“It’s a Muddling Thorough Monday!”

AP Literature and CompositionDecember 9, 2013Mr. Houghteling

AGENDA

• Turn in your “Quote Drop” slips from Friday.

• Background on Kate Chopin and setting information on The Awakening.

• Oral Reading.

Kate Chopin was married at twenty to a son of a wealthy cotton-growing family in Louisiana. Kate had five boys and two girls with Oscar Chopin, all before the age of twenty-eight. Oscar died of swamp fever in 1882.

In 1884, Kate moved her family back to St. Louis, where she was born and raised, yet the topics of Louisiana life never left her. The Awakening was published in 1899. By this time, Kate Chopin had already published over one hundred stories, essays, and sketches.

The Awakening was inspired by a true story of a New Orleans woman who was infamous in the French Quarter. According to biographer Neal Wyatt, The Awakening caused an uproar in St. Louis when it was published because of its content and message.

Chopin was denied admission into the St. Louis Fine Art Club because of it. As a result, Chopin wrote only a few more short stories for the remainder of her life. Chopin died of a cerebral hemorrhage on August 22, 1904 two days after collapsing at the World’s Fair.

Grand Isle, Louisiana

Grand Isle, Louisiana

• Grand Isle is around 110 miles almost due south of New Orleans in Louisiana.

• It was a favored vacation spot of many wealthy members of New Orleans society.

• The entire area has many Spanish, French, Creole, and Cajun influences.

A bridge to a beach of the Gulf of Mexico

A church in Grand Isle, Louisiana

A vacation cottage in Grand Isle?

Review and Preview• Section XIII - page 35: What happens in the

church? What happens after the church service? What might this symbolize?

• Section XV - page 40: Why is Robert going to Mexico? How does Mrs. Pontellier learn of this and react to it? Describe their goodbye.

• Section XVI: Describe the relationship between Mrs. Pontellier and Mademoiselle Reisz. How does Mrs. Pontellier feel when Robert is gone? Why does Mrs. Pontellier suddenly turn on Mme. Reisz? (p. 49)

HOMEWORK• Create two discussion questions or

cite two notable quotations (sections of text) for us to explore.