Feminism and the Modern Perspective
Humanities Fall 2010
For your final assessment on the feminism unit, you will write a literary analysis essay in which you compare literary
elements in “The Yellow Wallpaper” with two of the other works you have read. Analyze this element and how it is used in
three of the four stories that we have read. You must also relate this element to the feminist historical context that we have
discussed in class (web-quest, lobotomy video, class discussion, etc.). Your annotations and chart should help.
Your essay should be no fewer than three full pages long (text onto the fourth page). Proper MLA formatting is to be
used (typed, double-spaced, correct heading and margins, header, etc.)
DUE DATES: Final Outline: Friday, November 12th
Final Paper, including outline: Monday, November 15th. No exceptions!!!
Some common elements you might consider:
 Indoor spaces (especially spaces that confine characters)
 Outdoor spaces (gardens and their components, such as flowers and fruit trees)
 Foils
 Male figures and how they are portrayed
 Female characters and their inside and outside personas
 The home used as a symbol to show oppression by male figures
 Society’s role in furthering the oppression of women
 Main character’s own repression, and how this contributes to the outcomes of the stories
Example of Thesis Statement: In looking at the three stories “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “Bliss”, and “Trifles”, one can see the
use of symbol to demonstrate the oppression of women by society. The authors of these stories use common household items
to emphasize the treatment of women in the early 1900’s.
Feminism and the Modern Perspective
Humanities Fall 2010
For your final assessment on the feminism unit, you will write a literary analysis essay in which you compare literary
elements in “The Yellow Wallpaper” with two of the other works you have read. Analyze this element and how it is used in
three of the four stories that we have read. You must also relate this element to the feminist historical context that we have
discussed in class (web-quest, lobotomy video, class discussion, etc.). Your annotations and chart should help.
Your essay should be no fewer than three full pages long (text onto the fourth page). Proper MLA formatting is to be
used (typed, double-spaced, correct heading and margins, header, etc.)
DUE DATES: Final Outline: Friday, November 12th
Final Paper, including outline: Monday, November 15th. No exceptions!!!
Some common elements you might consider:
 Indoor spaces (especially spaces that confine characters)
 Outdoor spaces (gardens and their components, such as flowers and fruit trees)
 Foils
 Male figures and how they are portrayed
 Female characters and their inside and outside personas
 The home used as a symbol to show oppression by male figures
 Society’s role in furthering the oppression of women
 Main character’s own repression, and how this contributes to the outcomes of the stories
Example of Thesis Statement: In looking at the three stories “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “Bliss”, and “Trifles”, one can see the
use of symbol to demonstrate the oppression of women by society. The authors of these stories use common household items
to emphasize the treatment of women in the early 1900’s.