There is this poem that I just adore that is called “A Castaway” by Augusta Webster. In this poem, Webster writes about topics that are very important to me. She tells of a girl that goes about her days with “no wishes, no cares, almost no hopes”. This is the sad truth of our life. People don’t see us ladies as capable of anything past basic housework and they never hesitate to set limitations for us. She talks about being sexually active too which is very shocking to read but I just adore it. Women such as us in this day and age should never even think about being such a thing, lest we want to be shamed by all. Men on the other hand can do whatever fancies them. It vexes me to my core. Why can’t I just be a wanton and everyone else worry about their own selves? Funny that. A disparaging word such as wanton doesn’t sound so bad the older I get. I’d just like to live freely in this life, not likely we get a second chance now, is it? Our male counterparts do quite nefarious things in the shadows, what more do preachers do than gloat on our futures of hell? Not only that, but is it not accurate to say that doctors sort out poisons by chance, and even our noble and prestigious lawyers lie under oath to protect murderers and thieves. What has given our fair people this disposition to clap for those of such vile practices and yet they rancorously derogate us for wanting to have sexual freedoms and even freedom of work and practice. What delegation has set in stone that women can’t do exactly what men can and even more in certain ways? All of these frustrations I have are highlighted wonderfully in this poem.
Editorial Commentary: The young lady speaks of a work that she is passionate about from Victorian writer, Augusta Webster. She has a lot of issues that she displays a clear passion for throughout her commentary. Her writing details issues she has with the workforce and the societal opinions and standpoints on things such as women having aspirations and sexual freedoms. They draw connections between things such as preachers gloating of the hell that awaits everyone and lawyers who lie and compares that to women who would just like to be able to sleep with someone without being an outcast. When drawing these connections and highlighting the problems she has with each, her passion bleeds through and it becomes evident why she chose to include this item. This commentary in all of its grandeur reveals how this relates to her and how remarkably important it all is to her. There is much pain buried in her words from living trapped in a life of no real aspirations or goals. Many people of the time period did not think like her so it would be safe to assume she wouldn’t have gotten much support if she talked about her thoughts openly. Women of the time weren’t exactly expected to have much input or relevancy when it came to major social issues and discussions anyway. There were even female writers of the period that put down women who had similar mindsets to hers, such as the works from Eliza Lynn Linton that would continuously criticize the “New Woman” and demonize them.
Citation: Webster, Augusta. “A Castaway.” 1870. University of Toronto Libraries, London: Macmillan and Co., https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/castaway-0#poemline-134. 18 Nov. 2020.