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Character Analysis in Chopin's Story

The document provides materials for analyzing characterization, setting, plot, and narration in Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour". It includes lists of adjectives to describe a character, questions to analyze Mrs. Mallard's characterization based on descriptions, actions, thoughts, dialogue and textual evidence. There are also questions and a sample paragraph about how setting is conveyed and its function. Plot structure terms are defined and students are asked to identify the plot structure used in the story. Finally, there are questions about the power of the narrator and how plot structure can affect presentation of characters and conflict.

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Marina Lopez
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
92 views16 pages

Character Analysis in Chopin's Story

The document provides materials for analyzing characterization, setting, plot, and narration in Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour". It includes lists of adjectives to describe a character, questions to analyze Mrs. Mallard's characterization based on descriptions, actions, thoughts, dialogue and textual evidence. There are also questions and a sample paragraph about how setting is conveyed and its function. Plot structure terms are defined and students are asked to identify the plot structure used in the story. Finally, there are questions about the power of the narrator and how plot structure can affect presentation of characters and conflict.

Uploaded by

Marina Lopez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

AP DAILY UNIT 1

VIDEOS SKILL 1.A

Video 1
PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL
Beautiful Confused Antagonistic
Decrepit Empathetic Clear-minded
Delicate Happy Clever
Emaciated Kind Confused
Frail Sad Driven
Graceful Shocked Encouraging
Handsome Supportive Rational
Sickly Sympathetic Sensible
Tall Terrified Worldly
Unkempt

Think of a character from a book or story you've read.


Identify that character in the middle space. Then, list
different adjectives that describe that character. KEY QUESTIONS:
CHARACTERIZATION
How might this
character be
described
physically,
emotionally,
and/or
psychologically?
What words can I
use to describe
this character?
AP DAILY 1: SKILL 1.A
VIDEOS VIDEOS 1-3

Video 2
KEY CONCEPTS
the vocabulary used to describe characters
the sources from which we draw to learn about characters
Mrs. Mallard's characterization in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

Mrs. Mallard from Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

QUOTATION CHARACTERIZATION QUOTATION CHARACTERIZATION

Narrator's
description of
Mrs. Mallard
What others say
about Mrs.
Mallard

Mrs. Mallard's
actions

Mrs. Mallard's
thoughts

Mrs. Mallard's
dialogue

Textual Evidence:
AP DAILY 1: SKILL 1.A
VIDEOS VIDEOS 1-3

Video 3
WHAT SHAPES PERSPECTIVE
Background - socioeconomic, race, time period
Environment - geographical setting, historical framework
Personality Traits - how do they respond to the world around them?
Relationships - how do personal relationships shape their perspective?
Mrs. Mallard from Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

PERSONALITY
BACKGROUND ENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIPS
TRAITS

Sample Paragraph: KEY QUESTIONS:


Mrs. Mallard's perspective was defined by her role as Brently Mallard's
PERSPECTIVE
wife. She lived for him and for their marriage and never even
considered what she wanted for herself. She had learned to walk
Which aspects of a
through life as a wife and a sickly woman who needed to be cared for character's background
by her husband, sister, and friends. Slowly, as she comes to terms with contribute to how the
what her husband's death means for her future, Louise realizes that character perceives his or
she can now live for herself. She understands that her previous
her world?
disquietude stemmed from adopting a myopic view of the world that
didn't allow her to develop as an individual. Now, her glance can turn
What drives a character to
to blue skies, the birds, and the "very elixir of life." She can now view think, feel, and/or act in the
the world through what makes her happy...but all of this is shattered manner he or she does?
when she learns that he is, in fact, alive.
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 2.A

Video 1
WHAT CONSTITUTES SETTING?
Textual details reveal:
location, time of day, year,
season, geography, culture

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

TEXTUAL
SETTING DESCRIPTION FUNCTION
EVIDENCE

KEY QUESTION: SETTING


How do details in a text convey or reveal one or more aspects of a setting
(location, time of day, year, season, geography, culture)?
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 3.A

Video 1
WHAT IS PLOT?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH
Climax THIS PLOT DIAGRAM?

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN


TELL A STORY (DEFINE
aF

EACH METHOD AS ITS


nill

DEFINED IN THE VIDEO):


noit

g
tcA
c

Nonlinear -
A

noi
gnis
iR

In medias res -

Resolution Flashback -

Framed Narrative -
Exposition
Epistolary -

RECOGNIZING PLOT STRUCTURES


linear nonlinear in medias flashback epistolary frame
res narrative

KEY QUESTIONS: PLOT


To what degree does the plot's ordering of events reflect a linear––or
chronological––sequence?
Does the order of events reflect an alternate plot structure?
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 3.B

Video 1
IDENTIFYING PLOT STRUCTURE
Using the terms from the previous lesson, what kind of plot is employed in
"The Story of an Hour?"

