Mary, Mary is quite contrary to Burke

(I could not resist the cheesy title, so attempt to overlook that if possible.)

Mary Wollstonecraft was astounded by Burke's Perspectives, thus, she wrote her response to him in the form of a letter. She was a strong advocate for improved treatment of the oppressed, whether it be related to anti-poaching laws or womens' rights.
She presents the principles that Burke addressed and how her views differ from his standpoints. In the first segment, regarding sensibility, she states: "...an honest man with a confined understanding is frequently the slave of his habits and the dupe of his feelings, whilst the man with a clearer head and colder heart makes the passion of others bend to his interest; but truly sublime is the character that acts from principle." (57) This passage reminded me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The people chained to the wall, forced to watch the shadows as their only grasp of reality, were misled because of their ignorance. The controllers of the shadows could be defined as the cold, clear hearts that were bending and shaping the people to their own version of reality. In the end of the allegory, the one that has ventured out into the light and has had his eyes opened, is faced with the question of whether to return for his friends. Cliche' has it may be, ignorance can be bliss to a certain extent, because knowledge can bring much pain. For example, if the rebels that launched the French Revolution never were exposed to the truth about the flaws of their nobility and their laws, reform never would have occurred. But on the other hand, if we recall back to Helena's letters, life became chaotic and insecure when the leadership of the country was shaken. Basically, the subjects could continue blindly accepting what their leaders did without question or they could step out into the excruciating light and act upon their own principles. Mary said that someone that acted based upon principle was rare and I still believe that to be true today. In many cases, people tend to be passive to stay out of conflict and thus, bind themselves to the walls of ignorance.
As a firm believer in democracy, she makes an excellent metaphor for democracy: "These are Gothic notions of beauty--the ivy is beautiful, but, when it insidiously destroys the trunk from which it receives support, who would not grub it up?" (58) The trunk is what makes up the kingdom of the monarch, the commoners. The ivy symbolizes royalty. Ivy is pleasing to the eye and but it is not necessary to the life of the tree and has the potential to choke the life out of the tree. Basically, the tree, democracy, can stand on it's own without the outer wear of ivy. Burke sees royalty as god-like, while Mary sees them as unnecessary and a sham. She also mentions the importance of motives in charity, which calls into question the motives of Burke.
Burke believed that the monarchs and their rules were timeless and natural. Mary makes an excellent argument against him when she brings up the slave trade. Despite his support for taxation, he was in cahoots with Wilberforce to help abolish slavery. She says that if society is expected to adhere to all previous rules placed by ancestry, the slave trade should never be abolished. The ignorant previous generations saw no moral issue with this dehumanization. This point exposes one of the many incidents of inconsistency within Burke.
Unyielding obedience to the monarchy, as a father figure, was encouraged by Burke. Mary finds a hole in this viewpoint as well. At the time, if parents were financially strained, they might encourage their children towards violent actions or prostitution to attain wealth. Should those children endanger themselves and others for the sake of obedience? By no means! My view is in agreement with Wollstonecraft. When parents do not have their child's best interest at heart, I believe the child is entitled to be disobedient out of self preservation. Mary felt this way in regards to the monarchy. The king did not necessarily have the best interest of his subordinates in mind, and thus, they earn the right to reject his authority.