Analysis Of Virginia Woolfe´s A Room Of One's Own

For a long period in history, women have been oppressed of their voice and identity. Women have always been seen inferior to men. Resulting to difficulty in getting an education and having the capability of doing things men typically do. In Virginia Woolfe’s essay, A Room of One’s Own, she noticed how limited women are, especially when it comes to writing. According to Woolfe’s essay, “a woman must have money and a room of her own” in order to write fiction (4). Without money, women have to be dependent on men, and without privacy, there can be many interruptions. In actual reality, not many women have these luxuries, resulting in the limitation of writing fiction. Now, this quote can also be seen as a metaphor. For instance, money can be something

When she was three, her parents decided to have a divorce. As a result, Maya and her brother were sent to Stamps to live with their Grandma. At such a young age, she was departed from her parents and was sent to a place that was unknown to her. She wrote, “Our parents had decided to put an end to their calamitous marriage, and father shipped us home to his mother” (5). Readers can sense that Maya felt displaced. The use of the word “shipped” makes it seem like her and her brother were just an item that doesn’t hold much importance. While her parents were living in California, she was living in a segregated town. She wrote, 'If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat” (4). Life indeed was rough for the Black community in the south, especially for a Black woman, but it was worse for a Black woman who didn’t feel a sense of belonging. From the beginning, Maya realized that she would have to go through a lot of limitations and struggle to actually find her true

Maya’s experience with a lady named Mrs. Flowers was one of the most important factors in the affirmation of Maya’s identity. After an incident that questioned her identity, Maya was very quiet and preferred to stay to herself. This was until she met the powerful, Mrs. Flowers. When Maya first saw Mrs. Flowers at her grandma’s store, she was struck by her appearance. Maya narrates, “Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged” (93). Maya realized that Mrs. Flowers was a dark black color, and yet so beautiful. Maya has always been insecure about her dark skin, and often compared it to her brother’s lighter “velvet-black” (22). After meeting someone with equally dark skin like her own, she realized that one can still be beautiful even with dark, black skin. While listening and observing Mrs. Flowers, Maya was very inspired by her. Maya narrates, “She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be” (93-94). In this quote, Maya shifts to her current perspective to show readers the lasting impact Mrs. Flower has left on her. Even as an adult, she still sees Mrs. Flowers as a remarkable human being. Hence, why she is so important in shaping Maya’s life. While Mrs. Flowers was at the store, she asked if Maya could help her bring her groceries