Sample Paragraph:
Richards' attempts to make certain of Mr. Mallard's death at the onset SO WHAT?
of the story enable readers to share in Louise Mallard's awakening. Just
as she is moved by the vibrancy of spring outside her window, readers
experience––through the plot's forward progression––her
transformation from wife to individual: the plot's chronology
introduces us to Mrs. Brently Mallard and ultimately leaves us with a
"goddess of Victory," Louise. It is the stark contrast between these two
figures that renders the story's end so tragic. Those who embrace the
19th century perspective of gender roles erroneously believe that she
dies of "joy that kills." Louise Mallard, however, clearly succumbs to
disappointment and heartache, as can be deduced by the series of
events that take place within an hour's time inside the Mallard
residence.

KEY QUESTIONS: FUNCTION OF PLOT STRUCTURE


How does a particular sequence of events affect the presentation and/or
development of characters and conflict?
How does a particular sequence of events and the manner in which a text
presents those events to a reader affect a reader's experience with the text?
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 4.A

Video 1
WHAT POWER DOES A NARRATOR HAVE?
A narrator's power results from two things:

perspective + position

THE PERSON TELLING THE STORY FRAMES THE STORY

descriptions where it took


of others place

INSIDE THE STORY


time (1ST PERSON NARRATOR) what was
involved

sensations what it meant

OUTSIDE THE STORY


(3RD PERSON) THE READER HAS THE POWER TO
QUESTION EVERYTHING

MAIN IDEAS: THE POWER OF A NARRATOR


Narrators establish a relationship with readers based on how a story is told
Focus on perspective and position to question how a narrator relates the events
of a story
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 4.B

Video 1
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. What is 1st person POV and how do we recognize it?
2. Why is 1st person POV important?
3. What are the limitations of 1st person POV?

1ST PERSON POINT OF VIEW HOW DO YOU KNOW IT


The person telling the story is a IS 1ST PERSON?
character in the story. It may be the
The narrator will refer to himself or
protagonist relaying their experiences
herself as "I" and uses pronouns like
or a peripheral character telling the
"we," "me," and "us."
protagonist's story.

"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver


This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night. His
wife had died. So he was visiting the dead wife’s relatives in Connecticut. He called
my wife from his in-law’s. Arrangements were made. He would come by train, a five-
hour trip, and my wife would meet him at the station. She hadn’t seen him since she
worked for him one summer in Seattle ten years ago. But she and the blind man
had kept in touch. They made tapes and mailed them back and forth. I wasn’t
enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me.
My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly
and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs. A blind man in my
house was not something I looked forward to.
THE IMPORTANCE OF 1ST PERSON POV THE LIMITATIONS OF 1ST PERSON POV
Develops intimacy Biased
Gives credibility Reliability
Expresses an opinion
1ST PERSON POV

intimacy bias
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 4.B

Video 2
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. What is 3rd person POV and how do we recognize it?
2. Why is 3rd person POV important?
3. What are the limitations of 3rd person POV?
3RD PERSON POINT OF VIEW THE THREE TYPES
The person telling the story is on Objective - the narrator does not convey the
the outside looking in. The thoughts and feelings of any character and relates
narrator is NOT a character in the the events in a neutral way
story. Limited - knows the thoughts of a single character
Omniscient - aware of every character's thoughts
and feelings
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting
and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the
corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women,
wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They
greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their
husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their
children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to
the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his
place between his father and his oldest brother.
WHICH IS THE POV? WHY IS THIS POV IMPORTANT IN THIS STORY?
"I," "we," and "me" are not used Detached and distant
The narrator is outside the story It shows a process unfolding without
The narrator does not know the thought or feeling
thoughts and feelings of the It creates suspense and intrigue
characters 3RD PERSON POV

objective limited omniscient


AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 4.B

Video 3
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. What is 3rd person omniscient POV and how do we recognize it?
2. How do 3rd person objective and limited differ?
3. What can we get from a close reading of a 3rd person omniscient text?

3RD PERSON POINT OF VIEW THE THREE TYPES


The person telling the story is on Objective - the narrator does not convey the
the outside looking in. The thoughts and feelings of any character and relates
narrator is NOT a character in the the events in a neutral way
story. Limited - knows the thoughts of a single character
Omniscient - aware of every character's thoughts
and feelings

OMNISCIENT
from Latin omnis "all" + scientia "knowledge"

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin


Knowing that 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.
It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that
revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It
was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad
disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." 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.

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for
herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with
which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a
fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a
crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 4.B

Video 3
KEY QUESTIONS:
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OMNISCIENT NARRATOR
It is distant yet close
It builds sympathy for the protagonist
It creates tension between what other
characters see and what we know

3RD PERSON POV

objective limited omniscient

1ST PERSON POV

intimacy bias

IT MATTERS HOW THE STORY IS TOLD

Power Limitations Ask questions


AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 7.A

Video 1
OVERVIEW:
What is a claim
Why claims are important
How to think about claims

CLAIM CLAIM - ANOTHER DEFINITION


A statement that requires An accumulation of individual ideas that
defense with evidence from are brought together in a cohesive manner
the text to form one original and insightful idea.

