Donahue The Destructive Male

The Destructive Male

            In 1868 a woman named Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke about a pressing topic for women in the colonies at the time: why is the female role in society valued less than the male role? Stanton establishes her credibility as a woman in society feeling the pressure and consequence of having only men in power. Stanton argues that if women had the right to vote and the right to have an effect in government, there would not be as much conflict and violence in society. She was successful in expressing the feelings of many females at the time, but to males she addresses them in a negative manner, excluding one passage towards the end where she tries to express that she does not believe all men are brutal and selfish. Stanton’s speech was empowering to the women’s rights movement, but may have been seen as a threat to men in power.

            For women everywhere there were feelings of helplessness and that they were not being heard out, and the way that Stanton voiced the same feelings they had must have created a sense of community and bonding that would encourage women to continue their fight for suffrage. Stanton presents her argument convincingly and logically, and appeals to the feelings of the everyday woman in the colonies. She is thus successful in motivating feelings of women everywhere, but her speech had a tone that could potentially threaten the male population.

            For males listening to Stanton’s speech, they may have felt as though their pride had been damaged, and that Stanton was questioning their authority and ability. Men controlled every aspect of government in 1868, and they saw no reason for this to change. Women had a different perspective, as their ideas had been suppressed, but for men, they were able to participate in government and felt that throwing women into the mix would complicate things. The majority of Stanton’s speech criticized the way males ran government, and therefore turned the male emotion against her. Although she established her credibility as a woman, this was another factor that would turn male opinion against her statements. Men believed that they were correct in their ideas and that women were not, and this distorted their perception of her speech. Stanton’s speech may have motivated women, but it insulted the way males handled power and responsibility.