TEST NO. 1, QUESTION 1
In Virginia Woolf’s two passages describing two very opposite meals that was served at the men’s college and the other at the women’s college; reflects Woolf’s attitude toward women’s place in society.
When Woolf describes her meal at the men’s college she describes in such a way that implies luxury and choice. The syntax and diction work with Woolf to possess this tone, “many, various, rewards, succulent, and heaven” all contribute to Woolf’s view on men. The implication is she sees that men are of superiority to women further more the fact that men have choices in means is parallel with the idea that they have choices in society a la voting.
The description of the women’s meal could be summed up in one word, plain. Syntactically there are many examples promoting the simplicity of women in society at the time. For the excerpt to open with, “Here was my soup,” shows the monosyllabic words being used and the simplicity of the sentence all imply just that of women’s roll in society; simple, short-lived, and unimportant. The sentence, “the plate was plain . . . transparent . . . no pattern,” just so does a painter thinks of his canvas of white – colorless. The quote reinforces that idea also illustrating that to use the plain ties in with women and their roll in society.
The behavior mentioned in the women’s excerpt, “everyone scraped their chairs back; the swing-doors swung violently to and fro.” The women being described are women who are careless of the way they carry themselves due to their place in society where they cannot do nothing but be a lady.
The meal, and more specifically the concept of the family meal, has traditional connotations of comfort and togetherness. As shown in three of Faulkner’s short stories in “The Country”, disruptions in the life of the family are often reinforced in the plot of the story by disruptions in the meal.
Some may see the interaction between Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns as no more than a cup of tea, but after reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it is evident that it is much more powerful. In chapter 2 of his book, “Nice to Eat With You”, Foster addresses that in literature, a meal scene is not always just a meal scene. For
Willingly or grudgingly, the women in Woolf and Browning’s works are regulated to the domestic circle, discouraged from the literary world, and are expected to act as foils to their male counterparts. Without the means to secure financial independence, women are confined to the world of domestic duties. In Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, Mary Seton’s “homely” mother is neither a businesswoman nor a magnate on the Stock Exchange. She cannot afford to provide formal education for her daughters or for herself. Without money, the women must toil day and night at home, with no time for conversations about “archaeology, botany, anthropology, physics, the nature of the atom, mathematics, astronomy, relativity, geography” – the subjects of the men’s conversations (26).
Virginia Woolf's inspiring work tries to take on many problems in regard to women's work. She takes into consideration comparisons between women's and men's privilleges. Man's greatest advantages over woman would be their chances and opportunities to succeed and the chance to express themselves. Woolf believes , that wealth and a room of one's own is necessary in order to attain intellectual freedom is incorrect and misleading as it does not take into consideration education, having a good self esteem, access to all resources, not having domestic hindrances. These all inclusive of having wealth is essential for a writer to flourish.
They would both agree that this inequality feeds the other motifs described in their own works, such as: the individuality of truth, the importance of monetary means, or the hatred and ridicule that society directs at women writers. Woolf might not have agreed with all of Stael’s beliefs, but she would find Stael’s views on gender inequality and the causes of these inequalities to contain the essential oil of truth she was desperately searching for. Gender Inequality was what Woolf emphasized as the major downfall of women writers, and Stael shared those views on this subject.... ... middle of paper ...
It is obvious that the similarities between Queen Elizabeth I and Virginia Woolf outweigh the differences. Both were learners and thinkers, advocates for they believed in and strong women despite all of the issues that had happened during their short lives. It is important to recognize the similarities between these women, for the traits of bravery, persistence, and wisdom are what make brilliant role models for people throughout time. By pointing out the similarities and differences between these two women, it is easy to see examples of what people in modern times should follow: advocacy for what one believes in and triumphs over life’s dilemmas.
Throughout Virginia Woolf’s writings, she describes two different dinners: one at a men’s college, and another at a women’s college. Using multiple devices, Woolf expresses her opinion of the inequality between men and women within these two passages. She also uses a narrative style to express her opinions even more throughout the passages.
Another large symbol is the narrator’s lack of public interaction. It symbolizes women being out of the public eye in the time period. Women were needed to stay inside and tend to the house and children. They didn’t belong in government, in the workplace, or outside at all.
One of the most fascinating elements that female authors bring to light is their use of perspective—something that’s most commonly illustrated through the eyes of a man, a male author, or, more often than not, both. Women writers offer a different voice than their male counterparts, even if it’s simply by the subtle inclusion of their own experiences within the narrative of the central character. With that in mind, the question must be asked—how do these female authors present their male characters? It’s common for male authors to stick to stereotypes and caricatures of the women they include in their works; but do female authors choose to follow this style as well? How do they represent the “modern man” within their texts? Through Woolf’s
In all of Jane Austen’s novels, the presence of common or uncommon regency food or drink is essential for driving the storylines further, whether it is an opportunity for a marriage proposal to be rejected over a breakfast table or the staging of a revelation about a secret engagement over tea. Even in one instance, is even possible for one character to display his wealth and prowess not by his words, but by the content of his teacup at breakfast. In Northanger Abbey, Austen uses food in order to illustrate certain societal constructs such as creating opportunities for social mingling, satisfying personal health, and even symbolizing a character’s motives and expectations.
...on against women may appear to be an unusual topic, it also appeared in Lady Winchilsea's poetry. Woolf uses language in a multidimensional manner because she employs techniques that involve not only our intelligence but also our senses, emotions, and imagination: we savor the sole, chew the stringy beef, experience anger at the Oxbridge library because Woolf's expertise with the language puts us in the middle of these experiences. Those passages that have that extra brilliance do not detract from the more prosaic parts of the essay; rather, they impart life to it.
Born in 1882 Virginia Woolf is a noted novelist and essayist, prominent for her nonlinear prose style and feminist writings. Her essay “Professions for Women” designed as a speech to be given at the Women’s Service League in 1931, informs her audience of the powerful internal dispute she and other women face in an attempt to live their everyday lives as women living in a masculine controlled society, especially within the careers they desire. Woolf adopted an urgent and motherly tone in order to reach her female audience in 1931 during her speech and in response her audience gathered. As a result of her distinct and emotional writing in Professions for Women, Woolf created an effective piece, still relevant today.
Alex Zwerdling states that “Woolf gives us a picture of a class impervious to change in a society that desperately needs or demands it. She represents the governing class as engaged...
Woolf divided this thought into three categories: what women are like throughout history, women and the fiction they write, and women and the fiction written about them. When one thinks of women and fiction, what they think of; Woolf tried to answer this question through the discovery of the female within literature in her writing. Virginia Woolf Throughout her life Virginia Woolf became increasingly interested in the topic of women and fiction, which is highly reflected in her writing. To understand her piece, A Room of One’s Own Room, her reader must understand her.
Although Woolf’s implication is a fair critique of the effects of patriarchy on feminine gender, does Woolf go far enough in such a critique as a feminist?