HW: Read “Story Of An Hour,” “Beyond the Bayou,” (45 mins-1 hr); post your blog (if in Group 5) or comment (if not) (30-45 mins); start work on Essay #1 (1-1.5 hrs). See the Assignment Description for details.  

Reading Questions:

-Pay attention to how Chopin depicts the struggles of her female characters.  Would you define these as “feminist” texts?  What does that mean?  Connect: Find a female character in one of the previous readings, and compare with one of Chopin’s protagonists.  Compare/contrast each author’s depiction of their character.  How much agency/power does each character have?

–dynamic versus static characters: pay attention to which characters grow and which ones don’t.  What details does Chopin include to signal growth?  Conversely, what details tell you that a character does not undergo change?  Create: Write a diary entry, from the perspective of one of the minor characters in either “Story of an Hour” or “Beyond the Bayou,”  set after the story has taken place.  What is that character’s attitude/opinion of the main character of that story?  After the creative piece, explain where you find evidence to support your view.

-”Story Of An Hour” and “Beyond The Bayou” are set in very different places: one is confined to a room, the other takes place in a region of the Louisiana swamp.  In light of our conversation today, pay attention to moments where Chopin uses setting details to develop/enhance any of the following Elements: plot (does setting advance important events?), point of view (does setting limit/expand the reader’s perspective of the story?), style (what words, phrases, or other linguistic patterns does Chopin use to ground you in the setting?)  Clue: pick a couple of passages and explain how setting develops/enhances any of the above Elements.

best,

Professor Kwong