Assignment 2) Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin DEADLINE: 22nd of September
Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin's The Story of An Hour (1894) is considered one of the finest pieces of Feminist Literature.
You can find the story here:
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/
Choose one of the following discussion questions for your P.E.E.L. paragraph and the conditionals (at least 2x)
1. Discuss the effect of foreshadowing in The Story of an Hour. How does the author foreshadow the ending and why is this important?
2. Discuss the effect of irony in The Story of an Hour. What happens in the end and how is this ironic?
3. Discuss why The Story of an Hour can be considered a work of Feminist Literature.
4. Exlain how expectations and reality don't always add up by providing an example from the story and from your own life.
5. Why do you think Mrs. Mallard feels joy when she thinks about her husband's death? Use historical context in your answer.
6. Why does Mrs. Mallard die at the end of the story?
You might have to do some additional research on the terms above.
Use about 150 words
Bibi
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWhy does Louise die? That's the question that crosses your mind after reading ‘The Story of An Hour’ She has a heart disease but is that really the reason for her passing? If it was then what set it off? The disease is one of the first things you get to know about Louise. It could be because she experienced immense shock when seeing her supposed deceased husband in front of her. That might have triggered her condition. If I’d written this I might have made it more clear for the readers. Then again the mystery keeps you thinking and as a writer that’s what you want. You want people to remember your book. But back to the question: why did she just want to die? Maybe she wanted to experience the freedom she’d felt for a few moments again as soon as it was broken then and there. Did she really feel so free when her significant other died though? Was the life of women that miserable back then? Women had no rights, No voting, No working, Nothing the only thing you could do is bare children, cook and clean. Maybe life was that depressing. But was that the reason she passed?
Demi,
VerwijderenI like how you show your view on the story and what you would do differently if you were the author. However, I think that you did not make your point clear because of the amount of questions that you asked. I also like that you used some historical information to write your PEEL paragraph.
Jasmijn,
VerwijderenI like your point but maybe you asked to many questions. you asked so many questions I found it sometimes a little hard to follow what you were talking about. but it's a good paragraph.
Neel,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIf I said that a heart disease was the reason why Mrs. Mallard died, then it would be a lie. Mrs. Mallard wasn’t happy with her married life. Most of the time she didn’t love Mr. Mallard. They both didn’t love each other much, that’s the reason Mrs. Mallard wasn’t happy with her relation. A friend of Mr. Mallard, Richard, was the first one to know about his death. He told Josephine, the sister of Mrs. Mallard, about it. And she told Mrs. Mallard. At first Mrs. Mallard cried. Afterwards she went to her room and closed the door. She was realizing that she was free know, she wasn’t any more in a relationship. However, she did not stay joyful for long. Someone knocked at the front door. Everyone was shocked because it was Mr. Mallard alive. And Mrs. Mallard died from the shock. So, it was not just the heart disease that caused the death of Mrs. Mallard. But what if there was another reason behind her death?
Demi,
VerwijderenI think that this is one of the best paragraphs I have read. The use of PEEL is done very well, your point is very clear and you really believe in what you are saying. There was only one thing that I thought was a bit weird, you ended with a question. Your link is supposed to be your last sentence, but instead, you first had your link and then ended with a question. Furthermore, I really enjoyed reading your paragraph.
Michelle,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThe most ironic part of the story is that the person who we thought had died was actually alive and the other way around. In the story we can read that it is said in the newspaper that Mrs. Mallard’s husband had passed away in an accident on the railroad. Her sister Josephene was trying to break the news to her as carefully as possible. Because if she doesn’t do that, then her sister will not be able to take the bad news. When Mrs. Mallard first heard the news she was absolutely devastated. But after that she sees a spark in life. She’s thinking to herself: If my husband is dead, I must be free! Free at last! But when she sees her husband is still alive and well she passes away because of the shock. It’s kind of ironic how she finally found happiness, only for it to be crushed and to die of the shock.
