Letter To Bibulus Sempronius Analysis

In Italy, on January 13,1488 Laura Cereta wrote, “Letter to Bibulus Sempronius: Defense of the Liberal Instruction of Women.” This document can be classified as a primary source because it’s part of a letter written to a person addressing a certain topic. The letter was intended for a man named “Bibulus,” but it can also be assumed that after the letter was published the audience could also be the women in the society. In addition, the letter could have also been intended to whoever was against the idea that women should be knowledgeable. This letter was written in order to defend Cereta from being accused by “Bibulus” for wanting to be praised and to defend the idea women shouldn’t be scared to say what they know and to say their reasonings. …show more content…
One of the main points is stated by Cereta when she writes that, “The explanation is clear: women have been able by nature to be exceptional, but have chosen lesser goals” (p.83). This explains Cereta’s idea that women have always been knowledgeable from a long time ago, but choose not to go ahead with what they think and believe. In addition, Cereta states, “You wait perpetually in ambush to entrap my lovely sex, and overcome by your hatred seek to trample me underfoot and dash me to the earth” (p.81). Men at this time will feel intimidated when they felt a women knew more than them, so they would try to get the women to believe they weren’t able to think by themselves so they had to have a husband to decide for them. Cereta states, “And I shall endeavor, by avenging arms, to sweep away the abusive infamies of noisemakers with which some disreputable and impudent men furiously, violently, and nastily rave against a woman and a republic worthy of reverence” (p. 84). This explains why Cereta wrote this letter because she’s defending the women rights to be knowledgable and that they have the right to say their thoughts. Men just don’t want to realize how much more intelligent women are than them and she shows this by giving several examples of where women have had more knowledge and showed others something …show more content…
In addition, it was a time period where women started to share their ideas and show that they were really knowledgeable. At this time men were very arrogant and believed they had to do all the thinking and make all decisions for women. As shown in this document, women always thought of themselves as less and chose not to express their ideas. This is all because they were brainwashed by society at the time making them think their ideas were not worthy of sharing. What this document reveal about the society and period is that at this time women were still fighting against their rights for knowledge. This was a period where men believed women knew nothing and didn’t understand that women are in fact very intelligent. Like the Renaissance era was a time when there was a rebirth in education many women started to come out. This document shows how this time period was all about fighting for what everyone deserves and for equal rights in all aspects for men and women. This society was old-fashioned and this period was leaving that time so when many saw it as the people revolting, in reality it was society evolutioning into what was happening during this time period. The question is did women have their Renaissance in this period? Yes, they did get their Renaissance because after this women were allowed more education and were let free to say what they thought. It was a fight in order to make the men in