In Stephen Jay Gould’s essay “Women’s Brains”, he goes through the studies of many scientists who stated that women were less intelligent than men. Gould’s main purpose in this essay is to argue against these studies and explain why they are incorrect. In order to do this, Gould uses Allusions in order to provide evidence for these studies as well as other’s opinions on the topic.
Throughout the essay, Gould uses allusion to support his ideas as well as to provide counterarguments and try to refute them. He refutes works such as George Eliot’s writings and Broca’s argument by providing data and explanations for why they are incorrect. He also explains that some of the ideas are “ill-founded” and extremely untrue. As Gould lives in a society that does not view women as equal to men, these studies are prominent everywhere and accepted as true, which makes his arguments even more valuable. With his arguments and use of evidence, he is able to achieve his purpose of explaining why these previous studies are incorrect.
After reading this essay, I can say that I do agree with Gould’s ideas and what evidence he uses to support it. As a woman, I have experienced instances throughout my life where I have been made to feel inferior to men around me. In society, wage gaps, stereotypes, and disbelief of women have all contributed to the degrading of women. In the business world, women are looked at as intellectually inferior to their male colleagues every day. These ideas that Gould refutes are still extremely evident in today’s society.
AP Lang Blog 
I like how you talked about his use of allusions, and then expanded on how Gould used them to his advantage in the article.
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