Within the confines of a short, sixteen-week, survey course, we don’t have the luxury of spending too much time in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, in our brief time exploring this monumental century in the history of the United States, we’ve observed some converging and conflicting movements and attitudes including but not limited to:
Rugged individualism
The “American” work ethic
The taming of nature
The celebration of nature
Independence
Interdependence
Manifest destiny
Oppression
Conformity
Feminism
Using Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” as a launching point, and bringing in at least one of the four poems we’ve studied, discuss one of the nineteenth century movements listed above (or suggest one of your own via email).
Getting Started:
Identify a theme specific to “The Story of an Hour.” Draft that theme in your own words.
Then, identify a nineteenth century American movement from the list above that best corresponds with the theme you’ve drafted.
Next, look at the poetry we’ve read and select one poem whose content either supports your chosen theme or contradicts it.
Suggestions for Organizing this Paper:
Paragraph 1: Write a brief summary of “The Story of an Hour.” Remember that you should open your summary with a sentence that includes:
The author’s full name
The title of the work (in quotation marks)
The work’s theme
At the end of paragraph 1, state your thesis: a statement that relates the story’s theme to your chosen nineteenth century movement.
Remember to keep your summary concise, focusing on the major plot points and remember to write in third person and in the literary present tense
Paragraph 2: Following your summary, analyze the conflict in “The Story of an Hour.“ What kind(s) of conflict(s ) is/are experienced by the protagonist? Consider whether the conflict(s) is internal, external or both. In your topic sentence, state clearly who the protagonist is and name the conflict or conflicts the protagonist experiences. Then, using evidence from the story (quotes and paraphrases), provide a rationale for your choice of conflict.
Remember to write in third person, keeping the focus on the story and not on you, the writer. Remember to use literary present tense when explicating events in the story.
Paragraph 3: Now, bring in the poem you’ve chosen. In your topic sentence, include the poet’s name and the title of the poem (in quotation marks) and explain whether the chosen poem supports or contradict the theme and/or movement you’ve been discussing in your paper. Use evidence from the poem (quotes and paraphrases), provide a rationale for your argument.
Paragraph 4: Wrap up your paper by returning to the “big picture.” What does the story and the poem suggest to you about the “American Dream”? Pay attention to the literary voices, Chopin’s and the poet’s. What are they telling you about the “American Dream”? Who gets to experience the “American Dream”? For whom is the “Dream” elusive or unattainable? Do the authors offer hope or resignation (or both)?
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