In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf points out a multitude of facts that brings one to reflect. Woolf points out the importance of having an active life to be satisfied. Staying at home during the day to cook or clean is an absolutly boring life. A fact that she also focuses on is the non-gratitude the society had toward women. Women were considered inferior to men. This is why it was unthinkable for a woman to make a vital discovery. She then explains how a great mind must be androgynous. An opinion is very different from men to women and it is essential to consider both.
Virginia Woolf points out that human beings cannot be satisfied with tranquility in their life. “ It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” A person needs exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts. Women in the 19th century were supposed to be generally calm. They were famous only for making puddings or playing piano but women could accomplish many activities that men did, if they weren’t condemned to have a calm life. Women need action in their life just as men do. In the fifth chapter, Virginia Woolf says that in the 19th century there was no measure for women’s capacities of making a discovery or being a genius, because such an achievement was unthinkable for a woman of that time. “ There is no mark on the wall to measure the precise height of women.” One could not point on the map and say Columbus discovered America and Columbus was a woman or say that a woman discovered the laws of gravitation. There was no award or any kind of gratitude attributed to a woman for being a spectacular mother or an excellent housekeeper. She then states that a great mind is androgynous. “A great mind is androgynous” In the world, one is created in such a way that everything has it’s opposite. This is why our world is perfect. For every ying, there is a yang. For every life, there is a death. For every man, there is a woman. If, in order to attain perfection, both the positive and the negative sides of something must be combined then humans need both aspect to be perfect. Virginia Woolf gave hope to women and made them realize how writing can change society.
Virginia Woolf points out that human beings cannot be satisfied with tranquility in their life. “ It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” A person needs exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts. Women in the 19th century were supposed to be generally calm. They were famous only for making puddings or playing piano but women could accomplish many activities that men did, if they weren’t condemned to have a calm life. Women need action in their life just as men do. In the fifth chapter, Virginia Woolf says that in the 19th century there was no measure for women’s capacities of making a discovery or being a genius, because such an achievement was unthinkable for a woman of that time. “ There is no mark on the wall to measure the precise height of women.” One could not point on the map and say Columbus discovered America and Columbus was a woman or say that a woman discovered the laws of gravitation. There was no award or any kind of gratitude attributed to a woman for being a spectacular mother or an excellent housekeeper. She then states that a great mind is androgynous. “A great mind is androgynous” In the world, one is created in such a way that everything has it’s opposite. This is why our world is perfect. For every ying, there is a yang. For every life, there is a death. For every man, there is a woman. If, in order to attain perfection, both the positive and the negative sides of something must be combined then humans need both aspect to be perfect. Virginia Woolf gave hope to women and made them realize how writing can change society.
