The Great Social Evil

In combination with reading A Vindication of the Right’s of Woman, I also read The Great Social Evil. It is a letter written to the editor of the Times by a prostitute in response to a previous letter to the editor by another prostitute. Within the letter the anonymous writer describes how she was raised compared to how the author of the previous letter was raised as a child. She discusses this in order to illustrate to the editor and the audience how she became to be in the position she is in, a prostitute. The author then uses this information to ask why her and other prostitutes are judged and abused by society for what they do. She explains how she is simply another worker and contributor to society. She also states how prostitutes are made to seem evil and sinful by society but should not be judged because of who they were made to be.

                In reaction to this piece, I found it interesting, entertaining, and enlightening. In this time period prostitutes were of a different kind but they also received cruelties for who they were. I believe it is wrong to judge someone without knowing their story and background, which with this letter the author is defending this claim. Society should not judge those who they do not know. The anonymous author was raised differently than those who judged her. It was as if her path was destined to end the way it did which is why I found the piece interesting. I found the piece entertaining because of the sarcastic remarks made by the prostitute, especially her signature which she began with “I remain your humble servant.” I also found the letter enlightening because it made me think about factors that I have not thought about before such as the story behind clothing. I also believed everyone has a background story that made them who they are but to think that there are many layers behind people and things is something I had never taken into consideration. The Great Social Evil was not simply a letter from a prostitute. It was a letter that entertained with its wit and enlightened with its discourse.

Sincerely,

A Girl and Her Heels