“THE STORY OF AN HOUR” K AT E C H O P I N AUTHOR: KATE CHOPIN (1851-1904) • Wrote two published novels and about a hundred short stories in the 1890s (Realism Literary Period) • Most of her fiction is set in Louisiana and most of her best-known work focuses on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women. BUILD BACKGROUND: STATUS OF WOMEN • “The Story of an Hour” takes place about 100 years ago, when the status of women was very different from what it is today. • Both custom and law severely limited women’s actions and their control over their own lives. • Women were not allowed to vote, so they had almost not political or legal power. • Not allowed to own property, and their educational and employment opportunities were limited. • Women had little or no financial independence. STATUS OF WOMEN, CONTD. • Few careers were open to middle-class and upper-class single women, and even fewer to married women-like Mrs. Mallard in this story- who were expected to be supported by their husbands. • Those who did work had to turn over their wages to their fathers or their husbands. • In most American marriages of the time, the husband was the undisputed head od the household and made all the important decisions. BEFORE YOU READ • Predict what you think might happen in this text from the first line: “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.” LITERARY ELEMENTS: IRONY Irony: When something opposite of what was expected happens There are three forms of irony: • Verbal • Situational • Dramatic VERBAL IRONY Definition: • When a character says something different than what is meant. (sarcasm and understatement are included) • In literature, however, a reader can sometimes take literally something a writer meant ironically • The remedy for this misreading is to pay close attention to context. Example • Prometheus says to Zeus, "You are as kind as you are wise." Zeus thinks it's a compliment but it’s actually an insult because Prometheus doesn't think Zeus is wise. SITUATIONAL IRONY Definition: • When what happens is entirely different than what is expected. Example: • Guy Montag, the protagonist of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, is a fireman. However, in this novel set in a possible future, a fireman doesn’t put fires out: he starts them, burning books which society has deemed dangerous and unsafe. DRAMATIC IRONY Definition: • when a writer allows a reader to know more about a situation than a character does. Example: • In Romeo and Juliet, the reader knows that Juliet has taken a sleeping potion. Everyone else, except Friar Lawrence, believes she is dead. LITERARY ELEMENTS: SYMBOLS • Symbols- Determine what these objects and people might stand for while reading the text: • • • • • • Heart Troubles Heart Mrs. Mallard Spring time Patches of blue sky Chair facing an open window LITERARY ELEMENTS • Look for examples of: • Foreshadowing • Figurative Language • Use of Diction to create imagery within the text WRITING ACTIVITIES • What is your interpretation of Mrs. Mallard’s death? Write a persuasive essay, using textual evidence, to support your thoughts. • Write a comparison/contrast essay differentiating the use of irony within the text (namely situational and dramatic irony) and use textual evidence to show this contrast (4-5 paragraph essay) • Discuss symbols within the text. Discuss, using textual evidence, your interpretation of these symbols