Feminism at its Worst
In her social commentary, A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf, one of the most prolific feminist authors of the modern day, writes an exhortation of women and their stifled intellectual and creative abilities. Through fictionalized examples and specific facts, Woolf encouragingly pleads her case to her audience in an attempt to inspire women to discontinue allowing their minds to be constrained by the (then prevalent) male chauvinistic philosophy. Her use of specific diction and colorful depictions of various events and characters, as well as a vast array of other literary techniques aid her in comprehensively proving her point. Virginia Woolf, and most other women during this time period, found themselves in a state of ambiguity --- as they were treated as partial citizens. While they were capable of achieving social status, they were shunned from political groups, and were admonished for expressing their intellectual opinions. In England, women's suffrage was not gained until 1918, and even then it was only granted to women over the age of thirty. This right was later conveyed to women over the age of twenty-one in 1928. The traditional belief during this time period was that women should remain
Woolf begins her tirade very simply; explaining her original intentions to merely elaborate on the prominent female authors of the past, when asked to speak about women and fiction. She goes on to document Coleridge, as saying, "that a great mind is androgynous, that it is [not] a mind that has any special sympathy toward women; a mind that takes of their cause or devotes itself to their interpretation. Although Woolf's argument for women to rise up against male "oppression" seems sound, it is not. As she finishes her overview of the men's college, Woolf uses expressive, language to describe the richness and variety of the food and drink. As she lays on the banks of the stream, Woolf contemplates her thoughts and likens her ideas to a small fish that is caught, but thrown back so that it will mature, "and one day be worth eating. " (22) Then Woolf goes on to describe how she was also not admitted to the library. When the voting age was lowered to twenty-one, she gave an incandescent speech at Newnham and Girton colleges, which were the only women's colleges at Cambridge. As she continues her walk around the campus, she hears mysterious music. at home so that they could cook, clean, and raise the children. " At this point, Woolf goes through a great effort to describe, through incredibly negative diction, the "horror and indignation" of the Beadle, who was prepared to admonish her for stepping into the grass (which was reserved for the "Fellows and Scholars"). " (41) This last insight is the main point of her diatribe, and concludes her exhortation in full. She describes the foliage as "golden and crimson, [glowing] with color, even it seemed burnt with the heat, of fire. Originally, Woolf thinks that the music is from a celebration, but as she approaches the chapel, she re-diagnoses the music as "[complaining]" and sounding like "the recollection of sorrow. The same goes for the rest of her oratory.
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Acceptance Essays
