Virginia Woolf Professions For Women

Novelist Virginia Woolf in 1931 delivered a talk on “Professions for Women” about women in the workforce. Woolf utilizes extended metaphors, anaphora, questions, and personal anecdotes, throughout her speech. In hopes of reaching out to women to find their inner ability to break society’s impression of what a women is, she uses a reflective and encouraging tone towards the Women’s Service League. During the 1930s which is when this talk was projected, about one fourth of women in America were in the workforce fortunately not decreasing from the depression. Even though at the time this was a good amount of women working, they deserved better. Many women aspired to be more than a house wife and show their worth in society.
One of the main concepts
of the speech Virginia Woolf makes is the “Angel in the House,” an extended metaphor that symbolizes the idea of a woman and their recurring demining role under men. The angel becomes present in Woolf’s speech, as she describes “She slipped behind me and whispered:’ My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic, be tender, flatter: deceive, use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own. Above all, be pure.” Woolf uses this extended metaphor to symbolically concure the Angel in the House by telling her audience that all women are responsible for the killing of the angel too.
“Had I not killed her she would have killed me. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing.”
This extended metaphor empowers her audience and achieves her message of informing women that they have the power to change the roles of women in society. She tells her audience that she has killed the “Angel in the House” meaning she has broke the barriers of herself and men. If she would not have taken a stand she would have been miserable like most women scattering the the demands of the other gender. Giving her place, Woolf believes once she has “killed” the angel she has now brought more life and creativity into her work. As Woolf talks about the killing of the “Angel in the House” she teaches the women that men will not consider women human beings until women are able to take a stand and show their importance in society.
Woolf employs anaphora throughout her speech in efforts of generating a particular effect on the audience. Anaphora puts emphasize on certain words in order to induce an evaluation of women in the workforce. She accents how far women have come and where they still have to go within all of these sentence starters. “For the first time in history you are able to ask them; for the first time you are able to decide for yourselves what the answers should be.” Women used to be known as under men, and the caregivers of the children, but throughout time this has all changed. Women might not have all of the benefits that men do like equal pay, but they are able to see their importance in society. Repeating “For the first time” puts into focus the changes of the roles of women and reflect what they have already done. This talk also leaves women with a sense of hope when it comes to their actions. Woolf invests the power in each woman listening to her speech allowing them to believe they can push their bounds and retrieve their natural rights. “I do not believe you know. I do not believe that anybody can know until she has expressed herself in all the arts and professions open to human skill.” Repeating the words “I do not believe” also draws the listeners’ attention to the fact that some people, mainly men, believe they have a sense of knowledge about how the world should be. No person, no woman knows the capability they have until they try. This goes not only in one area in the workforce, but every job even jobs considered a “man’s job”. In order to have women get farther in the public’s eyes of seeing women working, they must defeat obstacles like stereotypes to get to where men are. “Outwardly, what is similar than to write books? Outwardly, what obstacles are there for a woman rather than for a man?” During that time period, women were expected to be the "Angel in the House", and pursuing such an independent career was not approved. However, once women's involvement became more accepted, it was the trace of fear left behind from past experiences that was a restricting factor. There are few remaining sexist expectations in our society; however, it is mostly due to physical limits rather than each gender's role. Woolf delivers her speech with repetition to reassure her women audience that they can do anything, but they are only capable to doing so if they try.
Woolf also makes use of rhetorical questions within her talk to enforce her point of women finding courage to take a stand against the ideal woman. By asking questions, Woolf not only to get an answer, but more for the overall effect. She also wants her audience of women to see her viewpoint of how capable women are to achieve anything. Woolf first asks “I mean what is a women?” This generates a thought provoking response to the ideal women which is soft soft spoken and her ability of creativeness suppressing caused by the “angel in the house.” Her profession of a writer was a struggle causing her to get past what a woman was suppose to be. Reflective assessment of what a woman is dates back to the beginning, but also what they are right now and the future hope of the gender’s achievements. Woolf concludes with: "You have won rooms of your own in the house hitherto exclusively owned by men. You are able, though not without great labor and effort, to pay the rent. But this freedom is only a beginning; the room is your own, but it is still bare. It has to be furnished; it has to be decorated; it has to be shared. How are you going to furnish it, how are you going to decorate it? With whom are you going to share it, and upon what terms?" This question is there to intensify the new definition of a women and take off all the limitations that women believe they have. This firmly announces that it is not only a distant fantasy, it is possible a woman can be her own person, she can support herself, and she can survive without a man. Woolf reasons that a woman is more than what they are labeled as by society and the men in their lives. She wants to get rid of this submissive image of a woman who never disputes anything, and goes along with everything. This lasting imprint on the audience’s mind is left when she makes them question how they will take a stand.
Throughout Woolf’s speech she incorporates personal anecdotes to portray herself as a women herself going through the same issues.
She tells a story about when she was younger to showcase her struggles from the beginning. “But to tell you my story- it is a simple one…” By providing a portrait of her younger self, she encourages her audience to revisit when they were once young and what they had hoped for themselves in the world. Also, describing herself in the third person makes it easier for the audience to not only imagine the description, but also put themselves in the shoes of the younger Woolf. The women are left with the reflection of where they have began and where they want to be. Woolf has created a call for action to all women wanting to be something like herself. As she has spoke she has portrayed herself as an excellent role model for this women’s movement and appeals to ethos by establishing credibility through the ancetote, not only by being a women but also taking a stand herself. She talks about how she became a journalist, not only putting the envelope in the red box, but also experiencing the want for a change in her life. She has a put a personal touch in her speech to increase the level of trust the women have within their role model. Incorporating personal anecdote also make the speech conversational throughout all women, not just ones present for the speech. This increases the conversation of not only what Woolf has accomplished but furthering the women
group as a whole.
As a whole in “Professions for Women” there is an image of the ideal woman who is submissive to the male roles in her life. Being a submissive she is powerless, passive, and innocent. Instead of what they can do for the society they are measured by their beauty, not their intelligence. At this time in a man’s belief women were put on the earth to cater to them instead of being the “breadwinner” of the house. Woolf incorporates her knowledge, and fearlessness to show her capability to become a role model for many. Through her speech she has inspired many women to think beyond their current role and instead past whatever they had imagined for themselves. She hopes to have inspired the women to take action, and avoid letting the male gender take away their rights. Through her rhetorical devices her message was clear and strong giving the women of America the courage to take their rights into their own hands.