According to virginia woolf, what are the two main obstacles to women's professional identity
Answers
According to virginia woolf the two main obstacles in women's professional life are : 1. Expectations of society. 2. Expectation of herself. Hope you like it :D
The speech of “Professions for Women” was given in 1931 to the Women’s Service League by Virginia Woolf. It was also included in Death of a Moth and Other Essays in 1942. Woolf’s main point in this essay was to bring awareness to the phantoms and obstacles women face in their jobs. She starts of her speech by describing how female writers before her have made a easier path to her becoming successful, thus she does not have to go through as many obstacles as women in other professions do. She then goes on to describe the “Angel of the House” or in other words that phantom she has to face while working on her writing. This angel prevents her from fully writing what she wants, since it persistently tells her what society is expecting. The phantoms she mentions are what people expect from women. For instance, Woolf is “suppose” to be sympathetic, respectful, pure, charming, and unselfish. She constantly kills the phantom, but it always manages to find a way back. Therefore, she advises others writers to have an unconscious mind due to the fact that it will help them write what they truly want. Writing consciously leads to writing what society wants, thus not being able to express one’s true opinion. Woolf wants women to continue trying to fight these phantoms and obstacles. For instance, she uses a metaphor of an empty house and asks questions like how it will be decorated, who it will be shared with, etc. Just because one has rights does not mean that they should give up in fighting the injustices they are still bound to face. She inspires women to fight for equal rights within men and women, and to try and put an end to stereotypes.
Discussion Questions
1. According to Virginia Woolf, what are the two main obstacles to women’s professional identity? Are these still the two main obstacles, or does the contemporary woman face different hurdles? Explain.
According to Virginia Woolf, the two main obstacles to women’s professional identity are phantoms and issues within themselves. For example, they have to face what society perceives of them and how they view themselves. They can never find a balance. Women today still face these challenges although they are not as evident. For instance, women constantly try to perfect their bodies with surgery, makeup, etc. They change the way they look to please others.
2. Research the origin of “The Angel in the House” (para. 3). Why is this an appropriate or effective frame of reference for Woolf?
“The Angel in the House” comes from England which is where Virginia Woolf is from. This is an effective frame of reference due to the fact that she illustrates what her society expects from her. She is using personal experience, thus making everything seem more real. This phantom of hers has her same background, therefore she knows what she is talking about. If she were to use someone from Canada, for example, it would weaken her argument since she is in no way related to this phantom.
3. What do you think Woolf means in paragraph 5 when she asserts that “a novelist’s chief desire is to be as unconscious as possible”? Do you agree that someone who writes fiction should be “unconscious”? Why do you think a novelist would want to be “unconscious” or would benefit from being “unconscious”?
When Woolf states “a novelist’s chief desire is to be as unconscious as possible,” she means that writers should only focus of their own thoughts. For example, when writing they should refrain from thinking about what others would want to read. I agree with this due to the fact that allowing oneself to be influenced by what society wants would cause a bad piece, since all the attention would go to whether or not the expectations are being faced rather than if the piece is actually good.