Virginia Woolf

I was heartbroken to read about Virginia Woolf's life. Her losses, I am sure, were quite traumatic. Her childhood seemed to be quite painful, which probably helped her become such a moving writer. I believe that a person's best moments, as well as worst moments, shape them into who they are. Their experiences, both good and bad, help mold their personalities, beliefs, and character. Woolf had to go through a great deal during her childhood, which I am sure affected her emotional development.

I was most interested in "A Room of One's Own" because it dealt with the issue of equality between men and women. Even the title suggests that women should be given the opportunity to live a life of their own. Woolf writes, "It would have been impossible, completely and entirely, for any woman to have written the plays of Skakespeare in the age of Shakespeare... his extraordinarily gifted sister, let us suppose, remained at home. She was as adventurous, as imaginative, as agog to see the worldas he was. But she was not sent to school. She had no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil. She picked up a book now and then, one of her brother's perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about the books and papers..." (1241). This passage stuck out in my mind. It was very impressive! I was happy to read that a woman was bringing out the true facts! Women were not allowed to get the education that men were. Taking this into consideration, it is not wonder that if Shakespeare HAD a sister, she would have never been able to perform like he, because women were simply not given the opportunity!

She goes on further and writes, "Even Lady Bessborough, I remembered, with all her passion for politics, must humbly bow herself and write to Lord Granville Leveson-Gower '... notwithstanding all my violence in politics and talking so much on that subject, I perfectly agree with you that no woman has any business to meddle with that or any other serious business, farther than giving her opinion..' And so she goes on to spend her enthusiasm where it meets with no bstacle.." (1243).

This above passage infuriated me! I hate to see women give up the things they are passionate about because society looks down on them! I have several friends that started off college with lots of dreams and aspirations, but many of my female friends are now engaged and think only of getting married! Love and marriage are important, but I wished that in our modern society, women would realize their dreams are important too. I think society has made leaps and bounds since Virginia Woolf's period; even so, we still have a ways to go. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed her work and found her to be most stimulating!