Today in class we read Professions for Women by Virginia Woolf. In this essay, Woolf used her own personal hardships she faced being a female writer to illustrate the challenges of being a working woman in a time when women were expected to be docile objects in their homes. I have a great admiration for Woolf because she expressed a serious problem that was happening during her time and she did it in such a way that showed that she was resolute and eloquent in her stance.
One of Woolf's beautiful examples of oppression was the Angel character that she used. This Angel was described as being the ideal woman of her time. She described her as
"...in short. She was so constituted that she never had a mind or a wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others...her purity was supposed to be her chief beauty...".
The descriptive language paints a perfect picture of what this imaginary Angel would look like to Woolf. This image of the Angel can be tied to societal standards today. Women are always expected to be docile and be walked over by men. They are constantly interrupted without apology, are punished for being modest but then berated if they are dressed provocatively and have to go through life with unfortunate instances of sexism and fear at the hands of a man. Woolf was showing that this oppressive figure in her life was keeping her from being true to her writing. This was an injustice to both Woolf and her audience, so she got rid of the Angel. I also love the way that she described getting rid of it.
"She died hard...it is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality. She was always creeping back when I thought I had despatched of her. Though I flatter myself that I killed her in the end, the struggle was severe;...Killing the Angel in the House was part of the occupation of a woman writer".
Woolf used the Angel as a figure to describe the oppression and pressure she felt as a writer to conform to society. This battle that she had with the Angel was set in her bedroom. It makes the battle seem more courageous when the reader realizes that these pressures of conforming can creep into an intimate space such as a bedroom. I am glad that she included that part because it shows that even though Woolf was a successful writer, she could never escape how society wanted her to be. Many women have to face that kind of daunting challenge every day, so it was like Woolf was writing a letter to women past and present that gives them the recognition and appretiaiton they deserve for persevering in their craft in the face of adversity.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Ah, Yes. Cannibalism.
This was, by far, the weirdest thing that we have ever read in class. The article in question is A Modest Proposal, written by Jonathan Swift. While the title makes it seem like this will be a polite article about taxes or ways to save money, it was actually about cannibalism. Child cannibalism, to make matters worse. However, this article is a prime example of satire. Satire, by definition, is "the use of irony or sarcasm to critique society or an individual". By using these tools in his article, Swift was able to put new spins on his satirical writing that added a humorous shock value to it.
Swift was able to establish his ethos by using outside sources that vouched for his credibility. "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food..." By mentioning his American friend (whom I later found out was the Donner group) approving of his plan, it establishes his credibility to speak on the topic at hand. He also establishes ethos by creating multiple points towards an arguement supporting his idea. He mentions many factors that go into taking care of a child, the costs, the economical standpoints and the way that he used research to come to these conclusions. While his preposition is gruesome, one cannot argue that he did not fully stand up for his ideals and that his research bore some good explanations and solutions to the problems in Ireland.
Swift uses many examples of logos throughout his satire. "I have reckoned upon a medium that. A child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, will increase to 28 pounds" and "The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about 200,000 couple whose wives are breeders...there will remain 1700,000 breeders..." Are two examples of the numerous amounts of logos used in this article. This helps his pretend arguement for cannibalism because by showing the actual statistics of the population and what his plan would affect, it shows the reader that Swift has put some serious thought into making this as believable as humanly possible.
Pathos was a big one in this article. The beginning paragraph is all about the female beggars and their starving children. As the essay builds from this point, the reader is always stuck with the image of these poor people and are more than willing to listen to what Swift has to say in order to help. By drawing the reader in by using imagery and sympathy, Swift causes the reveal of his real plan to be shocking and morbidly humorous. He also makes a very bold statement, saying that "...let no man talk to me of these and teh like expedients, till he has at least som eglimipse of hope that there will be ever some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice". Swift is practically daring his readers to practice what they preach and only judge his actions if they can find some plausible reason for it.
Swift was able to establish his ethos by using outside sources that vouched for his credibility. "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food..." By mentioning his American friend (whom I later found out was the Donner group) approving of his plan, it establishes his credibility to speak on the topic at hand. He also establishes ethos by creating multiple points towards an arguement supporting his idea. He mentions many factors that go into taking care of a child, the costs, the economical standpoints and the way that he used research to come to these conclusions. While his preposition is gruesome, one cannot argue that he did not fully stand up for his ideals and that his research bore some good explanations and solutions to the problems in Ireland.
Swift uses many examples of logos throughout his satire. "I have reckoned upon a medium that. A child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, will increase to 28 pounds" and "The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about 200,000 couple whose wives are breeders...there will remain 1700,000 breeders..." Are two examples of the numerous amounts of logos used in this article. This helps his pretend arguement for cannibalism because by showing the actual statistics of the population and what his plan would affect, it shows the reader that Swift has put some serious thought into making this as believable as humanly possible.
Pathos was a big one in this article. The beginning paragraph is all about the female beggars and their starving children. As the essay builds from this point, the reader is always stuck with the image of these poor people and are more than willing to listen to what Swift has to say in order to help. By drawing the reader in by using imagery and sympathy, Swift causes the reveal of his real plan to be shocking and morbidly humorous. He also makes a very bold statement, saying that "...let no man talk to me of these and teh like expedients, till he has at least som eglimipse of hope that there will be ever some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice". Swift is practically daring his readers to practice what they preach and only judge his actions if they can find some plausible reason for it.
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