Virginia Woolf

Introduction

The contributions of Virginia Woolf towards the establishment of women rights are noteworthy. She is an important element in the transformative change that dates back to the Second World War. The women's movement back then brought a new wave of feminism. The beliefs held by Virginia Woolf were pro women and she advocated intellectual liberty and independence of women. Woolf has been an active member in many contemporary women's movements such as Women's Co-operative Guild, the descendents of suffragism and the pacifist (Briggs, p. 95). She wanted women to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights. The feminism of Woolf is an ongoing one, one which has been carried forward through the ages and prevails to date in the form of third millennium politics, women right bills and others. The paper discusses Woolf's contributions to eradicating the occupational segregation of women and uplifting their social status. It also sheds light on the women's challenges and joys today.

Discussion

Virginia Woolf was a feminist. Feminism may be defined as any movement that is based on the underlying objective of enhancing the quality of life enjoyed by women, ensuring their rights are not violated, subjugating the dominance of male members of the society, and emancipating the restrictions and shackles in the heels of women in the name of customs, norms and traditions. The essay A Room of One's Own penned by Virginia Woolf published back in the year 1929 is a rather complex essay and has been debated and discussed in literature many times in the past. While some claim the work to be essentially feminist, others think of it no more than a fiction whereby the scope of the essay is limited only to a collection of violation of minor rights of women. There are three main themes of the essay. It discusses the restricted role of women in literature, the way women are portrayed in fiction and writing and the general state if women at the time. It is imperative to state here that the three concepts or themes are interrelated (Lubbock, p. 356).

Woolf believes that there are certain pre-requisites to women writing. They not only have to have a flair for writing but they also have to have the finances required for fiction writing. She advocates the establishment of Arthur's Education Fund which would help the writers struggling for finances (Briggs, p. 95). The concept of a room is a simple place where women who have a flair for fiction can sit undisturbed by the family members and let their creativity do the magic. She suggests how many women did not have the courage to acknowledge their work by signing it anonymous.

Woolf holds that women are as blessed as men. They are equally talented, if not more for the benefit of men. However, much of the talent possessed by women remains concealed. Even when it is expressed and when it outshines that of men, it remains unacknowledged or is just not appreciated on various ...