“DESIREE'S BABY”
By Kate Chopin
Writing captured essence
of life in Louisiana
Themes of her writing:
nature of marriage, racial
prejudice, and women’s
desire for equality
LIT. TERMS
 Situational Irony- occurs when the outcome of an action or
situation is very different from what one expects
• Ex. Finding out that the helpful child psychiatrist is
actually a ghost at the end of The Sixth Sense! Totally
unexpected!
LIT. TERMS
Regionalism depicts and analyzes the unique
qualities of a geographical area and its people
Local color- captures the attitudes or customs of
a geographical area
PRE-READING
 Decide whether you think each statement is true or false.
 1. Men’s thoughts and decisions are more valid than women’s.
 2. Mothers love their children more than fathers do.
 3. It is okay to judge people by their outward actions.
 4. It is okay to judge people by their physical appearance and/or skin
color.
 5. People of biracial or multiracial heritage must choose which race to
be a part of.
DURING-READING
 Complete the Thinking Plot Diagram as you read this story
POST-READING
Questions:
• How is the story an example of Regionalism?
• What are some examples of local color in the
story?
• What is the situational irony of the story?
• How does the theme of racial prejudice play a role
in the story?
• Did any of your opinions from the pre-reading
change? If so, which ones and why? If not, why
not?