Jasmijn,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMrs Mallard dies at the end of the story because she sees her husband alive. Because she is so shocked the pulses of her heart became faster so fast that that proceeded in a deadly heart attack. If you die of a heart attack in her case, you die because of adrenaline, pulses or not enough air. She saw her husband and was probably super shocked or ashamed. If she was really shocked she had a heart attack because of the adrenaline(or pulses). If she died of shame she could also have died of adrenaline(or pulses). Adrenaline makes your heart pump faster and can result in a heart attack. So this heart attack became fatal for her and her husband. If you had seen a person who you thought had died, alive, I would have been shocked? So Mrs Mallard could have died because of shame, guilt or shock, that produced so much adrenaline that it resulted in a heart attack.
Ayden,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWhy does Mrs. Mallard feel joy when she thinks about her husbands death? It’s actually quite simple. In the past, women didn’t have as many rights as men had, they couldn’t vote, they couldn’t work, their only task was to stay at home and care for the husband and children. if you could only stay at home and care for your husband, would you be glad he died? It says in the story that they didn’t love each other much, so she was only sad for a short while, Thinking that if he was really dead and she would be free. this is why she died at the end of the story, the realisation that her husband wasn’t dead and she wasn’t free. this caused her to die of heart trouble. This is why Mrs. Mallard was happy her husband passed away.
I liked how you started you're explaination "They couldn't work, their only task was to stay at home and care for the husband and children". I like this because you really emphasize, the issue that women had in that time.
Verwijderen-Daniel
VerwijderenDemi,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt is very ironic that Mr. Mallard, who we thought had died, comes back home and that his wife dies at the sight of him. At the beginning of the story, we see that Mr. Mallard died in a railroad disaster. In the end, he comes out of the doorway. In the end, it's said ‘of the joy that kills.’ The joy that is meant is not the joy of seeing her husband again, it is the realisation that the joy of an hour is over. Think about if Richards had been late it the post office, Louise would have never died, but she would not be happy. In the beginning, it’s said that Mr. Mallard died, the opposite is true, he is still alive. If Mr. Mallard had died, Louise would have lived a happy life. So, it is very ironic that the person who we taught had died, turns out to be alive and the person who was just starting to feel alive, dies.
Nick,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDuring the last part of “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, an ironic thing happens. because the person we had expected to be dead, comes home. In this story, we read that Mr. Mallard has died in a train accident. Mrs. Mallard, the main character of this story, has heart trouble. That’s why her sister tries her best to mildly explain the devastating news. If her sister hadn’t taken it slow, it would have ended fatally. Mrs. Mallard was destroyed after she heard this information, but she was also kind of relieved. Because the life of a married woman wasn’t as free as it is nowadays. At the end of this story, her husband walks right into the house, as if nothing happened. Because nothing happened to him. That’s why the end of the story is so ironic; she was having a hard time thinking about what she just heard and felt kind of relieved, but then her husband came back, not even knowing about the accident. If you were bored with your life, wouldn’t you be happy if your spouse was gone and you were free again? It’s ironic how she found peace with Mr. Mallard's death, just for it to be taken away. Both her life and her freedom.
Damian: Why does mrs. mallard feel joy when she thinks about her husbands death? She is happy because in the time the story is written, women’s didn’t have so many rights compared to the rights they have now. In that time women’s couldn’t vote in a election and they didn’t worked. The hard work was meant for male’s and women’s had to take care of their children and the house. When the husband dies, the women’s had to work and vote and she is more free. She can do want she wants to do and does not have to listen to her husband. if i was mrs. mallard, i would be very happy because i can do the things i really want but later in the story it is clear he didn’t die and if i was mrs. mallard i would be very sad and depressed. She is happy because she didn’t have a husband to listen to and had her freedom.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenNica,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThe story of an hour can be considered a Feminist Literature because it symbolizes the life of a housewife. At the time the Story of an hour was written, women had little to no rights. Women were expected to care for the husband and children, cooking and cleaning. Mrs Mallard was so relieved to hear that husband was dead, because she didn’t have to live up to that expectation anymore. If Josephine didn’t tell her that her husband was dead, she wouldn’t have been able to feel happiness and freedom. Mr Mallard actually wasn’t dead, but the fact that Mrs Mallard died with the thought of being free from her husband, was for the better. I believe her death also symbolizes peace, she had peace with the fact she died, she didn’t really have a lot more to live for and makes her death less depressing. If the railroad disaster didn’t happen, Mrs Mallard would have never been free.
