Class Questions from Friday 1-30

In class on Friday we were discussing 3 questions: What is Woolf's "take away" point or conclusion? Is her point still relevant today? and, Does it need to be adapted in any way? I didn't share my opinions in class, but I would like to share my thoughts now.

I think Woolf's "take away" point is that the women she is speaking to have no excuse not to succeed, to not be ground-breaking. Women before them were denied the means needed for success and now these women are given those means and must take advantage of what they have been given. Woolf wants these women to succeed for all the women before them. She explains, "but she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh." (p.113).

This point is still relevant in today's world because there are many people who have been given all they need to succeed and do not use it. For example, some people have the ability to go to college, get an education, and later a job, but choose not to go. Then there are those who do not use their God-given talents and waste their gifts.

Woolf's point does need to be adapted slightly in that we don't need to focus on using our gifts for those before us, but rather that we should just take advantage of all the opportunities we have been given and use them to our full potential

What makes a person valuable?

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?