An Academy for women
In Daniel Defoe’s essay, “An Academy for Women”, the need for women’s education is expressed. Defoe uses rhetorical devices, such as, pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade the readers to see the reasoning and importance for women to have learning opportunities.
Daniel Defoe appeals to the audience’s emotions using a rhetorical device, pathos, to explain the importance of women’s chance to have an education. Defoe appealed to the readers’ emotions when he wrote, “The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear: and it is manifest that as the rational soul distinguishes us from brutes, so education carries on the distinction. . .” (Defoe). Defoe is arguing that education is what, mainly, distinguishes humans and animals. Without an education, women are closer to animals than humans. Daniel appeals to the emotions of men reminding them that their uneducated women are more brute than human. He, also, appeals to emotion with fear of having a woman with a rough diamond as a soul- a less worthy woman. All in all, Defoe successfully uses pathos to persuade his readers to understand the significance of women possessing an education. …show more content…
Defoe writes, “This chapter is but an essay at the thing, and I refer the practice to those happy days, if ever they shall be, when shall men be wise enough to mend it” (Defoe). Defoe claims to have credibility through wisdom. He subtly attacks the men that are not as wise as him, which is the audience he is trying to persuade. Defoe, in a way, challenges the audience to be as wise as him- making them agree with his views. To sum up, Daniel Defoe does an exemplary job of using ethos in “An Academy for Women” to persuade his
In Daniel Defoe’s essay, “An Academy for Women”, the need for women’s education is expressed. Defoe uses rhetorical devices, such as, pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade the readers to see the reasoning and importance for women to have learning opportunities.
Daniel Defoe appeals to the audience’s emotions using a rhetorical device, pathos, to explain the importance of women’s chance to have an education. Defoe appealed to the readers’ emotions when he wrote, “The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear: and it is manifest that as the rational soul distinguishes us from brutes, so education carries on the distinction. . .” (Defoe). Defoe is arguing that education is what, mainly, distinguishes humans and animals. Without an education, women are closer to animals than humans. Daniel appeals to the emotions of men reminding them that their uneducated women are more brute than human. He, also, appeals to emotion with fear of having a woman with a rough diamond as a soul- a less worthy woman. All in all, Defoe successfully uses pathos to persuade his readers to understand the significance of women possessing an education. …show more content…
Defoe writes, “This chapter is but an essay at the thing, and I refer the practice to those happy days, if ever they shall be, when shall men be wise enough to mend it” (Defoe). Defoe claims to have credibility through wisdom. He subtly attacks the men that are not as wise as him, which is the audience he is trying to persuade. Defoe, in a way, challenges the audience to be as wise as him- making them agree with his views. To sum up, Daniel Defoe does an exemplary job of using ethos in “An Academy for Women” to persuade his