Aryan
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWhy does Louise joy when her husband died?
It might have been because her husband was abusive and or oppressive, her husband were abusive or oppressive, she would feel joy because she would be free from the oppression of her husband.
When Louise first hears about her husband’s death, she initially reacts with grief but after she had thought about it for while she says: “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.” This suggests that she was being oppressed in her marriage and saw her husband’s death as being free from the expectations that society had put on her and so if her husband were to return alive, she would be shocked, which happens in the story, when her husband came home, she died because of shock.
Seeing as though most women were abused and or oppressed during the times that this story was written. It’s understandable that Louise’s reaction was positive because she was freed of a marriage that was constraining her.
This happiness that she feels shows how the roles of women were limited during that time and the sacrifices they had to make in a traditional marriage.
Nanou
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMrs. Mallard died at the end of a heart attack, but how could this happen? Louise died of a heart attack after seeing her husband. It sounds a bit weird but in the past women felt unhappy, because the man was the boss. If her husband had died, properly Louise would have been alive. She was so shocked after seeing her husband back home that her heart stopped working. If the women got more freedom, they would be a lot happier. You see in the story, that it was so hard for the women, that they could be very happy with the death of their husband. For Louise it turned out that it was fake news, then she was so shocked that she saw her husband, that her life was ended. So you see that it was very hard for women at that time and that Mrs. Mallard was happy that she was free, but then she wasn’t anymore.
Daniel
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThe reason why the story of an hour is called ‘Feminist literature” is because of this: when Mrs. Mallard realizes her husband has died she feels a sense of grief but after she retreats to her room and sits in her chair she realizes the perks and opportunities she now has as a widow. Her grief turns into a sense of liberation, from this I can conclude that she did not like being married to her husband; Brently Mallard. If she had liked being married, she would have grieved more and for a longer period of time. Unless of course she did not like being married. This leads me to believe that the story of an hour is feminist literature, it shows that women in the time of the Industrial revolution were unhappily married, they were oppressed and were limited in what they could do. The story is still relevant in this day and age, as the topic of feminism is brought up again, just like it was 150 years ago.
Kamila,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThe irony in the story is that the person who was supposed to be dead turns out to be still alive and the person who was supposed to live a new life died. Since the start of the story, it was Mr. Mallard who was supposedly dead. But when we read the end we know that this was a false claim. If Brentyl Mallard hadn’t turned out to still be alive, Mrs. Mallard would have lived a longer life. The people that were closest to the family Mallard wanted to break the news about her husband's death as gently as possible since she had a weak heart. They were scared that she was going to get too nervous and her heart was not going to be able to take that. They expected her to be sad about this information, but instead, she felt quite happy and relieved that her husband was dead. She was excited about how this situation opened something new for her. She probably didn't expect her husband to still be alive, so when she saw him she was so surprised that she died of heart disease. If her sister had waited to tell her the news, Mrs Mallard would have lived as if nothing ever happened. It is ironic how the person who was ‘dead’ overlived the person who was supposed to still be alive.
Lax
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIf you have no expectations or dreams in life, life is useless. I think it’s very important, because if you don’t have dreams or expectations, you have nothing to pursue. It is good or nice to live up to your expectations, but is also very important if you fail. But why?
