In this scene from Act II of Mrs. Warren's Profession, Mrs. Warren discusses with her daughter Vivie why she chose to enter into prostitution. Mrs. Warren argues that it allowed her to earn an independent living and provide Vivie with a good education, unlike other women who lived in poverty. She says that to respect herself and remain self-sufficient, a woman sometimes needs to rely on the financial support of a wealthy man, though it is better if he is of equal social standing to her. Mrs. Warren believes that those who disapprove of her choices do not understand the real world or the need for women to provide for themselves.

1. Mrs. Warren’s Profession Katelyn Clifford

2. Getting Into It Mrs. Warren’s Profession: Act II What is going on in this scene? Mrs. Warren and Vivie are having a discussion about Mrs. Warren’s profession.

3. The offense “ MRS WARREN [indignantly] Of course not. What sort of mother do you take me for! How could you keep your self-respect in such starvation and slavery? And what’s a woman worth? What’s life worth? without self-respect! “ In psychology, self-esteem or self-worth includes a person's individual appraisal of himself or herself as positive or negative to some degree.

4. Independent Woman “ Why am I independent and able to give my daughter a first-rate education, when other women that had just as good opportunities are in the gutter? Because I always knew how to respect myself and control myself. Why is Liz looked up to in a cathedral town? The same reason. “ Independent living, a philosophy of working for self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities

5. Foolish Nonsense “ Where would we be now if we'd minded the clergyman's foolishness? Scrubbing floors for one and sixpence a day and nothing to look forward to but the workhouse infirmary.” refer to unnecessary, pointless, or non-beneficial actions. Mrs. Warren would not be rich, Vivie would not be educated.

6. The World is Deceiving “ Don’t you be led astray by people who don’t know the world, my girl. The only way for a woman to provide for herself decently is for her to be good to some man that can afford to be good to her. If she's in his own station of life, let her make him marry her; but if she's far beneath him she cant expect it: why should she? it wouldn’t be for her own happiness.” Marry a man that is of the same in life as you are. If you are both of good standing, socially and so forth, marry. If not, it is not to be a Cinderella story. It would not happen.

7. Crooked V. Straight “Ask any lady in London society that has daughters; and she'll tell you the same, except that I tell you straight and she'll tell you crooked. That’s all the difference.” Crooked vs. Straight: the personal character of displaying honesty or fairness VS. someone who is corrupt and uses dishonest or unethical tactics.