An Examination Of How Kate Chopin s Work - 1298 Words

ENGL 1102 – Comp/Lit Essay 2 (Mulry) Sellers, James R – 920022413 Due Date: April 20, 2015 An Examination of How Kate Chopin’s Works Taken Together Contribute to our Understanding of Her Time and the Place of Women in Society Looking at themes present in his short stories and novels, Kate Chopin presents examples of female strength and an assertive rebellion to the social norms during the late 1800s. By seeking to transparently and boldly portray the risquà © behavior of her lead characters, which are with few exceptions also strong women as well, she cemented herself as a one of the unmistakable voices in the women’s rights movement, which culminated with women securing the right to vote in 1920, and the women’s liberation movement that would sweep the nation in the 1960’s. While not an outspoken voice publically during her life, as she may not have ever intentionally sought to spark feminist rebellion, the characters that she created became a presence in literature which influenced the likes of Sylvia Plath (Stone) and Edith Wharton (Papke 6). Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, a feminist American Historian from Emory University, said the following about Chopin’s covert feminist voice: â€Å"Kate was neither a feminist nor a suffragist, she said so. She was nonetheless a woman who took women extremely seriously. She never doubted women s ability to be strong. She came from a long line of strong women whom she loved and respected, the great-grandmother, grandmother, mother affiliation.Show MoreRelated The Life of Kate Chopin1083 Words   |  5 PagesThe life of Kate Chopin      Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin led a fascinating life filled with times of triumph but also times of great loss. Living in the South during the post-Civil War era, the setting and experiences of her life would have a great impact on the subjects of her writing. Chopin began writing as a way to express her frustration with life. This is why her emotions about life are conveyed so strongly in her writing. One of her short stories, Juanita, is an excellent example of how Chopins lifeRead More The Transformation of Edna Pontellier in The Awakening Essay950 Words   |  4 Pagesshe did not know what† (Chopin). In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier, a passionate, rebellious woman. Throughout the novel, it becomes apparent how unsettled Edna feels about her life. The reader can identify this by her thoughts, desires, and actions, which are highly inappropriate for an affluent woman of the time. In the novel, Edna has an awakening and finds the courage to make the changes she sees necessary. Kate Chopin is able to make qualityRead MoreInferences Lead to Tragedy: Irony that Ruins in Kate Chopins Desirees Baby744 Words   |  3 Pages Kate Chopin utilizes irony in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† to warn people of the dangers of racism and how it can victimize not only the hated race, but also the one who is racist. â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a tale about a young slave owner, Armand, with a well-respected name in Louisiana. He marries an adopted woman named Desiree and once they have their child, he notices that the baby has black features. He assumes that since he does not know his wife’s racial background that his wife must have some sort ofRead MoreResearch Paper on Kate Chopin and the Feminism in Her Works2066 Words   |  9 PagesAp English 08 27 April 2012 Kate Chopin: Feminism in Her Works â€Å"Love and passion, marriage and independence, freedom and restraint.† These are the themes that are represented and worked with throughout Kate Chopin’s works. Kate Chopin, who was born on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, was an American acclaimed writer of short stories and novels. She was also a poet, essayist, and a memoirist. Chopin grew up around many women; intellectual women that is. Chopin said herself that she was neitherRead MoreA Hour By Kate Chopin1269 Words   |  6 PagesThe representation of marriage and gender parts portrayed in the America short stories the Necklace by Guy De Maupassan The Short story of a Hour by Kate Chopin are short stories which uncover many viewpoints seen in the human intuitive convictions. These stories demonstrate how the male characters assume the primary part in marriage as the dominant ones and their partners, the females taking up the weaker parts. The women in these stories are portrayed as unsteady person who are incl ined to fantasyRead MoreA Solitary Soul By Kate Chopin1995 Words   |  8 PagesOn April 22nd, 1899, Herbert S. Stone Company published a novel written by female Author, Kate Chopin. 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The work must stand by itself, and any information that goes beyond the textRead MoreThe Character Development Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay2166 Words   |  9 Pagesperspective and attitude or assimilate into a civilized community that upholds traditional White-American beliefs. Similarly, Kate Chopin in her novel â€Å"The Awakening,† utilizes fictional storytelling to articulate the internal struggle of Edna Pontellier on her quest to part from her conventional role as a woman and for the first time since youth, pursue her self interests. Chopin’s work targets current social understanding of morality and ethics, removing the notion that you have to abide by what societyRead More Stop Literary Censorship Essay1566 Words   |  7 Pagesmore common all over the world today. The online Encarta Encyclopedia defines censorship as, supervision and contro l of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books...for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. Henry Reichman from the Education World website defines it as, the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic,Read MoreWomen s Rights Of Women2756 Words   |  12 Pagesknown through most literary circles, is Kate Chopin. However, she also wrote in a time where it was merely a dream for a woman to be full liberated from man, only obtainable upon the death of either the man or the women herself. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a short story about a woman (Mrs. Mallard) who finds out that her husband has passed away. She has a brief time filled with grief and enlightenment, only to find out that her husband was never dead. Chopin takes a moment to integrate that Mrs. Mallard