State. Stanton was not as persuasive and not as convincing as Jefferson. Her essay came off as absurd in her time; first because of the forgery and relativity between her essay and Jefferson’s essay.
Stanton uses the Declaration of Independence almost literally to provoke the people to read the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Stanton knew that by taking Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, a highly admirable piece of American history, and twisting it to her points of views by adding little remarks regarding women’s rights into Jefferson’s piece, she could stir up controversy and this would get the attention of many. Making her essay effective because of the implausible idea of staining the Declaration of Independence, making her actions more effective, than the contents of her piece.
So in reality the Declaration of Independence is what makes Stanton’s piece effective, not her message. Without Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions would almost no effect on the people. In order for an argumentative essay to be successful it needs to appeal or influence its primary and secondary audiences. The audience is who the essay was intended to have an effect over. An audience is an important part to an essay because they are who will respond to the essay and either criticize the piece or agree with it.
There response is what makes an essay significant and vital to the overall argument of the essay. Jefferson utilizes his education and understanding of the common folk, to interest the highly educated and the uneducated. He uses his abilities of to address the scholarly and the ill-equipped, by making the second part of his essay simpler and understandable to read for all. The beginning of his essay is intended to catch the eye of the trained eye, those who had a sufficient amount of education: people with money, scholars, and the English, and the British Monarchy.
By making the first part of his essay more formal this piece of writing can automatically gain the respect of the all readers and draw the educated reader into the rest of his essay. While the first part of the essay is more formal and lays the foundation of the essay, the second part is straight forward and to the point making it easier for the commoner to understand and agree with. Wollstonecraft’s essay “An End to Blind Obedience” is also effective in the way it pulls the audience into the essay. Wollstonecraft’s primary audience is the oppressor, who at this time was men.
In order to put herself as high as man she uses vocabulary far beyond the capacity of what a women was suppose to know, and the regular man. This was intended to intimidate the dull-witted, while showing the intellectuals that a woman could be as able as any. Wollstonecraft talks about different subjects including religion, science, philosophy and art. By referencing different topics she is able to grab her reader and make her more credible, which was hard to do at this time when women were seen as inferior to men.
Although she used a good technique in grabbing the target audience she is not effective to all as Jefferson is. Wollstonecraft’s wits are her demise in attracting a broader audience. For starters not many women could understand what she was writing about because of her excessive vocabulary, because most women were not as educated as Wollstonecraft was. She also loses a big audience in undedicated men, she believes so hard in attending the educated that she forgets, most men were undedicated as well. Still this was probably her intentions, making Jefferson’s a broader piece, with a larger audience.
When speaking of context, between Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and Virginia Woolf’s Professions for Women, It is evident to the common that the Declaration of Independence is the obvious choice. Jefferson and Woolf are both speaking of situations currently occurring in their time. The difference is how much of the context is relevant to the time. Woolf seems to reflect more on her own life, almost like an autobiography, “But to tell you my story-it is a simple one. ” She continues by setting herself as an example of what women could do in a “man’s world. Where Jefferson is really speaking about a situation that maybe, without his words that inspired the oppressed by a tyranny, today this country and much of history would not be as is. Jefferson speaks to a general public, including the monarchy of Euroupe, speaking of revolution, speaking of freedom, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Analyzing Jefferson’s piece, as well of the history after the piece was released, shows us that Jefferson wrote the right piece at the right time, and probably would have never had a better opportunity. The Declaration of Independence was exactly what the colonials needed to be inspired and revolt against former rule. Where Woolf’s Professions for Women really had no historical impact. It was a good piece, and it was inspirational for women who at the time were not already in the movement, and who needed a successful example such as Woolf.
Woolf was kind of late, women could already vote, they had a lot more rights then they had before. She was an example of a workingwomen as well, still the movement was not as convincing in its context because of the time she already lived in. She wrote many novels, and supported her self already. So In historical, and cultural context, Jefferson’s seems to take the cake. It was perfect for it’s time, and culturally it allowed the both almost all audiences of that time, English, and Colonial. Where Woolf ‘s paper is written for women who were not in the workforce.
