In the first paragraph of <em>A vindication of the rights of women</em>, Wollstonecraft uses antithesis when she says "that either nature has made a great difference between man and man, or that the civilization which has hitherto taken place in the world has been very partial". She does this to state the main point of her argument: that men are women are born equally but it is civilization that creates the differences between them.
She immediately states that she has read various books about education and "observed the conduct of parents and the managements of schools", and it is "the neglected education" of women the source of their misery. This is, women would be as able as men if they received the same education.
"that either nature has made a great difference between man and man, or that the civilization which has hitherto taken place in the world has been very partial."
Explanation:
By definition Antithesis means “opposite”. It is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
The idea of contrast is emphasized by parallel structures in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers.
In lines 1-6, Mary Wollstonecraft uses antithesis with the purpose of highlighting her meaning more vividly.
Men and women are the same but civilization insists on treating them differently.Specifically, the idea she expresses more emphatically is that women and men receive utterly different education. She criticizes women’s education as being of lower quality and insists on having laws that would put women’s rights on the same footing as men’s.
