Reflection-Tom Hollerbach

The circumstances under which one writes can have a clear effect on one’s writing when the fundamental necessities are not met. In this day and age, I believe this is rarely the case. If someone wants to write then the necessary resources are more than likely readily available to them. In Woolf’s essay, she describes the vast differences between the men’s and women’s colleges of her time. This is now a thing of the past. Gender and race no longer hinder one from receiving a quality higher education. Financial restraints can be an issue, but there are many resources to help one receive the education that they desire. Societal views on writing have shifted over time and now no one should be held back by fear and bitterness, as Woolf describes as an issue that female writers that came before her had to face. This has diminished the necessity for a room of one’s own because it is now only seen as a quiet place where one can gather their thoughts which can be done in a variety of places.

New digital mediums, such as Microsoft Word and Scalar have gained mass popularity over the past two decades. They can be used to convey a message/argument to a large audience, similar to Clark’s and Bronowski’s use of a television series to reach a mass middle class. Word is a program that many students are familiar with nowadays. It is a tool that can be used to effectively get a point across without stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Using unfamiliar writing platforms, such as Scalar, is similarĀ  to Woolf’s description of a woman writing without a room of her own. One can become lost and confused in trying to write successfully, which would typically not be an issue. Societal views and writing mediums change over time and one must be able to realize and adapt to this change in order to be a successful writer.

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