THE RITE OF SPRING

I felt so bad I wanted to die -it was all so dark… that was the year of my breakdown with him, my loved one, in the spring of 1794 the splendid Captain Gilbert Imlay left me. We weren’t even married, maybe that was the reason why he didn’t want me anymore, but I loved him so much, and when he went away, my heart got broken. It felt like he had forgotten about us: Fanny, my only daughter, and myself, Mary Wollstonecraft. Maybe he thought that I was not enough for him. In the end, I was just the daughter of a farmer. The year after, I attempted suicide, but I couldn’t take it on, and my little Fanny… I couldn’t leave her either.

During my whole life I have thought that no matter if you were a man or a woman: you had the same rights -human rights- and you should have the same opportunities and possibilities. I have never thought that being a woman had to be a fact that closed you lots of doors and had to corset you in the beliefs of society about women having to be delicate, beautiful, and tender like a flower for the others. But as I have always thought and tried to spread out, I don’t want us women to have power over men, but over ourselves. And as I have always been an immovable feminist, I wrote my beliefs in the book “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,» where I explain the reasons why education should be egalitarian.

In 1796, I began a liaison with William Godwin, with whom I got married on March 29, 1797 and had my second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. I had a short and brief life, I died eleven days after giving birth to Mary and I wish William has taught her well, with all my beliefs and the dedication I gave to philosophical feminism.

Aira R.

23 January 1779

My name is James Cook and I´m the captain of two ships whose purpose was to find the Northwest Passage believed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

In all honesty, my hope is nearly gone. We´ve been sailing along the very same coasts for a few weeks now and I’m starting to get frustrated. I think that a bit of a change will do us good, so I´m taking my crew towards the south and explore.

2 February 1779

After ten days and we´ve found and explored the island of Hawaii. The islanders are very nice people and their island is great too.

10 February 1779

The relations with the islanders have soured. Today one of my vessels has been looted. I think people can appreciate how angry I am. But in order to satisfy myself, I´m going to take the local leader as hostage.

14 February 1779

The plan has gone beyond bad. There was a scuffle and I was stabbed. I´ve lost much blood and my time is running out, so this is my last goodbye to the world. I hope people remember me as an explorer and navigator of the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and Australia.

Goodbye world.

Ainhoa G.

One evening of 1732 in Virginia, I was born. My father was Augustine Washington and my mother was Mary Ball. Ever since I have been dreaming about what I would be when I grew up, so when I was ten I finally decided it: I wanted to be President of the United States of America. To fulfill that dream I began practicing with arms when I was 14. This time was difficult because when I was 11 my father died.

After many years of practice I became a soldier and later I was promoted to general. In 1787 we organized the Constitutional Convention, we defeated the British in battle and I became president of the United States of America, the first but not the last in history.

I was considered a national hero by a lot of my fellow citizens, for others, I was the greatest forger of independence. So after 67 years serving the United States of America I went back to the Lord in 1799.

Lucas G.

I’m David Hume, and I was born in the city of Edinburgh, United Kingdom on 7 May 1711. I was a renowned Scottish historian, economist and essayist and I became one of the most influential figures in the Western world during the 18th century.

My philosophy was based on empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. My main works were the “Treatise on Human Nature” and “Research on Human Understanding,” with which I increased my fame in the Europe of Enlightenment. These works were notoriously influenced by John Locke and George Berkeley, as well as several recognized French authors of the time who helped me expand my ideas in their pages.

Also, I worked very hard to create a naturalistic science of man that would examine the psychological basis of human nature itself. In my view, there was a much more central path for human beings where the answers that were being sought could be found, without the need to fall into the mistakes of the past which could only make them fall into an evolutionary setback.

I had several teachers who greatly influenced my thinking and way of seeing life and everything that is in it; among them are several students of the great Isaac Newton, as well as popular writers and poets of that time.

Xavier C.