The passion of one woman’s social concern

Francis Bacon’s Advancement of Learning applied to Margaret Fell’s Women’s Speaking Justified.

Francis Liked Bacon

Pattie Crider

WRT 305

Response 15

October 16, 2013

The passion of one woman’s social concern

            Bacon’s ideology was that scientific discourse is a technical treatment of truth and rhetoric links knowledge to social concerns. Bacon stated that applying reason to imagination would be successful to move the will of the hearer and with that ability involved great responsibility. Fell, an outspoken woman of her time, believed that she was a prophet of God and raised the concern that women were afraid to speak in fear of male retaliation.

As Bacon had stated, bringing the knowledge of social concerns (such as this genuine fear of speaking by women) was important and that the person bringing forth such affection and imagination for the future must be responsible for their actions. The message Fell wished to bring to light (that of women’s rights) was done with great affection as it was important to her specifically.  Her ideas were supported in Bacon’s theory in that those following this strong-minded woman could reason the importance of feminine thought for the future.

Fell was possibly the first to seriously question the rejection of women’s roles in the church. Her affection to this cause was brought forward in their present time and her rhetoric involving Biblical text detailed the roles of woman therein. She passionately stood her ground in support that women not only have the right to speak and be involved but to also be a leader in teaching God’s word. It took a strong woman to speak what would eventually become accepted in the future. It was this passion and reasoning that moved the imagination of other’s will to accept women in the leadership roles they hold in churches today.