Choice A is the best answer. Stanton argues that women are repressed in society because men hold "high carnival," or have all the power, and make the rules in "the church, the state, and the home" (lines 16-31,"it...they"). Stanton claims that men have total control over women, "overpowering the feminine element everywhere" (line 18,"crushing...human").
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because Stanton does not use the term "high carnival" to emphasize that the time period is freewheeling, or unrestricted; that there has been a scandalous decline in moral values; or that the power of women is growing.