CLAIM PROCESS
Important sentence IDEA

Key word IDEA


CLAIM
A whole paragraph that seems crucial IDEA

A symbol emerges IDEA

IMPORTANCE

It is one of the It is a beneficial


six points on the skill that exists
AP Lit rubric across courses

"A good claim is like a firm TAKEAWAYS:


handshake. You look the reader in Claims come from the evidence from the
the eye and reassure them that text
They synthesize smaller ideas into a bigger,
you know what you're doing and
cohesive whole
have something worthwhile to
They have insight and originality
say." - Blake Taylor They demonstrate mature thinking
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 7.A

Video 2
OVERVIEW:
Good claims are insightful, weak ones are vague
Claims need evidence to support them
Paragraphs need to be convincing

WEAKER CLAIMS STRONGER CLAIMS


Restate the prompt or rephrase it in Put forth an original idea that is a result
your own words but don't put forth an of an accumulation of evidence.
original idea. Provide big ideas that need to be
Are generic and superficial. They say defended with evidence.
nothing specific to the story or prompt. Respond to the prompt in an insightful
Provide a claim, but do not respond to way.
the prompt.
"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver
This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night. His
wife had died. So he was visiting the dead wife’s relatives in Connecticut. He called
my wife from his in-law’s. Arrangements were made. He would come by train, a five-
hour trip, and my wife would meet him at the station. She hadn’t seen him since she
worked for him one summer in Seattle ten years ago. But she and the blind man
had kept in touch. They made tapes and mailed them back and forth. I wasn’t
enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me.
My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly
and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs. A blind man in my
house was not something I looked forward to.

WEAKER CLAIM
The first person point of view in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" adds to the story.
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 7.A

Video 2
EVIDENCE
"She hadn't seen him since she worked for him one summer in Seattle ten years
ago. But she and the blind man had kept in touch."
"I wasn't enthusiastic about his visit."
"He was no one I knew."
"And his being blind bothered me."
"My idea of blindness came from the movies."
"A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to."

STRONGER CLAIM
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" the narrator's bias against the blind man is revealed
through the first-person point of view and is a lens through which we can see the
narrator's insecurities and apprehensions.

FORMING A PARAGRAPH
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" the narrator's bias against the blind man is revealed
through the first-person point of view and is a lens through which we can see the
narrator's insecurities and apprehensions. His bias is a result of ignorance as he
admits that his "idea of blindness came from the movies." He does not know this
man, nor does he seem willing to get to know him. He even confesses that "a blind
man in my house was not something I looked forward to" and that he "wasn't
enthusiastic about his visit." This reveals his reluctance to the gathering. While the
narrator hints at a close connection between his wife and the blind man, little of that
is revealed. That is because the first-person point of view gives the reader a glimpse
of his discomfort and insecurity, not genuine appreciation for strong social
connections.
TAKEAWAYS:
For a claim to be defensible, it must be insightful.
Insights are the result of gathering evidence and evaluating its importance.
Convince readers of the claim and the value of the supporting evidence.
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 7.A

Video 3
OVERVIEW:
Review key ideas about claims and evidence
How to incorporate quotes
How to transition from one idea to another

SAMPLE PROMPT
How does the point of view help to establish the beginning of the story in Shirley
Jackson's "The Lottery?"

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson


Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting
and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the
corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women,
wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They
greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their
husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their
children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to
the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his
place between his father and his oldest brother.
OBSERVATIONS:
3rd person objective point of view
"They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join
their husbands."
"They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes
were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed."
"Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children,
and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times."
AP DAILY UNIT 1
VIDEOS SKILL 7.A

Video 3
CLAIM
In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" the narrator is distant and detached from the
events of the story. This third person objective point of view allows the narrator
to stay removed from the events while building suspense and intrigue about the
characters.

WRITING A PARAGRAPH
In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" the narrator is distant and detached from the
events of the story. This third person objective point of view allows the narrator to
stay removed from the events while building suspense and intrigue about the
characters. This distance is not only evident in the use of the pronoun "they," it is
also revealed through the narrator's tone. "They greeted one another and
exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands." In this example, the
greeting is not characterized, nor do we learn anything about the bits of gossip.
The tone of this sentence is neutral, perhaps even cautious. When we learn that
"They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes
were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed," we gain no insight as to why
the stones seem important, why they stood together, and why they smiled
instead of laughed. In doing so, this third-person objective narrator is building
suspense and intrigue as the reader craves to know more about these unnamed
characters, their thoughts, and the reasons behind their actions.

PLANNING WRITING
Evidence Claim

Ideas Break down ideas

Claim Evidence

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