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Virginia Woolf Two Cafeterias

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Society has made people think that women are not as strong as men and that they are less knowledgeable than men as well. Virginia Woolf, in the article “Two Cafeterias” uses only the description of two different meals served at a university to illuminate how inversely women are treated compared to men. However, the idea of her article is not to make you hungry, but, to use comparison to depict a more abstract situation. Woolf uses precise details to reveal her opinion towards women’s place in today’s society. In the first passage Woolf mentions the fact that most journalists will mention the comments that are made, or the activities that where done, but they never mention “what was eaten” at that luncheon. During the men’s meal, their wineglasses were “flushed” with wine. Where the women were given a “water-jug” to pass around their table. This comparison between the men and women’s refreshments encapsulates Woolf’s approach toward the sexist divide. …show more content…

The men were served “potatoes, thin as coin”. Oppositely, the women were served “plain gravy soup”. The sentences in the second essay are short, which reflect the meal the women were given. At the women’s cafeteria after the food was given the cafeteria “emptied of every sign of food”. While at the men’s cafeteria there was “no need to hurry” and the descriptive sentences reflected that. The men’s meal was described “succulent” and covered in “retinue sauces”. The women’s meal was described “transparent” and “yellow at the edge”. The contrasts that Woolf provides implies that men were treated with respect and women were treated like animals. There was little care given when preparing the women’s meal. These descriptions can be reflected into how society is. In society, there is little respect and consideration that is given to

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