1 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2017
    1. I shall only remark that it might well suit the poet's fancy, who sings of sparkling eyes and coral lips, and knights in armor clad; but it seems to me ut-terly inconsistent with the dignity of a Christian body, to endeavor to draw such an anti-scriptural distinction between men and women. Ah! howl many of my sex feel in the dominion, thus un· righteously exercised over them, under the gentle appellation of f'rutection, that what they have leaned upon has proved a broken recd at besl, and oft a spear.

      This is badass and actually had me loling. Basically, Grimké says: "That little poetry bit was cute and all, but frankly, I find your comparison of the female body to a beautiful (but still frail and dependent and clingy) vine as fancifully out-of-touch, demeaning to my faith, and personally offensive to my sex. P.S. The metaphorical tree of masculinity that women supposedly lean on for support and protection (anyone catch the underlying phallic reference here?) is actually either a weak twig or a weapon that impales us. So thanks."