Virginia Woolf
As a woman writer during the Victorian Era in England, Virginia Woolf was oppressed by the patriarchal society where women's intellectuality was condescended without any question. In the excerpt taken from one of her writings, readers can clearly see her attitude towards the female role during her time. Woolf describes two different meals served during a university visit; one in the male's college, the other in a woman's. Here, she successfully juxtaposes the two roles through the narrative structure, diction and tone, revealing the injustice and the lack of educational opportunity for women. The author purposely structures the men's meal in the first passage, followed by the women's meal in the second to show the rea
" Moreover, people find "no need to be anybody but oneself. (Notice that even the ranking of the accompanies of the food differs between men and women. Readers cannot help but be sucked into a world of glamour, where "all go to Heaven. In a society where the idea of an intellectual woman is unconceivable, and even unacceptable, Woolf makes a strong statement. In the first passage, she describes the glamorous "luncheon part(y)" at the men's college. ) This "homely trinity" implies the womanhood of the time, in which they were expected to take care of the household, and education was out of the picture. She sees that the true cause of women's inferior intelligence is the lack of education; not the lack of brains. Unlike the men's college, women see no big opportunities because the patriarchal society does not consider women as apt for education. Men are automatically put in a higher position, just because they are men. The author shows the pathetic situation of women because she believes it is wrong and unfair. " Instead of the colorful and tasty "retinue" served in the men's college, the beef comes with an "attendant" of vegetables and potatoes. Furthermore, "brilliant" comments are unnecessary since they all possess a "more profound" glow.
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