One thing I really enjoy about Woolf's writing is that we know exactly what is on her mind at all times. It is also interesting to see how she doesn't think the same way as everyone else; she doesn't follow the trend of how others view women. Woolf even seems to question society's thoughts, especially men's thoughts of women. From the bottom of page 39 to the top of page 40, she mentions, "how much harder it is now than it must have been even a century ago to say which of these employments is the higher, the more necessary." She realizes that there is no way to put value on a person and asks, "Is the charwoman who has brought up eight children of less value to the world than the barrister who has made a hundred thousand pounds?" She wonders how one can possibly put a worth on someone. Why can't the mother have as much impact on the world than the worker? Does how much money a person makes determine their value in society? What about the accomplishments outside of the workforce?
Knowing that all these ideas and questions are running through Woolf's mind, how do you think someone would respond to her if she shared her thoughts? Would a man's opinion be different than a woman's?
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hey Lauren!!!!
ReplyDeleteyour view of Woolf is completely different than Danielle's!!!! which is another point Woolf points out...everyone views the world differently and it is hard to represent an entire body of a homogeneous group.
a man's opinion? DEFINITELY DIFFERENT!!!! throughout her work, she is distinguishing a woman as the "looking-glass vision" (36) for men...our willingness to lie to and build a man's self esteem and confidence makes him think he truly is superior...any other argument is unheard of...how can a man and woman bear equal importance on a society when Mr. John Landon Davies explains, "that when children cease to be altogether desirable, women cease to be altogether necessary" (112)?