In the following two passages, Virginia Woolf describes two different meals that she was served during

a university
visit; the first meal was served at the men’s college, while the second meal was served at the women’s college. Read
the two passages carefully; then write an essay in which you analyze Woolf’s underlying attitude toward women’s
place in society as she describes the two meals. Discuss how such elements as narrative structure, manipulation of
language, selection of detail and tone contribute to the effect of the passage.

Thesis Statements

Virgina Woolf uses two very different tones to explain men’s and women’s places in society.

Woolf uses tones of wonderment and a dreary nature to accentuate the opposing thoughts in each passage.

Virginia Woolf used many rhetorical strategies to show that the woman’s place in society is not that of a man’s.

The words make it seem as if they have been getting bed better than the women.

Virginia described the details and her opinion of both schools.

Virginia uses tons of description and the way things feel to get the point across on which one is better.

Woolf uses a describing tone in hopes to inform others on the attitude towards women in society.

Woolf uses narrative structure, manipulation of language, selection of detail, and tone to compare the men’s college and
the women’s college.

Opportunity for Paragraph Hook:

…Therefore, at the end of the women’s college meal, “the swing-doors swung violently to and fro.” Which undecided
the mood of the meal. At the men’s college people, “sunk among the cushions in the window-seat.” The meal and
atmosphere was that in which no person would want to leave. Through the_ tone it gives the readers a better
understanding towards a woman’s _________ place in society.

Through the use of word choice Woolf creates a vivid image of both meals. …….

Misinterpretation/Examples that don’t match the claim

Woolf is very descriptive when she is describes her visits. “Here was the soup. It was plain gravy soup. There was nothing
to stir the fancy in that.” She is being very vivid in hopes to show that the food is original. She goes on to explain that the
men’s dining hall of soup, salmon, and ducklings were of “no importance whatsoever.” Virginia goes into detail to prove
that the food is plain at the men and women college, it has no dependence on the women’s role in society.

Too vague… address the prompt!

Throughout the second paragraph Mrs. Woolf’s diction gets very poor. She states that, “It was very plain soup,” and in
the first one she says, “Thin as coins but not so hard.” She was not impressed at all by the girls dining hall her tone was
very poor with no happiness almost as if she was describing a jail dining hall.

In the following two passages, Virginia Woolf describes two different meals that she was served during a university
visit; the first meal was served at the men’s college, while the second meal was served at the women’s college. Read
the two passages carefully; then write an essay in which you analyze Woolf’s underlying attitude toward women’s
place in society as she describes the two meals. Discuss how such elements as narrative structure, manipulation of
language, selection of detail and tone contribute to the effect of the passage.

A woman’s role in history was to cook, clean and raise children. What was to happen when women took a more
prominent role in society, or when she wanted to go to college? Would they be treated as equals or have a lesser value?
Virginia Woolf writes about her two meals at two different colleges. One being a males’ college and the other a females’
college. Her writing includes what one meal had and the other lacked. Both her meals at these colleges would prove
her point that a woman was treated with lesser value than that of a man.

Woolf describes her first meal as a meal fit for the gods. She uses a plethora of transition words to convey that
the meal was not just thrown on the table, but rather the meal was served with a special elegance. This would prove her
point later after reading about her second meal because the meal was anything but elegant and can easily be described
as “plain” or “dry.”

Woolf throughout the passages has a very distinct tone for each of the meals. The first meal would set a tone of
elegance and richness, while the second meal would set a tone of depression and sadness, almost as if you were living in
the Great Depression. The first meal was served with “retinues” of food, which was not common for a man’s meal
because after all a man hold s more value than a woman in most cases. The second meal can also be described as
“ready”. There was nothing “fancy” about it. The food was edible and that was enough for the women because they
knew not to ask for more or complain about the food, for there were those who would have less and still be grateful. It
would not be uncommon for women to act like this during the time period, for women truly did not want to let man
take back what they fought years to gain.

Virginia Woolf writes about unequal treatment of men to women throughout the two passages, but yet does not
once complain about this inequality. This tells us that she is a simple woman who is pleased to have what she does and
does not take anything for granted, while men throughout the years would yearn for more and not be pleased with the
simple joys of life.