Semester reflection

When reflecting on the semester, I realized that a prominent theme in our studies dealt with the downtrodden, rejected members of society. I began to wonder if this was coincidence that the most important literary pieces from the time period of the enlightenment came from many who were outcasts in one sense or the other. In some cases, the author represented the misfortunate character: Mary Wollstonecraft battled men's view of superiority over women, and Equiano personally was enslaved for most of his life. In other cases, however, the author simply took fascination with characters neglected by society, as in the case of Voltaire's Candide. Though the deists writing in this period were not necessarily neglected, they still represent a sense of the "other" from the norm during this period; Alexander Pope, Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson and the other drafters of the Declaration of Independence all fit into this category.
Why is it that revolutionary and remembered pieces from an era come from those with such a different perspective than the rest of society? Could this trend signify the emphasis on equal rights and freedom of religion that now dominates our lawmaking in the 21st Century? I believe so, not only in the sense that these texts influenced their own time period, but in that they can still be referenced today, and can still inspire ideas in those seeking change within modern society.