Virginia Woolf: the Distinct Meals

For many years, men have always intimidated women. From the days of slavery until now, women have always been considered a rank lower than men. Times have changed and circumstances have improved for women. Women have more freedom, civil rights and gain more opportunities. Virginia Woolf, a renowned novelist, describes two different meals, in two passages, one served at the men’s college and the other, at the women’s college. These passages are very different from each other because of its substance. In the first passage, Woolf describes the meal as, simply lush and convivial. On the other hand, in the second passage, the meal is inert and unexciting. Virginia Woolf uses narrative structure, manipulation of language, selection of detail and tone to capture the true atmosphere of the meals. These elements were used to create a significant message of the passages.

Foremost, these passages have a certain structure, in which they are presented. Structure is something that is built or constructed to organize parts of it. The structures of these passages differ on a large scale. In the first passage, the meal is lavish and opulent. Woolf uses parallel sentence structure to illustrate the mouth-watering dishes prepared at the men’s college. It triggers the audiences’ five senses: smell, taste, touch, audio and sight. “the retinue of sauces and salads, the sharp and the sweet, each in its order; their potatoes, thin as coins but not so hard; their sprouts, foliated as rosebuds… (Psg 1) “.

This meal was beyond. voluptuous. She uses parallel sentence structure because she wants to emphasis the splendor of the meal. This passage is in the narrative structure because it is narrated in a sequence or real or unreal events. In the second passage, is bare and dreary. It is written in narrative structure as well. It explains the uninteresting facts about the dreary diner hall and the colorless exhibition of the food that is placed on the table.

This passage has choppy and shallow sentences compared to the sentences present in passage one. Passage two has also used very minimum usage of sensory details. “One could have seen through the transparent liquid any pattern that there might have been on the plate itself. But there was no pattern. The plate was plain” (Psg 2). This quote gives evidence to the fact that the structure of this passage is choppy, dry and to the point.

Additionally, manipulation of the language can be explained as the language used to draw the reader’s attention and bring out certain emotions that are applied in the text. In passage one, the reader is lured in the atmosphere of a delicious cuisine and is impressed by the heavenly dishes prepared by the college cook. Diction can be defined as word choice. Diction can help manipulate the reader. ” beadle himself perhaps in a milder manifestation, set before us, wreathed in napkins, a confection which rose all sugar from the waves” (Psg 1). It emphasizes the excessive ways the napkins are laid, the sugar ripples and waves.

“Sugar waves” and “wreathed napkins” are words draw the reader and create imagery. It conveys the message about the passage and gets the point across to the reader. On the other hand, passage two has very little diction overall. One part in the passage where they use diction is, “stringy as a miser’s heart and exuding a fluid such as might run warmth for eighty years yet not given to the poor, he should reflect that there are people whose charity embraces even the prune” (Psg 2). The diction choice is poor but there is word choice. Manipulation used in passage two is very poor and does not emphasize the meal enough.

Furthermore, selection of details used in these passages is a really important factor. Selection of details is the choice of words, phrases and any kind of rhetorical/literary device used in the passage to convey its meaning to its readers. The first passage is in a setting where people would get butterflies in their stomach. It impresses the reader and makes a good impression on the men’s college. On the other hand, the women’s college did not appeal the audience, in any way.

The second passage started out with, “Here is my soup”(Psg 2). It clearly implies the lifelessness of the passage. It does not manipulate the reader because the passage is very insensitive. It uses cacophony to explain the meal at their college. “suggesting the rumps of cattle in a muddy market,”(Psg 2). Sentences like this do not attract the reader’s attention and is automatically directed to passage with details that are unpopular.

Moreover, tone plays a part in both of these passages. Tone is the mood of the writing and how it is written. In passage one; the tone is luxurious because it is a passage with ample diction and details. It is a skillfully written simile on the various piquant dishes. ” … Cook had spread a counterpane of the whitest cream, save that it was branded here and there with brown spots like the spots on the flanks of a doe” (Psg 1). The passage has an essence of richness in grammar, diction and sensory details. The tone is persuasive and enticing. In the second passage, the tone is straight to the point, harsh and drudging.

The passage gave the assurance of emptiness in a “great dining-hall” and how the foods served there are worse than tasteless ones. “… For it is the nature of biscuits to be dry,” Thus, this suggests the tones for these passages.

Hence, in passage one; Woolf has definitely used the right elements to establish a definite effect to the writing. The elements of literary devices such as, imagery, sensory details, similes and metaphors are effectual. In passage two, the use of cacophony bought out the true colors of this choppy passage compared to the sensory details accomplished by the first passage. Hence, we can say Virginia Woolf uses a narrative structure, manipulation of language, selection of detail and tone to capture the true atmosphere of the meals. These elements are used to establish a significant message of the passages.

Woolf’s message is that women have always been treated poorly and are treated in college in the same manner, whereas, the men live copious lives with appetizing meals at college.