There was a quote that we had to respond to from Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own that really stood out to me.
"For masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice."
I began to think about the many different issues that have affected out society that still exist today. The main reason why I think these issues still survive is because of the concept described in this quote. For example, there is racism. Contrary to what many assume, racism still exists today, even in our high school. According to the quote, the voices behind those who are racist are not of that person, but of “the experience of the mass.” Parents teach their children to be racist, or friends influence their friends to be racist. People are not just born with the instinct to be racist, but that instinct is created by their influences. Virginia Woolf is trying to say the same thing here, except about the treatment of women. Just like racism, the stereotypes and restrictions that plague women today still exist because they are passed down through generations. I believe that if we focus on instilling ideas into the minds of children that all humans are equal, then they will grow up believing that. The same effect that keeps racism alive will do the same for how women should be viewed. It will become part of our culture that influences our instincts.
