She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily." These language parallels anchor the audience's attention and stress Woolf's underlying feminist message. In addition to language parallels, Woolf also uses brilliant imagery and symbolism throughout the speech to convey the central ideas. One of the main motifs in the speech is that of the Angel in the House. The Angel in the House symbolizes the suppression of women and their perpetual oppression by men. The angel comes to life in Woolf's speech, as she describes, "she slipped behind me and whispered: 'My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own. Above all, be pure.'"

Woolf symbolically kills the Angel in the House and tells her audience that all women must take responsibility for killing her too. "Had I not killed her she would have killed me. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing." Saying this empowers her audience, and Woolf achieves one of her foremost goals of the speech in informing women that they have the power to extricate themselves from patriarchy. Men are not going to consider women...

"Professions for Women" is emotional and intense and yet Woolf does not slip into hyperbole because she does not need to. Her credibility as an author is evident in her deft use of diction. Her experiences as a woman bolster what she says, and the fact that patriarchy still prevails makes Woolf's speech still relevant. Therefore, the logos or logic of Woolf's speech is embedded in the very fact that what she says is true. Women are expected to be docile and sexless.
When Woolf delivered her speech to the National Society for Women's Service, universal suffrage was a newly won political right. Modern readers will appreciate the historical context and relevance of "Professions for Women," while being reminded that women still have a long way to go before achieving total equality. The speech raises several important questions for women in the 21st century. In what ways do women continue to censor themselves? In what ways do women continue to fulfill the role of the Angel in the House? Finally, how can women around the world empower themselves so that they can kill the Angel in the House too?

Work Cited

Woolf, Virginia. "Professions for Women."