The moments when you fail are the most important to me, because if you do something wrong you can improve yourself. Many people see failure as something negative, because they haven’t achieved something. But failure makes you know what you are doing wrong. And you make the mistake again for the second time. I think school is a great example for failure. Everyone wants a high score for there test. But if you got an insufficient for your test, you have made mistakes. But if you go through those, you won’t make them again.
So, for me the most important thing is: Believe in your self and follow your dreams.
Sannidhi
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThis story could be considered as a work of feminist literature because the story is from 1894, which was a very long time ago and Louise( Mrs. Mallard) also whispers to herself “Free! Body and soul free!” after realizing that her husband had perished in a terrible railroad accident. The story has been written in times where women didn’t have many rights. Even if they had rights, they didn’t have many. Women also didn’t have a say in numerous things.
Not all, but many women were also mistreated by their husbands and had to do whatever they were told. After Louise realized that her husband had died, she finally felt free.
In the story it is not made obvious if Louise is mistreated by her husband. But the fact that she responded in such a way after her husband had passed away, could be an indication that she was not treated properly as she was feeling relieved by it. So, yes, this could be considered as a piece of feminist literature.
Noah
BeantwoordenVerwijderenn the story ‘’The Story off An Hour’’ Mrs. Mallard died at the end of the story. But why did she die? If it were up to me, I would say that she died, because Mrs. Mallard was so in shock that her controlling husband didn’t die that her hearth stopped and said ‘’goodbye.’ In the story, there is written that she would live for herself and there would be no powerful will bending hers anymore. Mrs. Mallard later said ’’Free! Body and soul free!’’ when she realised she was free, because her (controlling) husband ‘’died’’. At the end of the story, when Mrs Mallard died, The doctors said she had died because of ‘’ hearth disease’’—of the joy that kills. But if I need to tell you why she died, I will tell you, she died because of the shock and sadness she got when her husband came ‘’back to life.’’
BeantwoordenVerwijderenAnke
Why did Louise rejoice over her husband's passing?
She might have felt joy because she would be free from her husband's mistreatment because he was abusive or restricting, or it could have been because of a combination of those things. In the past, women mostly had no choice but to be housewives because they did not have the same rights as men. Because women were not permitted to do the kind of hard labour that men did, they took care of their families and homes instead of working outside of their homes. They weren't really in love, according to the story, so why would she be upset if her mistreating husband passed away?. Therefore i think that those are the reasons why she was happy about her husband´s passing.
Jasmijn,
VerwijderenIt's a really good point and you explain your point really well. and I like that you put historical background info in it as well.
Souhail
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI think that Mrs. Mallard was happy with her husbands death, because in the past women did everything in house. They cooked, cleaned, and took care of the children. I think she was just happy to be free, to have her own life, to do what she wanted to do. of course she didn't have very long to do something. But the thought itself already made her happy. Imagine that you're stuck to someone your whole life, like glue. You have to do everything for them. and that shows that women really needed the right to work, drive and even work for themselves. To study, to learn and to go out with friends without thinking about cleaning the house or cooking. i think she was just releaved. If i would have to do that everyday, i would go crazy. So i think she was releaved to have some time for herself and happy to not have to take care of her husband anymore.
sophia: The question is couldn’t get out of my head was ‘Why did Mrs. Mallard die at the end of the story.’ And I think that it was the fact that she saw her dead husband alive. But not only the fact that he was alive, but the thought of her life with him. Maybe she just got over his dead or maybe she didn’t have a good relationship with her husband. They said that the joy killed her. And it definitely wasn’t the joy that she felt when she saw her husband, but the fact that the last hour was over. Because if my husband died and he treated met bad, I wouldn’t felt happy when I saw him again. If I have time to heal I will use that time. I don’t need to see someone after I got over them. That’s why I think Mrs Mallard died at the end of the story, because the last hour was over.
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