Mary Wollstonecraft – Pernicious effects arise from the unnatural distinctions established in society.

3) What happens to people who are born to wealth and have nothing to do?


This text by Mary Wollstonecraft was a fairly difficult read, I thought that Mary was trying to get to the point that when you’re wealthy you’re enjoying life to the max, and when your poor you just end up being tormented. In this case those women who were born in a wealthy family really have nothing to do. They have everything at their feet, but these types of people, as stated by Mary were major gamblers. They had no worries and didn’t really care much of what was going on around them. This is very similar to today’s society, where the rich people are living in their own world and the poor in their own. The rich are busy enhancing their lives and are looking for places and ways to burn money by shopping, casinos, cars, etc. On the other hand the poor are busy just trying to survive and are living their lives day by day. Most people do say that if “I was rich I would still be the same person”, but in reality overtime money takes over without you even knowing. Don’t get me wrong there are rich people in today’s world that do associate with their community but the majority doesn’t. Also I thought that according to Mary that if a women is born in to a wealthy home, she will be let off on her duties. Meaning there wouldn’t be much expected from the women “for when they neglect domestic duties, they have it not in their own power to take the field and march and counter-march like soldiers,” (Mary 753).


Works sited

Mary Wollstonecraft. “Pernicious effects arise from the unnatural distinctions established in society” A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford St. Martins,2006 pp 102-110.