Critical Response to Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

Author of the story, Kate Chopin

8/29/10




In "The Story of an Hour", author Kate Chopin effectively communicates the irony of the life and death of the spiritually restricted Mrs. Mallard. When Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband has died, she is so happy to be free of her husband, who she had loved on occasion but she had also felt confined by. Her oppressed nature is implied both on the surface and also figuratively. Her name, Mrs. Mallard, is symbolic, because mallards are the ducks that have the white collars around their necks. On top of that, she never is addressed by a first name until after her husband has been announced dead. In a sense, she lacks her own identity until her male oppressor is no longer alive. Also, the desperation, relief, and hope that Mrs. Mallard finds due to her husband's death can be identified when the author states, "But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely." (16) This is all ironic because while most people grieve the death of their spouse, Mrs. Mallard finds a "monstrous joy"(16) in it. When Mrs. Mallard finds out in the end, that her husband is not, in fact dead, she dies. While the doctors think she died due to too much joy, the readers know that she was truly not happy at all to see her husband.

Weekly Response: Poetry

8/29/10


In class this week we read a poem called Richard Cory. It was a poem about a man who was admired and envied by all of his town, yet in the end this well-respected man commits suicide. The poem was told from the perspective of a townsperson who was, I believe, sarcastically stating the nature of the events that happened. The Edwin Arlington Robinson, the poet, asserted that you cannot make judgements about the lives of others. Although on the surface people may seem fine, they may not be. The irony in this poem was what ultimately captured may attention and gave the poem a greater meaning and emotional appeal. 
This aspect of the week was very interesting to me because I love poetry. It is so interesting to me how much tone, plot progression, and emotion can be poured into such a short body of literature. I personally believe that the more succinctly a story can be told, the more impact it can have on its readers. In the quest to establish what truly counts as literature, I feel that it is very important to account for the poetic aspects of literature and not just long novels. I look forward to reading, analyzing, and learning from poetry over the course of this year.

What is Literature?

8/22/2010

How can you define something like literature? Is it possible that there are words accurate enough to define a concept that thrives on the absence of limitations? To me, the beauty of literature is that it cannot have one concrete definition. Literature can mean so many different things to so many different people. So what does literature mean to me? That's what I spent a lot of time thinking about while doing my homework for this class this week. So I finally realized what it means to me right now. For me, literature is written art. It is the most intellectually stimulating way to gather insight into your own emotions. Literature is a different kind of journey for every literary work, but it is always a journey in some way. Characters share traits similar to people in your life, and you, in turn, relate to the story and become absorbed by every plot development.  Authors of literary works have a grip on your emotions, and as long as you are involved in the novel, poem or other piece of literature, the authors will continue to have a grip on your emotions. It's amazing, how words can have such a powerful impact on the human soul. Instead of blatantly describing sadness, literature leaves subtle hints of tragedy for the reader to subconsciously take in. If you're looking hard enough, you find these sorts of subtleties and use analytical thinking to understand their meanings. The use of analysis helps you understand emotions on and even deeper intellectual and visceral level. That is literature for me. But the other beauty of literature is that it is ever-changing. Authors will continue to break rules, and as readers we will try to comprehend why these rules are broken. My hope is that as this course of AP Literature progresses, I will gain more insight into what truly defines literature for me.

Academic and Intellectual Profile

8/16/10


This summer I have not had the chance to do much reading other than what was assigned to me. The books I read were 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, and How to Read Like a Professor. When I read these books, I look before for a brief summary of what i should expect in the novel. While I was reading this summer, I took notes on major characters, plot events, and possible symbolism. I always make sure there aren't distractions while I am reading so that whatever work I am reading gets my undivided attention. While I am reading I often find myself trying to put myself into the story or point of view that I am reading about. I find that this helps me understand plot and character developments more easily.


I believe that I am a very good creative writer. I can create characters and situations that are relatable. I enjoy writing short stories or poems and I believe that I can write them pretty well. Although I can debate or argue well in person, proving a point in an essay is much more difficult for me to accomplish. I can also analyze literary works, but I am unable to correctly phrase my analytical discoveries in an essay form. Essays in general, are a challenging task for me because I have a lot to say, but I never know quite how to say it. 






REFLECT:


My biggest strength is my ability to see other people's points of view. In doing this I am able to understand their side of the case, and respectfully counter their view to maintain my standpoint in a discussion. I also see this as a strength because in being able to see other people's viewpoints, if someone raises a good point, then I will be able to see where they are coming from and have my mind changed because of what I have heard. Being open minded, in my opinion, has the most promising possibilities  for learning in a discussion. My weakness might be to ask provocative questions. I definitely have a lot of questions in my head, yet I am never sure which of the questions I can learn most from. When it comes to questions, I am also not yet confident that any  of my questions are open ended enough to really take flight in research or a discussion. This is a clear weakness because asking questions is the way you gather information. If poor questions are asked, the information that will be learned is likely to be less useful.

The Handmaid's Tail/1984

8/15/2010

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell were an interesting pair of books to read together. There were certainly differences. Handmaid's Tale was centered from the perspective of a woman who was not content with her culture, but willing to accept her place in life, since she figured there was not much she could do about it without severe consequence. 1984 was the male perspective of someone who was curious and fed up with the current system, and he was ready to try and figure out a way to get things back to the way they used to be, even if he could be killed. Having said this, it wasn't hard to find the similarities between these two novels. They each possessed a plot that developed around the concept of a futuristic oppressive society. Also, each novel included a culture that had rid itself of romance. In the settings that each book created, it was made clear that the death penalty was handed out freely to all who chose to oppose to the government in even the slightest way. The main similarity I was able to take away from the novels was that in each society, the protagonist knowingly broke rules that seemed absurd but had grave consequences. In both cases, the outcomes of the conflicts favored the sides of the oppressive societies, and not the sides of those who wanted their freedom.