Writing Challenge 4 – The Story of an Hour
As you know from class, each week the English Composition classes will be issued several writing challenges geared toward practicing your writing skills.
Sometimes these challenges will contain specific instructions for writing one of the three types of essays we will be covering in class, and sometimes they will be generic assignments that can be responded to as you see fit.
For this writing challenge, I want to see what you can do with prompts similar to those found on the English Composition exam. This challenge will involve a Literary Analysis, as discussed during Week 5 of English Composition. You may want to review the Week 5 Activities posted in the English Composition section of the site.
Instructions:
- Register an user account on the web site so that you can submit your response.
- Read the questions carefully.
- Pause and think about how you wish to respond to the question.
- Open up your favorite word processing program (Word, Notepad, etc.)
- Write your essay! I want to see how you would write if you had to take the test right now.
- Post your essay as a response to this page. Once you log in, there should be a text box at the bottom of the page under the words “Leave A Reply”. Copy and paste your essay into this section, then click “Submit Comment”. You can choose to leave your name off of this, put a nick name, etc. Be sure to tell me which writing prompt you are responding to (A, B, or C).
- Watch for a reply! I will try to review and post comments on these essays as quickly as possible. If the essay needs extensive help, I will print the essay, make specific notes on it, and pass it back the next class meeting.
Your Fourth Writing Prompt:
For this challenge you will need to do some reading first! This challenge will be a set of the three most common writing prompts surrounding the story. I encourage you to write ALL THREE Of these essays and submit them for feedback. Because these are the most common prompts reported by students, I will give them the highest priority for critiquing. Practice makes perfect!
The Story: The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Option A: Discuss in detail the three major themes we see in this story. (HINT: Moral lessons of sharing news too quickly before verifying, themes of rumors.)
Option B: Discuss how the culture of the 1890’s in America affects the events and outcome of the story. (HINT: The social standing of women, the ability of a woman to support herself without a husband.)
Option C: Discuss the literary style of Kate Chopin that we can see in this piece. (HINT: Language differences, older language, short paragraphs.)
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October 10th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin has a very interesting writing style in that she instantly draws you into the story. This literary piece has powerful messages about women at that time in history revealing a truly different culture. Her use of language reveals the emotions of a woman who seems to be very conflicted in her marriage. She clearly reveals how women, in that time period had no identity without a man.
The story is set in the l890’s in America, a time in which women were totally dependant on men. At that time women played a subservient role to men, taking a backseat to their own dreams in life and their lives revolved around their husbands. Women of this time quite frequently married not for love but for social status. “And yet she loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it Matter!” Chopin refers to the main character not in first name but in relation to her married status Mrs. Mallard, which continues to leave her with no identity without her husband.
Chopin’s writing style is filled with emotion in which she illustrates in great detail. As you read her story you are able to empathize with the woman being portrayed as the main character The woman has a noted heart condition stated in the very beginning of the story, focusing on this fact sets the stage for the rest of the story. Learning of her husband’s death from a friend, “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment”, Mrs. Mallard seems conflicted with the news of her husband’s death mournful at first then, feels a new found freedom, that now her life is hers and hers alone. Free now, to make her own way in the world, with hopeful days in her future. “Free! Body and soul free!”
Mrs. Mallard is shown to have a rather lavish life, first by living in a two story house at that time, indicates she has more than most of that time. By being diagnosed with a heart condition also shows that they were able to have medical services available to them.
Clearly, Chopin sets the stage for the story in the very first lines telling the reader, the main character is afflicted with a heart condition. The conclusion of the story reveals this characters death, after seeing her husband alive. It leaves you thinking that she died of shock or the possibility that she was not able to go on living in the manner she was living, now without any hope for her future.
Susan Henthorne
October 13th, 2009 at 3:17 am
The Story of an Hour
Option A
This literary piece is very captivating in that it immediately involves you within the first paragraph. Kate Chopin draws you into the life of a woman conflicted in many ways in her life. The main character in the story known only as Mrs. Mallard, has a stated heart condition, of which is depicted at weak and frail. These flaws in her character are presented in a physical sense, but can be interpreted in the l900’s as a portrayal of a woman’s normal role in society as she takes the backseat to her husband in life. The story takes you through twists and turns into a moral lesson in life for all to see
Mrs. Mallard, the main character in the story, is stated to be a woman with a known heart condition and this sets the scene of the story in a negative light.”Knowing 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.” This fact is crucial for the remainder of the story as we are reminded by the other characters, in their role with Mrs. Mallard.
As depicted in the story and known as part of history, that women played a subservient role to their husbands. Taking a backseat to their own desires, wants and choices not often afforded them in life. The women in this time period quite often married for money, social status and not often for love. These facts are clearly stated in the story. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered, word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free! She clearly did not feel free or happy with her life.
This piece depicts how important it is to clearly verify your facts before sharing the information with others. “He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.” This woman was put through a variety of physical and emotional pain in the end it played a great part in her fate in life.
As seen in this literary work of Kate Chopin, she is making a statement to us all. In life we are given choices, it is what we make with them that forms our very being. How true it is for us to check into the details in life before stating facts without completely verifying. This effects all of us even in this day and time, without thinking things through we can create circumstances that can have very negative repercussions.
Susan Henthorne
October 14th, 2009 at 11:33 am
nursemom81:
Use of Written Language: 5 – Just a few minor grammar errors, but good vocabulary use! For example “…news of her husband’s death mournful at first” should have been separated into two sentences to read “…news of her husband’s death. She was mournful…”. Good use of “subservient”, “conflicted”, “afflicted”, etc.
Use of Argument and Support: 5 – Good development of the idea that she was potentially unable to live without a man, etc.
Understanding Concepts: 5 – All of the paragraph topics clearly show support of the thesis, which clearly fits the prompt. The only suggestion to make this better would be to flesh out the argument of the two-story house meaning she had a lavish lifestyle, and where that fit into the rest of the support. It seemed just a little bit out of place where it was written. Perhaps it would be better as the 3rd paragraph, after the one discussing her dependence on men?
October 14th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
nursemom81:
Use of Written Language: 5 – Just a few minor grammatical errors, but nothing that impacts the meaning of sentences or confuses readers.
Use of Argument and Support: 4 – Good development of ideas, but no clear thesis statement addressing the themes of the story as required in the prompt.
Understanding Concepts: 4 – The key concepts and the writing prompt were clearly understood. The paragraph discussing the need to verify facts could have been fleshed out to have more support. The bulk of the paragraph was a quote.